The Welsh government offers free childcare for children aged 2, 3 and 4. This is in addition to the free childcare that is available for all children under the age of 2 in Wales.
Free Childcare in Wales for 2-year-olds
There are two ways that you can get free childcare for your 2-year-old in Wales:
The Flying Start Scheme: This scheme offers 12.5 hours of free childcare a week for children aged 2 years old. The scheme is currently only available in some parts of Wales, but it is expected to be extended to all areas of Wales from September 2022. To be eligible for the Flying Start Scheme, you must live in a Flying Start area. You should check with your local Family Information Service whether your area is covered by the scheme.
The Childcare Offer for Wales: This scheme offers up to 30 hours of free childcare a week for children aged 2 years old. The 30 hours is made up of 10 hours a week of early education and a maximum of 20 hours a week of childcare. The amount of childcare you can get depends on what your local council offers.
Free childcare in Wales for 3 and 4-year-olds
All children aged 3 and 4 in Wales are eligible for 30 hours of free childcare a week. This is made up of 10 hours a week of early education and a maximum of 20 hours a week of childcare. The free childcare can be used at a range of childcare providers, including nurseries, childminders and after-school clubs.
Eligibility for free childcare
To be eligible for free childcare, you must meet the following criteria:
You must be a resident of Wales
You must be the parent or guardian of the child
The child must be aged 2, 3 or 4
You must meet the income criteria
The income criteria for free childcare are as follows:
For the Flying Start Scheme: Your family income must be no more than £20,320 a year after tax
For the Childcare Offer for Wales: Your family income must be no more than £23,200 a year after tax
How to Apply for Free Childcare in Wales
To apply for free childcare, you will need to contact your local council. You can find your local council's contact details on the Welsh Government Website.
Benefits of free childcare
The free childcare can provide a number of benefits for families, including:
It can help parents to return to work or to increase their hours of work
It can help parents to balance work and family life
It can provide children with a stimulating and educational environment
It can help children to develop social skills and make friends
Here is some additional information about the 30 hours of free childcare in Wales:
Free childcare is available for up to 48 weeks of the year
You can use the free childcare however you choose, for example, 10 hours per day over a period of 3 days a week, however, you cannot stretch your entitlement over more than one week or transfer unused hours across weeks
You cannot swap education hours for childcare hours, or childcare hours for education hours
You can pay for additional hours of childcare yourself based on a private contract between you and your childcare provider
In Conclusion
Free childcare is a valuable resource for families in Wales. It can help parents to balance work and family life, and it can provide children with a stimulating and educational environment. If you are eligible for free childcare, I encourage you to apply.
The Flowers Day Nursery
A variety of flexible childcare options are available at Flowers Day Nursery starting at the age of 3 months until the children begin school, as well as before and after school care from local primary schools.
Our childcare experts provide care for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and children starting school before and after school care. Additionally, we offer holiday care for children up to the age of 8.
As part of our wrap-around service, we accept childcare vouchers and government funding, and we offer school pick-up and drop-off service and care for families in the local area, as well. We provide an environment that is focused on learning and play in a home-like setting.
Since we opened in 2004, we have focused on providing outstanding childcare for children of all ages. When juggling work and a busy schedule, having a childcare provider you can trust is crucial. In addition to offering flexible full-time and part-time childcare sessions, we are open every weekday, except on bank holidays, from 07.30-18.30.
To ensure that your child is settled, happy, content, and developing with us, we are committed to working alongside you and your child. At the start of their day, you can let us know how they have been and if you have any concerns and we will tell you about their day, the activities they have been involved in and how they have been when you pick them up.
Each child at the Flowers has their own dedicated and qualified key worker who is your point of contact. You will receive regular updates on your child's development, which are all recorded in their own personal record book. We keep track of their activities, milestones, and photos in their personal record books and update you regularly using these.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all planned nutritious and varied meals as well as snacks in the morning and afternoon. They are all prepared on-site by our chefs in our 5-Star Environmental Health Awarded kitchen. We also provide Pampers nappies as part of your childcare costs.
Our Team
In addition to Level 3 Childcare certification, all of our staff are certified in Food Hygiene, Child Protection, and First Aid.
In addition to a strict recruitment and assessment process, we only hire team members who love working with children.
Our dedicated team will continue to nurture your child and ensure each session with us is fun, interactive and engaging.
Our Priorities
We aim to provide your child with a happy, safe and loving environment where he or she can learn and develop to their full potential.
Our childcare is well known in Swansea and the surrounding areas for providing exceptional and outstanding care for children aged 3 months to 8 years old. Dropping off and picking up your child is safe and easy with our City Centre location's off-road parking.
Our dedicated rooms offer age-appropriate play and learning following the national curriculum as your child gets older.
Flowers focuses on children's development in all age groups:
Communication and language
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Throughout The Flowers Nursery, we strive to provide professional, outstanding and caring child care in a supportive and encouraging environment where children can grow and thrive. Our nursery offers quality childcare with no hidden costs or extras and we are proud that we are a family-focused daycare nursery.
From babies to toddlers, pre-school and up until school-age children, we welcome parents and guardians to discuss their child's requirements and needs, meet our team, read our inspection reports and view our bright, interactive and fun-filled facilities. To arrange a tour and to meet our team please telephone 01792 46 44 45.