Some 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to an additional 15 hours of Funded Entitlement. This is known as 30 hours Funded Entitlement.

Children in reception class are not eligible for the entitlement.

Child will be funded from the following terms depending when the child turns 3 years old.

Read more about:

• eligibility and applying for 30 hours funding
• additional information about 30 hours funding
• flexibility - taking up the extended entitlement
• charges
• splitting the funding between different providers
• Early Years Pupil Premium
• Disability Access Fund

Eligibility and applying for 30 hours funding

Visit Childcare Choices to find out if your child is eligible and to apply.

If your child is eligible, you'll receive a code which must be given to your chosen childcare provider and entered on to the Parent Declaration Form before your child takes up their 30 hours place.

You may receive an eligibility code before your child turns 3, but they can only start their 30 hours place in the term following their third birthday or the term following the date when the eligibility code was issued (whichever is the later).

If you have any questions about eligibility for 30 hours contact the Childcare Choices helpline on telephone: 0300 123 4097.

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Additional information about 30 hours funding

You do not need to actually work 16 hours per week, but your earnings must equal at least 16 hours work at minimum wage or national living wage. This equates to a minimum income requirement for a parent/carer over the age of 25 of £115.20 a week, or for 21 to 24 year olds of £107.20 a week.

A parent or carer will be eligible if they expect (on average) to earn this amount over the coming 3 months. For example, for a parent or carer who is on a zero-hours contract, they will qualify if on average they work 2 weeks out of every 3, and when they are working they get 25 hours of work at the minimum wage.

‘Parent’ means a person who has parental responsibility for the child. In cases where a parent has remarried or is living with a partner, the stepparent or partner must also meet the earning threshold.

Foster carers are only eligible for the extended entitlement for their own children (if they meet the criteria); they are not eligible for children that they foster.

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Flexibility - taking up the extended entitlement

If you're eligible for the extended entitlement, you can take up to 1140 hours free childcare across the year. This can be taken term time only or ‘stretched’ across the year, as follows:

• up to 30 hours per week across 38 weeks per year or (term time offer)
• up to 23.75 hours per week across 48 weeks of the year or (stretched offer)
• up to 22.25 hours per week across 51 weeks of the year (stretched offer)

Flexibility options will need to be discussed with your chosen early years provider as the range of models and their availability will vary across the city.

Not all providers may be able to offer the stretched offer, the full 30 hours per week or the pattern of provision that you require however, you can split your entitlement across more than one provider.

You will be able to access your free childcare:

• between 6.00am and 8.00pm
• up to a maximum of 10 free hours per day, 30 hours per week (38 weeks per year)
• across a maximum of 2 sites in a single day

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Charges

If you take more than 30 hours per week (or the equivalent of 1140 hours per year), there will be a charge from the provider for the additional hours. Check with your provider for details of these and any other additional charges such as for meals, snacks or additional services.

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Splitting the funding between different providers

You can take the funded entitlement at a maximum of 2 sites per day. Many providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly, in a pattern that meets your needs.

For example, your child could have 9 hours with one provider and 6 hours with another provider.

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Early Years Pupil Premium

The Early Years Pupil Premium is an additional sum of money paid to childcare providers for children of families in receipt of certain benefits including:

• Income Support or income-based Job seeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit (provided they're not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
• The Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• child is 'looked after' by a local authority in England or Wales
• child has left care in England or Wales through an adoption, a special guardian order or a child arrangement order

The funding will be used to enhance the quality of your child’s early years’ experience by improving the teaching and learning and facilities and resources, with the aim of impacting positively on your child’s progress and development. For more information, please speak to your childcare provider.

It's important that you ensure that the provider can claim the Early Years Pupil Premium if your child qualifies as high quality early years education and childcare can influence how well a child achieves at both primary and secondary school so we want to make the most of this additional funding.

Please note: for us to check your eligibility for Early Years Pupil Premium, the personal details of the main benefit holder must be completed under the Early Years Pupil Premium section of the Parent Declaration Form.

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Disability Access Fund

Disability Access Fund (DAF) is an annual payment of £881 per eligible child to be paid to early years settings that are providing a funded entitlement place for 3 and 4-year-olds.

Since April 2017, the government introduced a new targeted early years Disability Access Fund of £12.5 million, to enable a fixed lump sum payment of £881 per eligible child per year to be paid to early years settings that are providing a funded entitlement place for 3 and 4-year-olds. The fund is to support early years providers to make initial reasonable adjustments and build the capacity of their setting to support disabled children. Additional funding for providing ongoing support for disabled young children will continue to be available from the high needs block, including for children with Education, Health and Care plans (EHCP). Children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who are not in receipt of Disability Living Allowance will be able to access support from the local SEN inclusion fund. If you think your child might be eligible for the Disability Access Fund speak to your childcare provider.

Disability Access Fund is paid to the child’s early years setting as a fixed annual rate of £881 per eligible child. If your child attends more than one provider, you'll need to nominate the main provider where the local authority should pay the Disability Access Fund on the Disability Access Fund application form.

The Disability Access Fund is for 3- and 4-year-olds who are in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance and are receiving the Funded Entitlement.

Please note: You'll be required to provide evidence that your child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance.

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