Only one in 10 parents able to secure early entitlement access code, research finds
by Jess Gibson
Just 11% of eligible parents signing up to secure an access code for the government’s extended funding scheme have been granted one, according to charity Pregnant Then Screwed.
The charity surveyed 6,058 parents eligible for the new 15-hour funding scheme for two-year-olds, due to begin 1 April, who describe it as “complete chaos”.
Parents have been able to apply for an access code for the scheme, which is in its first stage, since 2 January 2024, but many have reportedly been left “confused and frustrated” by the process, according to the charity.
Over two-thirds of parents surveyed have not been able to apply for their eligibility code for the new two-year-old scheme because the three-month ‘reconfirmation window’ for their government childcare account has not yet opened, with many warning that this won’t happen until just days before the scheme is due to start.
A further 17% of eligible parents have not yet been able to access their eligibility code because they either “simply don’t understand how it [the scheme] works” or are unable to navigate the system due to technical bugs.
The charity also reports that 34% of parents say their preferred provider is currently unable to confirm whether they will be able to accept the codes. Some settings, meanwhile, are opting out of the government scheme for three and four-year-olds, as well as not enrolling in the new two-year-old scheme due to lack of funding.
Joeli Brearley, CEO and Founder of Pregnant Then Screwed, said: “We have been inundated with messages from frantic parents who don’t understand the system or expect to receive their code too late. Meanwhile, many providers haven’t been given the information they need from their local authority to decipher what their income will be from April onwards. Parents can’t access their codes; providers can’t do their financial forecasting – it’s chaos.”