Twelve hundred two-year-old Haringey children will receive free early years’ education from next year.
This is in addition to three and four-year-old children in Haringey who are already eligible to receive 15 hours of free early years’ education per week.
Phase one will take effect from September 2013 with the second phase starting in September 2014.
The new support for children from the least well off families comes as part of a shake-up of early years’ education announced by Liberal Democrat leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.
The changes will provide greater flexibility for parents – the hours in which parents can bring in their children for their free place will be extended by two hours. Currently, parents are restricted by having to drop their children off no earlier than 8am and picking them up no later than 6pm. This will be extended to 7am – 7pm. It will also give parents the option to spread their free nursery place over two days rather than three, making the system work better for working parents.
Lynne Featherstone, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green, commented:
“This is great news for a large number of local families. Early years’ education gives a real boost to young children and really prepares them for school.
“Giving a fair chance to all children is a top priority for Liberal Democrats in the Coalition Government. Every child deserves an equal chance to fulfil their own potential.”
Lynne Featherstone 
Call me old fashioned but isn’t two a bit young for this? I can’t find any details about what ‘education’ will be done to them but fee that childhood is short enough already without kids being ‘processed’ in any way. Perhaps I have it wrong or is it that this arrangement is really ‘childcare’ as it is designed to fit around parents convenience for work?