Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Social Services
“Our Programme for Government commits us to continue our support for our flagship Flying Start programme. And, in line with the Co-operation Agreement with Plaid Cymru, we have extended this to deliver a phased expansion of early years provision to include all two-year-olds, with a particular emphasis on strengthening Welsh-medium provision.
The first phase began in September 2022 and we have already passed our target. All four elements of the Flying Start programme – enhanced health visiting, support for speech, language and communication, parenting support and childcare – are available to more than 2,600 additional children.
We are now focusing on the next phase of expansion – delivering the childcare element of Flying Start to even more two-year-olds across Wales.
Over the next two years we will invest £46m in expanding Flying Start childcare and we expect to be able to support more than 9,500 more two-year-olds to access high-quality childcare through this programme. This is in addition to our existing Childcare Offer, which provides 30 hours of funded childcare for 48 weeks a year for working parents and those in education and training with children aged three and four.
This investment will allow Flying Start childcare to expand significantly, supporting long-term, positive impacts on the lives of those children and families across Wales facing the greatest challenges.
It will mean more families in Wales will have access to Flying Start childcare for their two-year-old children in Wales…”
Please select the following link to read the full statement Written Statement: Expanding Flying Start childcare to more children in Wales (14 April 2023) | GOV.WALES
Business Support Childcare and Playwork providers
We want all childcare and playwork providers in Wales to be able to access the support they need to establish, develop and grow their business sustainably, for further information please select the following link Business Support Childcare and Playwork Providers | Business Wales (gov.wales)