Early Years Funding – key information
This year the Government will be introducing several new programmes of early years funding for eligible children.
How does it work?
As with the pre-existing funding for 2 & 3 year olds, the newly announced 9 months+ Government funding is for 38 weeks of term time. Depending on your agreed childcare plan you may still receive a monthly charge even when claiming funding.
This will be a combination of:
- The additional weeks that your child attends at N that is not covered by the 38 weeks of funding. We are open 51 weeks a year.
- Additional hours that your child attends each week.
When could my child become eligible?
Children become eligible for age-specific funding in the term following their relevant birthday (or month, in the case of 9 month olds).
Term start dates are typically 1st January, 1st April and 1st September each year. There may be variations at specific nurseries, so to confirm, please speak to your nursery manager.
How can I check if I’m eligible?
To find out if you’re eligible, head to: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
A limited number of fully funded spaces are available through our Bursary Scheme. See below for more information.
9-23 months
Eligible families can now apply to claim 15 hours of funding from September 2024, and this will then rise to 30 hours of funding in September 2025.
2-3 years
Since April 2024, eligible families have been able to claim 15 hours of funding. This is then due to increase to 30 hours of funding for all eligible families in September 2025.
3+ years
All children over 3 in England are eligible for 15 hours of funding for 38 weeks of term time, following their third birthday.
Depending on your personal circumstances, your child may also be eligible for an additional 15 hours of funding per week, making a total of making a total of 30 hours of funding for 38 weeks of term time. Please ensure that you are eligible before applying.
Tax free childcare
Tax free childcare is a method of paying childcare costs (including your nursery invoice) which provides a significant saving each month. It can be used alongside both 15 and 30 hours of funding. The eligibility criteria closely follows that of 30 hours funding. However, unlike 30 hours funding, it is available to all nursery age children. Full details of eligibility can be found here.
To apply for tax free childcare please follow the instructions here.
Bursaries
Through our Positive Futures programme, we have a number of fully funded places for qualifying 2-5 year olds across our nurseries. We hope that by removing the challenges of accessing affordable, high quality early years education for these families, we can positively impact the futures of these children. Please note that bursary places are allocated to families that have been referred to us by the local authority.