More families across Cardiff could soon benefit from Welsh Government-funded childcare, as Cardiff Council continues its work to roll out 12.5 hours of funded childcare for all two-year-olds across the city by March 2027.
The childcare offer, previously known as Flying Start childcare, gives children the chance to learn, play and thrive in high-quality childcare settings, supporting their early learning, confidence, communication skills and social development. It also provides valuable support for parents and carers.
Cardiff Council has already made significant progress in expanding funded childcare across the city, successfully exceeding Welsh Government's original rollout targets and working with a growing number of childcare providers to deliver places for families.
What is changing?
Until now, access to funded Welsh Government childcare for two-year-olds has been linked to where a family lives, with childcare available in Flying Start areas of the city.
Welsh Government is now expanding the programme so that all two-year-olds in Cardiff will be entitled to 12.5 hours of funded childcare. Cardiff Council is working towards delivering this expanded entitlement across the city by March 2027.
What does this mean for families?
Families do not need to take any action at this stage.
Parents and carers of two-year-olds will be contacted directly and invited to apply for a funded childcare place as the programme is rolled out across the city.
During the transition, funded places will continue to be offered through childcare providers that already deliver Welsh Government-funded childcare for two-year-olds.
Cardiff has a strong childcare sector with many nurseries, playgroups and childminders supporting children and families across the city. However, not all childcare providers currently are currently signed up to the Welsh Government-funded childcare programme.
Providers that wish to offer funded places must meet a number of requirements relating to quality, safeguarding, training, monitoring and accountability for public funding. These requirements help ensure that children receive high-quality childcare and that public money is spent appropriately.
As more families become entitled to funded childcare, the Council wants to make it easier for more childcare providers who wish to participate to join the programme.
How Cardiff is supporting more providers to join the programme?
To support the expansion of funded childcare, Cardiff Council's Cabinet will consider proposals to introduce a new "Dynamic Market" approach for Welsh Government-funded childcare.
The Dynamic Market would allow childcare providers and childminders who meet the required standards to apply to join the programme throughout the year, rather than waiting for specific application opportunities.
This would create more opportunities for childcare providers who want to deliver Welsh Government-funded places, helping to increase choice for families and ensuring Cardiff is well placed to respond to the continued expansion of childcare support by Welsh Government.
All providers delivering funded childcare through the programme would continue to be required to meet the necessary quality, safeguarding and contractual standards.
Looking ahead
The rollout of funded childcare for two-year-olds forms part of Welsh Government's wider ambition to expand childcare support for families across Wales. Future phases are expected to include additional childcare entitlements for younger children, although further details, eligibility criteria, funding arrangements and timescales remain subject to confirmation by Welsh Government.
It is important to note that the funded childcare offer for two-year-olds is separate from the Childcare Offer for Wales, which supports eligible three and four-year-olds.
Cabinet Member for Children's Services and Safeguarding, Cllr Ash Lister, said:
"This is excellent news for Cardiff families and an important step towards making funded childcare available to all two-year-olds across the city.
“High-quality childcare helps children learn, build confidence and develop important social and communication skills, while also providing valuable support for parents and carers.
“Cardiff already has many excellent childcare providers. As Welsh Government expands childcare entitlements, our focus is on creating more opportunities for providers who wish to participate in the funded childcare programme.
“The proposals being considered by Cabinet will help us work with a wider range of childcare settings and childminders across Cardiff, while maintaining the high standards of quality and safeguarding that families rightly expect.
“Parents and carers will be contacted directly as the rollout progresses, and we will continue working closely with childcare providers across the city to ensure as many families as possible can benefit from this important investment in children and families."
Further information, including frequently asked questions for families, will be available on the Cardiff Council website.
A recommendation to approve the development of a Cardiff-specific Dynamic Market to commission eligible childcare providers across the city will be considered by Cabinet when it meets on Thursday, 15 October. The report will be available to read here: Agenda for Cabinet on Thursday, 15th October, 2026, 1.00 pm : Cardiff Council