Education Minister Claire Coutinho and Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards visited Serendipity’s Day Nursery in Cotgrave last week to meet the team and discuss the Government’s new childcare reforms.
The award-winning day nursery has been rated outstanding by OFSTED and offers a range of extra activities for the children, from swimming lessons to helping prepare their own meals.
Ruth and the Minister were given a tour of the nursery, which has different rooms for babies, toddlers and preschool age children, as well as a large area for outdoor activities.
The minister has been travelling across the country to hear directly from those working in the childcare sector. She has been listening to their feedback on the childcare reforms announced in the Government’s Spring Budget earlier this year.
The Government will be offering 30 hours of free childcare for every child over the age of 9 months, with support being phased in until every single eligible working parent of under 5s gets this support by September 2025.
Today, the Government announced that thousands of working parents in receipt of childcare benefits will also see them rise by 50%, from £951 to £1630 per month. The childcare costs will be paid upfront rather than in arrears, removing barriers to those on universal credit.
These transformative reforms will give new parents the freedom and security to choose when they go back to work after starting a family.
This is backed with a £204 million investment to support the existing childcare providers in 2023-2024 with an additional £288 million ringfenced to support recruitment of new staff needed to meet increased demand for nursery places.
Ruth said “It was great to be able to welcome the minister to Rushcliffe and to show her one of the excellent childcare providers that we have in the area.
“The Government’s fantastic childcare announcements in the Spring Budget ensure that parents will always have access to affordable childcare and the flexibility to decide when it’s best for them to return to work.
Serendipity’s leads the way on quality in this sector, and I could really see the care and passion of their team members and the effect that it had on the children in their care.
“Thank you to the Minister for coming to meet with them and to Matt Alls and his wonderful team at Serendipity’s for hosting us.”
• Ruth Edwards MP May 2023 column for the Rushcliffe community
