Childminders are set to be included in the government’s provision of free nursery and pre-school care for the first time, the Education Minister has confirmed.

Deputy Rob Ward said yesterday that those who look after children in their homes would soon be included in the additional allocation of weekly 15 hours of free care a term for all two and three-year-olds.

The government currently offers up to 30 funded hours of nursery care available for 38 weeks of the year during school term-time.

The additional provision was announced as part of a multi-million-pound boost to early years funding at the end of 2024.

The 15 hours of extra funded nursery care, if approved by the States Assembly as part of the recent 2026 budget proposals, will begin in January.

Pilot programmes also began earlier this year as part of Early Years Plan at three government schools to test various approaches that may alleviate pressures on families and private nurseries.

D’Auvergne School, Plat Douet and Trinity School extended their operating hours and offered childcare during school holidays.

Deputy Ward told yesterday’s panel that parents had been “overwhelmingly positive” about the new provision.

The pilot is ongoing and is set to expand. School nurseries with available capacity will reserve dedicated places for two to three-year-olds to relieve pressure on private nurseries.

The third phase will explore partnerships with private nurseries based on school grounds, by allowing a non-Government nursery provider to establish a new nursery within a school’s premises.

It comes following industry warnings that the island’s childcare sector is “vulnerable” and in need of review.

As Express reported, Busy Bees nursery recently made the “difficult decision” to close its toddler and pre-school rooms for up to a year because of staffing issues.

At the hearing, the Minister acknowledged that the challenges facing the sector, such as cost pressures and recruitment, but said these were “not unique to Jersey”.

Deputy Ward said recent recruitment drives for more nursery staff were “not as successful” as similar efforts to attract new teaching assistants. He could not put a number on current vacancies in the sector when asked by panel member Deputy Beatriz Porée.

Acknowledging the ongoing challenges, the Minister told the Scrutiny panel: “We’re going to be doing the best we possibly can.”

He confirmed a different phase of recruitment for the sector would commence shortly.

Deputy Ward added: “I want the best provision for children as can be.”

The hearing took place on the same day that the government’s proposed Budget for 2026 was announced.

£246m was pledged for Children, Families, Education and Lifelong Learning – the second largest allocation after Health, which got £381m.