Parents in England are now entitled to 15 hours a week of free childcare for children from nine months old.
The UK government hopes the scheme, which will cover all under-5s by 2025, will get more parents back to work.
But the situation is not the same in Wales, because childcare is a devolved issue.
Parents in Wales have previously called on the Welsh government to mirror the additional support being rolled out in England.
However, critics of the new system in England have said there are not enough places.
What help is available towards paying for childcare in Wales?
The Welsh government has two funded childcare schemes for children aged two, three and four.
Under the Childcare Offer, parents and guardians of three and four-year-old children can claim up to 30 hours of free childcare each week, for up to 48 weeks of the year, provided they meet certain criteria.
The 30 hours is made up of at least 10 hours of early education, with the precise figure dependent on each local authority, and up to 20 hours of free childcare.
To be eligible for the 30 hours, each parent must:
The second is the Flying Start Scheme, which provides 12.5 hours of free childcare to two year olds in eligible areas. It is being rolled out gradually .
What’s the situation in England?
Extra help with childcare costs in England is being rolled out in stages. Some free hours were already available.
The help you can get depends on the age of your child, and whether you are working, or receiving certain benefits.
Working parents can get:
Will the Welsh government follow suit?
When the UK government decides to spend more or less on things such as health and education in England, the Barnett formula is used to decide how much money the other nations receive.
The £4bn expansion of childcare support in England, announced last year, meant £180m was made available to the Welsh government.
Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said at the time that the Welsh government was “already rolling out a phased expansion of our childcare offer to two-year-olds” as part of a co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.
The Welsh government has said it is focusing the rollout on the most disadvantaged communities in the first instance. It said there was an extra £50m to further expand provision in the 2025-26 budget.
Small business rate relief for registered childcare premises was made permanent in November 2024 after childcare providers warned they face higher costs, such as increased employers’ National Insurance contributions.
