THOUSANDS of parents across Southampton are set to benefit from a multi-million-pound cash boost which will see every three- and four- year-old in the city having access to free nursery school places.

Six new nurseries are also due to be built in Southampton by March 2004 as part of an ambitious scheme to provide early years education and child care for all toddlers in the city.

Approxmately £4m of government money will be used to fund the early years education places over the next three years.

The city's Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership is also set to bid for around £600,000 of additional money, which will kick-start the building of the six new nurseries in Redbridge, Woolston, Bargate, Millbrook, Bitterne and the Harefield estate.

Millions of pounds of extra cash to pay for the building of the nurseries will be provided by the private companies who run the nursery schools themselves.

When the nurseries are complete, parents can use them for up to two-and-a-half hours each weekday for free. In addition, they will be able to place their youngsters in the nurseries for longer each day, using the facilities to care for toddlers if they wish to go to work.

Cash to pay the nurseries for child care for the additional hours could come from government tax credits which can be applied for by parents.

The ambitious plan has been drawn-up by the Southampton Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (EYDCP), and forms part of a three-year strategic move to provide at least two-and-a-half hours of free nursery education each weekday to all toddlers in the city.

The EYDCP was formed in 1998 and is made up of voluntary, statutory and private organisations that have an interest in early years education and childcare.

The money will be used to help support a range of initiatives included in the plan such as:

Helping new childminders set up - the EYDCP aims to create over 367 new childminded places in the next year

Enabling three and four-year-olds in the city to access free nursery education places - well ahead of the government's target of access by 2004

Additional support and funding for providers working with children with special needs.

Anne Davies, chairman of the EYDPC, said: "We are delighted that the plan has been approved.

"It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by people who care passionately about good quality play and childcare for children and it will make a real difference to parents and children."

To find out about childcare in your area, phone the children's information service on 0800 169 8833.