Evaluation of the Childcare Offer for Wales: year 2

The findings of the second year evaluation are overall positive. A majority of parents have reported either being financially better off, able to afford more formal childcare and/or improved their employment prospects. Whereas providers have reported positive effects for sustainability and profitability.

The evaluators have recommended the Welsh Government give further consideration to:

• encouraging further consistency in early years education policies across Wales to ensure the sustainability and viability of the wider Childcare Offer
• simplifying the delivery of the Offer in considering future policies around its provision and the development of the vision for an integrated Early Childhood Education and Care system
• making further information, guidance and example scenarios available to parents and providers relating to the availability of Offer funded childcare during school holidays
• the way in which funded childcare during school holidays is included within the Offer
• reviewing the current funding rate paid to providers delivering Offer funded childcare
• making further information and guidance available to local authorities and providers to enable better understanding of how the additional support grant can or should be used
• providing further information and guidance relating to additional charges for local authorities as well as providers, potentially alongside examples of sample contracts and invoices
• continuing a focus on more and clearer information for parents on the range of funding options available to help with childcare costs
• implementing a national central administration system as soon as possible. 
• continued information guidance and support for local authorities in relation to identifying and checking the employment eligibility of some self-employed parents.

Changes to the reports

As of 07 January 2020 an error was amended on the following pages:

Page 9 of the Welsh and English executive summaries.
Page 58 of the English full report.
Page 59 of the Welsh full report.

This error stated that '39% of parents accessed Welsh-medium childcare' and has been corrected to '39% of parents accessed Welsh-medium or bilingual childcare'.