Rhyl, Prestatyn and Rhuddlan parents may have to wait until 2020 to be eligible for free healthcare offered to families across Wales this month.

Despite the Welsh Assembly Government rolling out a new scheme for funded childcare of up to 30 hours a week for many counties in Wales, there is currently no word on expanding the scheme to Denbighshire.

The expansion this month, spearheaded by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA), will benefit families in Anglesey, Gwynedd and Caerphilly, with parts of Rhondda Cynon Taf and discussions ongoing to cover residents of Flintshire and Swansea, with a full roll out planned for September 2020. Conwy is also not included in the April development.

Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of NDNA Cymru, said: “We welcome the expansion which will support more families and allow it to be tested more thoroughly before full roll-out.

“NDNA’s annual nursery survey for Wales currently ongoing will provide us with further evidence on how the current rollout of the Childcare Offer for Wales is being met by the sector and its impact on nurseries’ sustainability."

The Childcare Offer for Wales began in September 2017 in seven local authorities across the country, aiming to provide 30 hours of government-funded childcare to three and four-year-old children of working parents for 48 weeks of the year.

To ensure coverage for Welsh families, The NDNA is appealing to private nurseries to get involved to ensure the success of the program.

Ms Tanuku added: “This offer must involve private, voluntary and independent nurseries who deliver flexible, high-quality childcare for working parents.

"Currently only a small proportion of private sector nurseries are engaged in the offer and for it to succeed, the whole sector needs to be playing a role in its implementation. Important lessons must be learned from the evaluation of these early implementers from both a parent and provider perspective.

“NDNA Cymru will work alongside the Welsh Government to ensure the expansion of the offer is effective and engages with all providers.”

The Minister will be attending NDNA Cymru’s Policy Committee Meeting on April 18 at Cardiff City Stadium, where delegates will discuss their concerns with him about sustainability of early years businesses in Wales.

This will be followed by NDNA’s Member Event, with record numbers of members expected to attend.