The Government has outlined plans for working parents of two year olds in England to be able to access 15 hours of free childcare from April

Additional funding for nurseries must be forthcoming in the Spring Budget or providers will be unable to meet the Government’s plans to expand free childcare place, warns the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA).

The NDNA has called for a cash injection and an end to business rates for nurseries ahead of March 6.

The plea comes after the Government outlined plans for working parents of two year olds in England to be able to access 15 hours of free childcare from April.

But an NDNA survey of 448 nursery owners found 54% said they were unlikely to offer any additional places to two year olds or were still not sure if they could.

And more than 55% said they could not meet local demand for places, meaning eligible families may miss out on the offer.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA, said: “We have taken the temperature of the early years sector at this crucial time and found it needs a boost in the Budget to help them deliver on the Government’s ambitious promises.

“A year ago when the Chancellor announced his expansion plans, the key aim was to bolster up the economy by supporting working parents.

“But a week before this year’s Budget, we now know that the majority of early years settings cannot commit to offering additional two-year-old places.”

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced in March last year that eligible families of children as young as nine months will be able to claim 30 hours of free childcare a week by 2025.

And aqccess to 15 hours of free childcare will be extended to working parents of all children older than nine months from September.

From September 2025, working parents of children under five will be entitled to 30 hours free childcare per week.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We are confident in the strength of our childcare market to deliver the largest-ever expansion in childcare in England’s history, and we are already seeing providers looking to expand their placements across the country.”