As part of our commitment to supporting families, we at Maxxi Childcare are excited about the growing rollout of the Best Start Family Hubs—a renewed effort to bring early-years, health, and family support services together in local communities. Here’s what this means for you as parents, and how you can take advantage of the new opportunities.
What Are the Best Start Family Hubs?
These hubs are designed to be one-stop local centres where parents can access early education, health, parenting support, and wellbeing services under one roof.
- They are being rolled out with £500 million of government funding.
- Aiming for up to 1,000 hubs across England by 2028.
- Every local authority will be covered by April 2026.
- The hubs will prioritise areas of higher disadvantage so more families have access to these vital services.
Why These Hubs Matter for Families
At the hubs, you’ll be able to find stay-and-play groups, parenting courses, childcare advice, and help to manage emotional or communication development, all delivered by trained professionals.
- Health services including health visiting and midwifery.
- Guidance on issues like housing, debt, and mental health.
- A joined-up support network where services are connected for easier access.
How Maxxi Childcare Parents Can Use This to Your Advantage
Find Your Local Hub
- Check your local council’s website to see if a Best Start Family Hub is open or coming soon.
- When hubs are live, they will be a trusted first point of contact for many early-years services.
Use the Best Start Digital Parent Hub
- From 1 September 2025, access the Best Start parent hub via the NHS My Children app or government website.
- The hub offers advice and a directory of local services.
- Includes an online eligibility checker for funded childcare.
Check If You’re Eligible for Childcare Funding
- Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years may qualify for 30 hours of funded childcare.
- Use the childcare support checker on the Best Start in Life / gov.uk website.
- Eligibility: at least 16 hours/week at National Minimum Wage + income below £100,000/year.
- Reconfirm your eligibility every three months to keep using your funding code.
Talk to Maxxi Childcare
- Inform us if you want to use your funded hours through the Best Start offer.
- We will guide you on how funded hours work with our nursery/childminder setup.
- We can signpost you to your nearest Family Hub for additional parenting support.
Why It’s a Great Time to Get Involved
The Best Start expansion is about more than childcare—it’s about building community support, improving early development outcomes, and making essential services more accessible.
As these hubs roll out, they strengthen the support network around children and parents—and working together with a childcare provider like Maxxi makes that even more powerful.
For parents, this is a great moment to engage locally: find your hub, check your funding eligibility, and make the most of what’s on offer.
