Six months after taking office, the Welsh Government has expanded funded childcare for all two-year-olds from just three local authorities to 19 by the end of this month, with all 22 on track to be delivering the offer by the end of March.

The progress has been made possible by the Welsh Government’s £55 million investment in childcare this year, which is helping to accelerate the rollout of funded childcare to more two-year-olds across Wales.

The rollout of 12.5 hours of funded childcare a week for all two-year-olds is the first phase of the Welsh Government's programme to deliver a universal childcare offer for children aged nine months to four years.

As the programme develops, the offer for two-year-olds will increase to 20 funded hours a week for 48 weeks of the year before being extended to younger children. These reforms will deliver the most generous universal childcare offer anywhere in the UK.

Wales’ Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams said: “This is a major milestone in delivering our commitment to support families with the cost of living through our funded childcare offer.

“When we took office in May, only three local authorities were offering funded childcare to all two-year-olds. Just six months later, 19 local authorities will have delivered the offer by the end of this month, with the remaining three on track to do so by the end of March.

“This rapid progress reflects our determination to get on with the job of transforming childcare for families across Wales, turning our commitment into reality in communities across the nation.

“We believe every child deserves the best start in life and no family should be held back by the cost of childcare.

“At a time when childcare costs place real pressure on family budgets, this transformational offer is helping more families access the support they need, tackling poverty, supporting working families and creating opportunities across Wales.”