In order to “support parents into work or to work more hours should they wish to do so”, the universal offer of 15 hours of free early education for three and four year olds was extended to 30 hours for children of working parents in September 2017.

In preparation for this national rollout of 30 hours free childcare, the Department for Education (DfE) initiated early implementation in eight Local Authorities (LAs) in September 2016 with the aim of delivering the extended hours to around 5,000 children. This report assesses the success of this early test in delivering the extended hours and the initial impacts on childcare and parental employment, using evidence from case study interviews with those involved in its delivery and large scale surveys of childcare providers and parents in the eight areas.