FAMILIES not eligible for government-funded childcare could be left waiting to access early education, children’s charity Coram warned.

In its annual childcare survey published today, it found there was a “stark divide” between parents eligible for the scheme and those who do not qualify, either due to being unemployed or because they do not earn enough.

Eligible families can access 30 hours per week of funded childcare for children older than nine months since the scheme was launched in September last year.

Coram found that despite part-time childcare places for children under two becoming free during the school term, some families still face weekly costs of £189 for a part-time nursery place.

The charity’s head of family and childcare, Lydia Hodges, said the expansion has already been a vital lifeline for eligible families but warned that childcare is still “likely be out of reach for families who don’t qualify and disadvantaged children will be left waiting to access early education.”