Reduce the cost of childcare
Reduce the cost of childcare
Help towards the cost of childcare is available for families with babies, toddlers and teens. There are funding options and Tax free childcare options for families.
Tax free childcare can be used with other funding schemes for under 5s and can also be used for school aged children. Visit Childcare Choices - combining schemes for more information.
Free and impartial information on the different childcare options for parents and carers is provided by York Family Information Service.
Families can request a list of childcare providers in their area. See more information about how the Family Information Service can help you find childcare.
Families can also access further information for help with childcare and other costs on the government’s Help for Households page.
Read more about:
- 9 months to 5 year olds
- 2-year-olds
- 3-year olds and 4-year-olds
- Funded childcare for foster children
- Additional Charges
- Other options for support
- School age children
- Funding for children with additional needs
- Additional information about funded childcare
9 months to 5 years
Working families who have children aged 9 months – 5 years could receive up to 30 hours help towards the cost of childcare.
For further information and to apply, visit Childcare Choices.
If your child is eligible, you will 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 funded place. Your childcare provider will issue you the Parent Declaration Form.
2-year-olds
There are two routes to apply for help towards the cost of childcare for 2 year olds. Which route you apply will depend on your circumstances. Please see below for more detail.
Families of 2 year olds who receive additional government support, including working and non-working families; families in receipt of certain benefits; no recourse to public funds; children with disabilities and additional needs and those who have left care, could receive up to 15 hours help towards the cost of childcare per week during term time
We encourage all families who think they might be eligible via this route to apply online for up to 15 hours help towards the cost of childcare for 2 year olds.
For families who do not receive additional government support, you can apply for help towards 15 hours of childcare on the Childcare Choices website.
Contact the Family Information Service if you are unsure which route to use.
3-year olds and 4-year-olds
All families with children aged 3 and 4 years old can receive up to 15 hours help towards the cost of childcare, per week, during term time after their child turns 3. This is a national offer for all families and there is no application form. Instead childcare providers will ask parents and carers to complete a Parent Declaration form.
Working families may be eligible to receive up to 30 hours funded childcare per week during term time, the term after their child turns 3.
Visit Childcare Choices for further information and to apply.
Funded childcare for foster children
Children in foster care will be able to receive 30 hours of childcare, if the foster carers meet a set of eligibility criteria and it is consistent with the child’s care plan.
There is an application form to complete, specific for this group of children. For more information visit 30 hours of funded childcare for foster children.
Additional Charges
Some providers may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as these may not always be included within the funded entitlement.
Any hours that are not covered by the funded hours will be charged by your provider.
Please speak to your childcare providers to ask about any additional charges.
School aged children
For families with school aged children visit Childcare Choices for more information on Tax Free Childcare; Tax Credit and support while you study.
Other options for support
There are other options available for support to help reduce the cost of childcare.
Shared Parental Leave
You and your partner may be able to get Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Statutory Shared Parental Pay (ShPP) if you’re having a baby or adopting a child. You can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay between you.
You need to share the pay and leave in the first year after your child is born or placed with your family. You can use SPL to take leave in blocks separated by periods of work or take it all in one go. You can also choose to be off work together or to stagger the leave and pay.
Flexible working
There is no absolute right to work part time. However, you have the right to ask to work flexibly in your current job, and your employer has a duty to consider your request seriously, if you're:
- an employee who has worked for your employer for 26 weeks and has a child under 17 (or a disabled child under 18 who gets Disability Living Allowance)
- an employee who has worked for your employer for 26 weeks and cares for a disabled adult
The right to request is available to both men and women, and covers the hours an employee works, the times they are required to work and the place of work (for example, home or a workplace). It's important to understand that a change granted under the right to request is permanent. If you want a temporary change only this must be specifically negotiated with your employer.
For more information on flexible working visit the Government’s Flexible Working Overview.
You can also contact Working Families on telephone: 0800 013 0313 for advice on your rights at work.
Family and Childcare Trust
The Family and Childcare Trust is a national charity working for families to get high quality and affordable childcare. They have a fantastic website that has loads of information on all the different ways of reducing your childcare bill. Read their childcare guides.
Additional information about funded childcare
Help towards the cost of childcare starts the term after the child has their birthday.
| A child needs to have turned 9 months, 2 , 3 or 4 years by: | Can start their place from |
|---|---|
| 31 March | the start of the summer term |
| 31 August | the start of the autumn term |
| 31 December | the start of the spring term |
Using the funding
You can use the funding at Ofsted registered childminders, nurseries, pre-school playgroups and registered school nurseries. Contact the Family Information Service for a list of Ofsted registered childcare or use the Raise York childcare search.
What to do if you can’t find a childcare place
Contact the Family Information Service, who offer a free brokerage service. They will be able to try help you find a childcare place for your child.
Using funded hours at more than one childcare provider
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.
Using the full 15 or 30 hours
You don't have to use the full 15 or 30 hours a week. Speak to your childcare provider to discuss patterns of take up of the funded hours.
Using more than 15 or 30 hours
The 15 and 30 funded hours for under 5s is based on term time only, which is 38 weeks a year. Some childcare providers may offer a stretched offer, which means families could access help towards the cost of their childcare stretched across the year.
Not all childcare providers will offer the stretched offer, but families can ask childcare providers if they do.
If you need childcare for more than 30 hours a week, you will pay for those extra hours at the rate charged by the childcare provider.
Top of page
