Free Childcare Expands to 30-Hours for Working Parents

Working families in Tameside may be able to benefit from 30-hours of free childcare for children aged under three from this September.

Eligible families can now apply from the term after their child turns 9-months until they reach school age, joining over 4,000 parents in Tameside already taking advantage of free childcare places.

This expansion is designed to support the early education of children and help parents to balance work and family life during term time, which could save families up to £7,500 per year.

Within Tameside there are 251 providers delivering free early education which includes private, voluntary, and independent settings, as well as primary schools with a nursery class.

Parents who are eligible must apply for their childcare code by 31 August to access their hours and to start using them from 1 September. They will need to reconfirm their details every three months via your GOV.UK account.

Working families already using 15-hours childcare will not need to reapply for a new code but will need to continue to reconfirm their details every three months on their GOV.UK account to automatically update to 30-hours from September.

Tameside Council Executive Member for Children’s Services, Councillor Teresa Smith, said: “Since free childcare hours were introduced in 2024, we have seen an incredible uptake from thousands of working families in Tameside which has demonstrated the need for this support. The expansion to 30-hours of free childcare will be welcomed by many and I am delighted we have so many providers supporting this initiative for families.”

To check if you are eligible for free childcare and to apply, visit the Childcare Choices website at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

For more information on how to find a place, contact the Family Information Service on 0161 342 4260.