{"id":46944,"date":"2026-01-08T06:38:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=46944"},"modified":"2026-01-08T06:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T06:38:50","slug":"c23rnrz831roat_mediumrssat_campaignrss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/01\/08\/c23rnrz831roat_mediumrssat_campaignrss\/","title":{"rendered":"Jersey upfront childcare payments &#8216;simplifies the system&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<figure>\n<div data-component=\"image-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 gtLOOD\">\n<div data-testid=\"hero-image\" class=\"sc-5340b511-1 cMIbKV\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tears-flowers-and-silence-in-Bondi-and-Streetings-fury.png?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 gUePlo hide-when-no-script\" aria-label=\"image unavailable\"\/><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/240\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 240w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/320\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jersey-upfront-childcare-payments-simplifies-the-system.webp.webp 480w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/640\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 640w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/800\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 800w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1024\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 1024w,https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/1536\/cpsprodpb\/3e42\/live\/7f0844c0-ebbd-11f0-bd96-599582c29749.jpg.webp 1536w\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jersey-upfront-childcare-payments-simplifies-the-system.webp.webp?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" loading=\"eager\" alt=\"BBC A man wearing a black coat with the collar up standing outside a government building in the rain.\" class=\"sc-5340b511-0 hLdNfA\"\/><span class=\"sc-5340b511-2 jVqbAn\">BBC<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><figcaption class=\"sc-536eff7b-0 gnQokQ\">Deputy Rob Ward said the new childcare payments system provided &#8220;flexibility&#8221; for parents<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Jersey&#8217;s education minister has defended a new scheme that allows parents to claim back childcare costs for toddlers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">From next month any parent regardless of income or working requirements will be able to apply to claim up to \u00a36,270 per school year for two and three-year-olds as part of the Childcare Funding Scheme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The Jersey Child Care Trust (JCCT) said it was concerned some people would not be able to pay the upfront costs and it was stepping in to help some parents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Deputy Rob Ward said the benefit of the system was that it was &#8220;direct to parents&#8221; which gave &#8220;flexibility&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The government currently pays childcare providers directly for up to 30 hours a week for three to four-year-olds.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">The Jersey Early Years Association said the government needed to copy this scheme as the new programme was &#8220;not viable in its current form&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Deputy Lucy Stephenson had also raised concerns about the claim back system putting parents in an uncomfortable position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;That relies on asking for help and that is not always easy,&#8221; she told the States Assembly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;We have seen that time and time again in all sorts of systems &#8211; it relies on somebody being willing to ask for help and that is sometimes quite a difficult barrier to get across first.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Defending the programme, Ward said it could be started faster than other schemes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;We wanted something in place from January, we went through the full consultation about the rate &#8211; unfortunately some nurseries said that wasn&#8217;t right for them, so we pay it directly to parents, that simplifies the system,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;It means that we can start to get that money into the pockets of parents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;This is the first year of that &#8211; we will see how it works, we see how it works into the second year and if we want to make changes, we can.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-component=\"text-block\" class=\"sc-3b6b161a-0 dPVOKT\">\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">Ward said, on top of support from JCCT, parents could be helped by their parishes and other organisations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">He said: &#8220;There is a safety net for people there but it also gives us the benefit of being able to identify families and say look, &#8216;If you need support, come and get it&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;This is so important for us to support you and, most importantly, your children longer term to get them ready for school and ready for the future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"sc-9a00e533-0 eZyhnA\">&#8220;We&#8217;ve got that money in the government plan, we now need to start spending it in the right areas and that is directly supporting our families and children &#8211; that&#8217;s the future of our island, so let&#8217;s spend that money well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Jersey #upfront #childcare #payments #simplifies #system<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BBC Deputy Rob Ward said the new childcare payments system provided &#8220;flexibility&#8221; for parents Jersey&#8217;s education minister has defended a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46945,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46944","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46944","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46944"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46944\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46946,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46944\/revisions\/46946"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46945"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46944"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46944"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46944"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}