16th September 2025
Northern Ireland children receiving less than disadvantaged children in England!
Employers For Childcare welcomes the latest report from Coram Family and Childcare and calls for more support for children in Northern Ireland, as we aren’t getting even as much as the ‘disadvantaged’ children in England get, because the 15 or 30 hours free childcare is not available here.
Coram Family and Childcare is a UK based charity and carries out research in GB on Early Education and childcare, to drive change in national and local policy. They are warning that disadvantaged children in England are at risk of missing out on the same Early Education as their more affluent peers due to the eligibility criteria of Government funded childcare entitlements.
The report reveals that a child with working parents eligible for the entitlements will benefit from three times as much Government funded Early Education than a disadvantaged child, by the time they start school. Families who are not in work, or do not earn enough to be eligible for these entitlements that others get for free, will have to pay an average of £205 per week to give a child under the age of two the same amount of Early Education in a nursery.
Commitments by both previous and current Governments meant that in England the phased expansion of free childcare which started in 2024 had its final phase rolled out in September 2025, so now eligible working parents of children from nine months old up to school age can access 30 hours of funded childcare per week.
In England the children excluded from the entitlement to this valuable support include those with parents who do not regularly earn enough to qualify, those with at least one parent in education or training, children whose parents are working migrants with no recourse to public funds, children with a parent who cannot work due to terminal illness, and children of single disabled parents.
Many families who are ineligible for the 30 hours funded Early Education entitlement may qualify for help with childcare costs through Universal Credit, where the Government pays up to 85% of the childcare bill. However, this is usually paid in arrears, making the support inaccessible for those who cannot cover the cost upfront.
Coram Family and Childcare want the Government to urgently extend the funded Early Education entitlements to children whose parents are in training or education, are migrants who meet the work criteria, or who are unable to work due to terminal illness.
Head of the charity Lydia Hodges believes that while expanding the funded childcare hours provides support for many working families, the focus on parental income risks excluding disadvantaged children who stand to benefit the most from Early Education. They want steps taken to remove the emerging imbalance and ensure all children have access to the same opportunity to boost their outcomes through Early Education, no matter their parents’ circumstances.
Employers For Childcare would like to see the urgent implementation of the Early Education and Childcare Strategy and much needed support for families in Northern Ireland.