“There’s absolutely nothing free about free childcare” declared one nursery I interviewed in November about the government’s impending expansion of its childcare scheme.

‘Free childcare from nine months until school’ rejoiced many a headline when Jeremy Hunt announced back in the spring plans to offer hundreds of thousands more children more government-funded hours.

For families living in a country with some of the costliest childcare in the world they could be forgiven for thinking their prayers had been answered and the UK was finally shifting towards a Swedish-style model of well-integrated, properly paid-for, early years education.

But as eligible parents ready themselves for January 2 applications – ahead of the first expansion stage in April - I fear families are about to discover how tricky it might be to indeed get something for nothing.

Because free hours, of course, are anything but and while parents won’t be expected to foot the bill for the extra time it’s unclear as to whether the government will either.

Nurseries have been clear for years the subsidies they receive don’t cover the true cost of caring for a baby or toddler on a ‘funded’ place. Some estimates put that gap - between what the state pays and the nursery’s true cost - at as much as £2, per child, per hour.

That’s a considerable sum when added up across 30 hours a week, for 38 weeks of the year, for goodness knows how many children on the roll. It’s not really the business model any accountant would sign off. Yet here we are.

No surprise therefore that nurseries – backed by the Early Years Alliance – have started sounding warning bells.

Many fear they won’t be in a position to welcome more ‘funded’ children through their doors in 2024, despite those application deadlines being just weeks away. And even if the capacity is there – available cash isn’t.

Extortionate energy bills, rent increases, doubling mortgage payments and sky-high food costs mean many providers are already under debilitating pressure. There has already been a 50% rise in nursery closures in the last financial year.

And hurtling down the track – thanks to another headline-grabbing government policy – will be a requirement to pay most staff more money when the national living wage leaps to £11.44 an hour come April.

I am not about to argue workers don’t deserve that rise – there are few jobs more important than laying the foundations in a small child’s education – but it’s at risk of crippling many in the sector that can’t find that cash. And even if they can – what sacrifices will have to be made? Whether it be fewer new toys and resources, cheaper food or skipping the lick of paint buildings need – it’ll be children, families and workers ultimately paying the price.

The government has pledged an extra £400 million to get the childcare expansion scheme out of the starting blocks – money that will be used to nudge up the hourly rate it passes onto nurseries for ‘funded’ children.

Critics say it’s nowhere near enough to strengthen a sector under immense financial strain and it’s hard at this stage to disagree.