The deadline is fast approaching for working parents in England who want to apply for 15 hours of weekly childcare support for their two-year-olds.

The Government hopes that by extending childcare support to working parents of this age group from April 2024, which will also include all under-fives in 2025 - will mean more parents can return to work, a move which has hit the headlines in recent weeks. 

Extra help with childcare costs in England is being rolled out in stages, and the support you can get depends on the age of your child, and whether you are working, or receiving certain benefits.

But a nursery near Ashby believes that whilst the move will put a strain on similar childcare settings in the country, they will be able to cope with the added demand.

Evergreen Lodge Nursery & Preschool, on Main Street, Snarestone, not only caters for 57 children, aged 0-5 years - but the site has also created around 14 new full-time jobs so far.

It is a modern facility, being as carbon neutral as possible, based around natural resources, and has been set up by sisters Rachel Bird and Charlotte Saunders who grew up in Snarestone, and run it on a day-to-day basis.

They are joined by Ashby couple Stacey and Carla Garey to complete the team of directors behind the venture.

Carla said: "The Government's move is going to create a significant increase in the amount of children that need childcare provision.

"There are questions around where the extra capacity is going to come from, as all of a sudden the number of spaces is falling in line with the closing of settings, but many two-year-olds who didn't need spaces before, now will.

"We are already seeing a massive uptake in demand, from September 2024, children aged nine months upwards will receive expanded childcare support, which is revolutionary, this has never happened before."

"This is going to have a huge impact for working families but again, it raises the question of how this demand will be fulfilled. There is talk of offering expansion grants, with nurseries encouraged to take on more children. We are also aware of a recruitment drive, with £1,000 on offer to encourage people to return to childcare - similar to what happened with the NHS during Covid.

"However, this proposal is frustrating existing childcare workers, although the Government is trying to do things to help. We have come into this new, with fresh ideas, and whilst the demand has dropped, we have found it is there for us, but other industries are struggling generally and they need to keep up."

Carla says Evergreen Lodge Nursery & Preschool is an example of a facility that is turning the tide.

She added: "Our business has grown so quickly and we are very pleased with the incredibly positive feedback - we are at 67 per cent capacity after just five months, with new families joining us every week. When more nurseries are closing everywhere, we have done something differently, creating a new narrative of what childcare should look like.

Generally, there are more nurseries closing than opening.

Carla continued: "We know from the world of hospitality, which is our background, that cafes and restaurants are closing all the time, so why have we been expanding? The answer is simply that we are different, and we stand out, whether it be childcare or catering. "We want to get results rather than be another statistic.

"In this case, the funding is brilliant, but it increases demand - so how do you make that work for your business model?"

Carla says the Snarestone Nursery has a modern approach - adding: "We have embedded our business into our community and have received incredible community support, growing food on our allotment, promoting cultural capital as well as healthy eating, and mental health resilience in our children.

"It's about creating a 'why choose us?' scenario which is working extremely well for us, something we are very proud of."