.png)
Funded Childcare in England...
England's funded childcare scheme has been expanding in recent years, which now means working parents of children from the age of nine months upwards can access funded childcare. At the risk of reading like the small print in an ad, eligibility criteria does apply!
The available funding schemes in England are explained below, but for a family to find to find the best funded childcare option for them, it's recommended they take a look at the government's Best Start in Life website, formerly known as Childcare Choices.
If a family is not eligible, there are still some funded childcare schemes that their child maybe able to access to support with their early years education. To find out more about what is meant by early years, please have a look here.
9 - 23 Month Old Funding...
Children of eligible working parents are entitled to 30 funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. This is split across the academic terms, begins the term after they turn 9 months and is known as 'extended childcare'.
2 -3 Year Old Funding...
Children of eligible working parents are entitled to 30 funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. This is split across the academic terms, begins the term after they turn 2 and is known as 'extended childcare'.
If families are in receipt of certain benefits and meet specific criteria (for example their child is adopted or receives Disability Living Allowance), then their child may be eligible for the 'Free Education and Childcare' scheme. This provides 15 funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year, which is split across the academic terms.
This scheme is commonly known by the term, 'Early Learning Funding' and you learn more about it by visiting the link below:
In some circumstances, families are actually eligible for support from both schemes and if this occurs, the government stipulates that the deprivation funding scheme must be used. There's more information about this through the link above.
3 - 4 Year Old Funding...
ALL children are entitled to 15 funded hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. This is known as 'universal childcare' and it's split across the academic terms, beginning the term after they turn 3.
Children of eligible working parents are entitled to an additional 15 funded hours per week ,for 38 weeks of the year. This is known as 'extended childcare', it's split across the academic terms, beginning the term after they turn 3 and it runs alongside the universal childcare.
Starting School and Funding...
Once a child starts school in Reception, the funding is taken over by the Designated School Grant, which covers the cost of education for school.
This means that funded hours are not available to supplement wrap around or holiday care. However, a family maybe able to use tax free childcare if the provider is part of this scheme (please have a look here for more information).
A child's chosen school may also be part of the government's initiative to provide free breakfast clubs.
If a family is in receipt of certain benefits, their child maybe eligible for the Holiday Activities and Food Programme (commonly known as HAF), which enables eligible children to access free holiday clubs with meals during the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays.
For more information about HAF, please ask a family to contact their local authority. If they look on their website, there maybe a dedicated section for it with details of how to apply and if not, they can call their main switch board and ask to speak with someone about it.
The only exceptions to the funding being taken over by the Designated Schools Fund would be the following scenarios, which would need discussing with the local authority;
-
If a child is home educated they would be able to use their funded hours with a childcare provider until the term after their 5th birthday, which is when they reach compulsory school age.
-
If a child's entry to school is deferred because their parents feel they are not ready for Reception and this is supported by the school, and current setting. The child can continue to use funded hours with a childcare provider until the term after their 5th birthday.
Applying for Funding...
Extended Funding
In order for a family to access the extended funding for their child, they have to apply directly through the Best Start in Life website - this was formerly known as 'Childcare Choices'. If eligible, their parent will be issued a code that is 'attached' to their child and will accompany them throughout their early years. For example, if a baby is eligible for 30 hours extended care from January 2026, the same code will remain with them until they begin in Reception or their home education.
BEST START IN LIFE - Funding application
This code needs passing to the childcare provider, so they can use it to claim the funded hours for the child. Parents also need to renew the code every three months, so the government can check if the child is still eligible for the funding, and parents should receive a reminder email to do this! If a family's circumstances do change, their child is entitled to a term's 'grace period' to try and ensure continuity of care whilst they put a plan in place, for example, seek new employment.
Universal Funding
Children are automatically eligible for this funding the term after they turn 3, so parents do not need to apply for it. This is all sorted out by the childcare provider and no codes are needed.
Free Education and Childcare Funding
Parents have to contact their local authority to find out if their child is eligible for this 'disadvantaged funding'. although some do send out letters to eligible families. The link below can be used to find out the contact information for a local authority. If someone is struggling to find what they're looking for on their website, call they can call the council's main switchboard and ask to speak with someone about the Free Education and Childcare Funding.
How Funding is Split Across the Year...
.png)
.png)
Both the 15 and 30 hours funding are provided for 38 weeks of the academic year, which matches the number of weeks that schools are open for.
This academic year is split into three terms:
Autumn - 1st September 'til 31st December
Spring - 1st January 'til 31st March
Summer - 1st April 'til 31st August
As you can see, the terms are not split evenly with Autumn containing 4 months, Spring 3 months and Summer 5 months, and this affects the funding available each term.
So when you see the information that states a child is not eligible for funding until the term after their qualifying birthday, it's referring to these dates, and the government is strict! If a child misses the cut off by even one day, they have to wait until the following term to access the funding!
The 38 weeks are shared unevenly across these terms because they also take the school holidays into consideration. The actual dates are determined by each local authority and may vary slightly across the country. Here's a typical example:
Autumn - 15 weeks
Spring - 11 weeks
Summer - 12 weeks
If a child attends a setting for more than their funded hours, parents will of course need to pay for the additional hours from their own pocket, on top of any consumable fees. Most childcare providers invoice monthly within an academic term, so parents can expect to see fluctuations in your bill, depending on what term it is.
Funding Scenarios
Here are three funding scenarios to provide a better idea of what funded places and bills may look like:
FUNDING SCENARIO 1 - 30 hours all year round
FUNDING SCENARIO 2 - 15 hours term time only
Consumable Fees...
Childcare providers are likely to ask parents to pay consumable fees for items that are not covered by the funded hours. This may include items such as; snacks, meals, trips out, sun cream, nappies, wipes etc.
This is of particular significance for those children in receipt of 3 - 4 year old funding as the rate paid by the government for this age group is considerably less than that for 2-3 year olds, and even more so for than the rate paid for the 9 - 23 month old age group!
Consumable fees and funding rates have been 'hot topics' for a long time across the entire childcare sector. Sadly, it appeared that some settings were being vague with their consumables and overcharging parents, whilst others were not asking for any contributions and were struggling to make ends meet.
The Department for Education updated its statutory guidance, providing clarity and transparency for both providers and parents, regarding the access of funded places and the associated consumable fees.
The article below from the DfE explains the new policies on charging and it also contains a link to the Statutory Guidance, which has a specific parents' section under Part C.
Childminding Expenses
Whilst childcare fees are expensive, hence the government subsidies to support parents with this, there are also a lot of expenses that childminders need to cover! As many work from home, it is often assumed that their overheads are low, but that isn't the case!
Childminders need to pay for registration, insurance, Ofsted or agency fees, statutory training, continuous professional development, organisation memberships, specialist equipment to suit their cohort, resources, home adaptations to make it safe, suitable vehicle and car seats (if applicable),
resources for both indoors and out that suit all age groups and support all areas of learning and development... the list goes on and that doesn't include items like meals, snacks and trips that would be included in the consumables fee.
Childminders are a unique breed whose careers are lifestyle choices, because they often work from home and it's hard to separate the two. They provide their mindees with the best of both worlds; excellent educations in warm and nurturing homes.