Childcare credit scheme extension gets backing

Tynwald members voted to replace the pre-school credit system after 12 years

More parents will qualify for help towards childcare costs after an updated scheme was unanimously backed by Manx politicians.

The childcare credit scheme, which replaces the pre-school credit system introduced in 2012, means a £4,166 childcare credit has been extended to parents of children who turn three in the academic year the claim is for.

Education minister Daphne Caine said the extension would benefit children's development and help parents return to the workforce.

But concerns were raised during the Tynwald debate that the provision did not include support for children with additional educational and complex needs.

Children's champion Kerry Sharpe MLC said she had been contacted by parents of children with such needs who felt "left out".

Those parents "also deserve the opportunity to go back to work", she said.

Former education minister Julie Edge MHK raised concerns nurseries would not have the capacity to cope with a potential increase in demand.

But her successor Ms Caine told the court the department had engaged with various childcare provider forums "to ascertain their readiness" and had agreed to continue to liaise with the sector.

She also said the first phase of "bespoke provision" for children under-5 with additional education needs and further training for staff was "being worked on", and for those children with the most profound and complex medical needs, work was underway to "explore best options to ensure childcare is accessible and available".

'Win-win'

Ms Caine said the scheme was "a key part" of both the childcare strategy backed by members in July 2022 and the island plan, which aimed to give children "the best possible start in life, including equal access to early years education and childcare".

Backing the scheme, Paul Craine MLC said the update was "win-win all round" as it would support about 600 families with a child set to turn three in next academic year, young families looking to move to the island and the child care sector.

Applications for the scheme will open in May and parents will be able to use the credit with government-registered providers.