Early Years Funding

In England, Ofsted-registered early years providers are able to offer 'free' early years education and childcare for children aged 3 to 4 and, in some instances, aged 2.

Two-Year-Olds
Families with children aged two are currently eligible for 15 hours per week of funded care and education (for 38 weeks of the year) if they receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
   

A child may also be eligible if they:

• Are looked after by a local authority
• Have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• Get Disability Living Allowance
• Have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

Three and Four-Year-Olds
Currently, all three- and four-year-olds can access 15 hours per week of funded care and education for 38 weeks of the year, regardless of the income or working status of their parent or carer. This is often described as a ‘universal offer’.

In addition, eligible working families of three- and four-year-olds can currently access 30 hours a week of funded care and education for 38 weeks of the year.

Some 3 and 4-Year-Olds
If a child has working parents they may be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year. This is equivalent to term time, but may be stretched over 50 weeks. Each parent, or the sole parent in a single parent family of a 3- or 4-year old, has to at least earn the equivalent of 16 hours on the national minimum wage per week, but no more than £100,000 per year, to qualify. Parents can also split their funded hours allowance across more than one provider.

Date of 3rd Birthday – Government-funded pre-school entitlement starts from
1 April - 31 August – Term 1 - September
1 September - 31 December – Term 2 - January
1 January - 31 March – Term 3 - April

Here are some useful links We have attached a guide to who is eligible for the additional hours.
You can check if you would be eligible at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk or www.gov.uk/childcare-calculator. Those who could be eligible for the 30 hours will be directed to the digital childcare service to apply.