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All 3 and 4 year olds and some 2 year olds are entitled to 570 hours per year of funded early education and childcare.
Funded childcare places
All 3 and 4 year olds in England are entitled to 570 hours of funded childcare. This is usually taken as a maximum of 15 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year, in line with Leicestershire’s school term dates, but can be taken as fewer hours over more weeks. Some 2 year olds are also eligible.
How do I claim the 15 funded hours?
The 15 funded hours are universal for all 3 and 4 year olds, so there is no application process involved.
Firstly you will just need to check that your chosen childcare offers funded hours (most will but there are some that don’t).
If they are registered to offer funded places then they should ask to take a copy of your child’s birth certificate and get you to complete a Parental Statement of Undertaking (PSOU) form. This short form gives consent for them to claim your child’s funded hours, and allows you to specify which days/times you wish to use them on.
Please be aware that children only become eligible for the funding in the period following their 3rd birthday e.g:
Child turns 3 between 1st April – 31st August = eligible for funding from 1st September
Child turns 3 between 1st September – 31st December = eligible for funding from 1st January
Child turns 3 between 1st January – 31st March = eligible for funding from the 1st April.
30 hours funded childcare - check if you’re eligible
The extended entitlement is intended to support working parents with the cost of childcare and enable them to return to work or to work additional hours.
Working parents who meet the criteria can get 30 hours per week (for up to 38 weeks per year, a total of 1140 hours) of funded childcare.
If you're having difficulty completing an eligibility check or have a query about the result, you should contact 0300 123 4097.
There has been a temporary relaxation around the usual 30 hours rules to support families with childcare during the current pandemic. Please take a read of the latest Government advice to see if it applies to you.
Is there any additional support available for parents who were meeting eligibility criteria for 30 hours free childcare and/or tax-free childcare before the Coronavirus outbreak but are no longer working or working reduced hours?
Yes. If you are temporarily not meeting the minimum income requirement for 30 hours free childcare and/or tax-free childcare as a direct consequence of the Coronavirus outbreak and would normally meet the threshold for these schemes, you will be treated as eligible.
You should continue to apply or reconfirm if you have a childcare account already.
Do parents need to provide any proof to access 30 hours free childcare or tax-free childcare that they’ve been adversely affected by the Coronavirus outbreak and so can still apply?
You should continue to apply or reconfirm if you have a childcare account already. You will be contacted if further evidence is required.
Can I still get 30 hours if I or my partner have earned over the maximum threshold because we’ve had to work longer hours due to the Coronavirus outbreak?
Subject to parliamentary approval of a temporary amendment to the 30 hours free childcare regulations, we intend to allow critical workers who exceed the maximum income threshold (£100k per year), due to increased hours as a direct result of the Coronavirus outbreak, to remain eligible for 30 hours for the current tax year.
I am not a critical worker and my child isn’t vulnerable. Do I still need to apply or reconfirm for the 30 hours entitlement if I’m not currently accessing a place?
We encourage all eligible parents to continue to apply for and reconfirm, their 30 hours entitlement, even when childcare settings remain closed to all but vulnerable children and children of critical workers. This will ensure a smooth transition back into childcare when settings fully reopen.
Is there any flexibility for parents who have missed the deadline for 30 hours codes?
We have asked local authorities and childcare providers who are approached by the parents of vulnerable children, or critical workers who have missed the 31 March 2020 deadline, to accept their codes, having first checked the child’s date of birth to ensure summer term eligibility. To be eligible for a summer term 30 hours place the child must have turned 3 before 1 April 2020.
At this time, only the children of critical workers and children who are vulnerable, are able to access childcare. A list of children prioritised for education provision can be found in guidance on critical workers who can access schools or educational settings. We have asked all early years settings to prepare for wider opening from 1 June 2020 and will update the guidance on 30 hours in due course.
Children in foster care who are aged 3 or 4 years old are now be able to receive an additional 15 hours per week over 38 weeks of childcare - a total of 1,140 hours funded childcare per year, if the following criteria are met:
Accessing the extended hours is consistent with the child’s care plan; and
Where these is a single foster parent family, the foster parent is engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent; or
Where there are two foster parents in the same fostering household, both are engaging in paid work outside their role as a foster parent.
Foster parents can claim 30 hours the term after their foster child turns three and they have received an eligibility code from the local authority.
Three- and four-year-olds can start in a 30 hours place from the 1 September, 1 January or 1 April. Foster parents can apply up to 16 weeks before their foster child turns three.
Foster parents will need to reconfirm every 3 months with their social worker, that they are still working outside of their role as a foster parent.
In the first instance foster parents should contact their social care worker to find out more and to apply.
Tax-free childcare
If you're a working parent with children under 12 (or under 17 for disabled children), you can open an online account to pay for registered childcare. The government will top-up the money you pay into the account. For every £8 you pay in, the government will add an extra £2. You can receive up to £2,000 per child.
Universal Credit
If you, and any partner, are working, or you’re due to start work, and you’re claiming Universal Credit, you can claim back up to 85% of your eligible childcare costs for children under 16. You could get up to £646 a month for one child, or £1,108 for two or more.
use the 30 hours as part of a stretched offer, banking hours to use in the holiday periods if your provider offers this
Using more than one provider
You can spread your funded hours between a maximum of 2 settings per day. The council will work out how the funding payments are split between providers based on the information submitted by the setting. Where parents are taking up a place for an eligible 2 year old, the council would suggest that only one provider is used.
If you've got a concern
If you're worried about the way in which your funding is being managed you should first talk to your provider, and if you have an ongoing issue please email: childcare@leics.gov.uk