Apply for funded education for 3 & 4 year olds

3 year old girl playing with pans in a childcare setting.

There will be changes to childcare support from April 2024. Check details and when to apply on Childcare Choices website.

All children are entitled to a funded early education place at an approved provider of the family’s choice, from the beginning of the term after they are three.

This universal entitlement will provide a child with early education until they reach school age.

The universal entitlement is 570 hours per year. This is often taken as 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year but families can arrange to take fewer hours per week over more weeks of the year if they prefer. For example, your child could attend a setting for 11 hours per week for 51 weeks of the year.

Slough Borough Council approves a range of providers to offer funded early education places to 2, 3 and 4 year old children.

Approved providers include;

  • childminders
  • children’s centres
  • day nurseries and pre-schools
  • nursery classes in school
  • private and independent nursery schools.

Find a list of providers offering funded early education for 3 and 4 year olds.

Parents can find a place for their child by contacting some settings and arranging to visit.

When you visit it is important to discuss whether the days/times that you require are available in the setting.

Your child can take their funded early education hours at one or two sites each day but the total hours of universal entitlement will not be more than 570 (15 hours per week for 38 weeks).

For further information, contact the Family Information Service on 01753 476589 or email FIS@slough.gov.uk.

Extended entitlement - 30 hours

From 1 September 2017 the government introduced an Extended Entitlement to early education for working families. The extended entitlement is an additional 570 hours, making 1140 hours in total. This works out to 30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year, but, like the universal entitlement, this can be stretched over more weeks of the year if the family wishes and over more than one site per day.

For example, your child could attend a setting for 24 hours per week for 47 weeks of the year or 22 hours per week for 51 weeks of the year.

Check:

Am I eligible

Your family is eligible for the extended entitlement if you are:

  • in work (both parents in a two parent household or one parent in a one parent household) and
  • earning the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the national minimum or living wage and not more than £100,000 per year.

If you are self employed, or on a zero hour contract you will be asked to confirm that you will meet the income threshold outlined above.

You can check whether you are eligible for a range of government childcare offers, including 30 hours, via Childcare Choices. If you are eligible to apply the site will direct you to the digital childcare service.

How do I apply

You can apply for the extended entitlement on Childcare Choices website or on the online eligibility checking service on GOV.UK.

During the application you will be asked for information about yourself and your partner if you have one. The information you will need to provide will include:

  • your National Insurance number
  • the date you started work or the date you are due to start work
  • details of any other government support that you get
  • if you are self employed, your Unique Taxpayer Reference.

If you have difficulty with the application or do not have access to the internet you can phone the Childcare Service Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097.

Once you have applied successfully you will be given an Eligibility Reference Number.

Once you have shared your eligibility with a provider (or multiple providers), they will contact you to discuss next steps. You will need to give this number to your chosen provider, or share it with a provider on Slough Borough Council Citizen Portal along with your National Insurance Number.

The provider will ask you to sign a form giving consent for them to share your details with the local authority. This will enable the provider to check your eligibility and receive information about grace periods. The provider has to make this check before they can offer your child an early education extended entitlement place.

Once you have accepted an extended entitlement place for your child it is important that you reconfirm your eligibility for the place every three months. Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will send you a reminder when you need to do this.

If you lose your job whilst your child is receiving an extended entitlement place, you will be given some time to find another job before your child loses their place. This is called a grace period. You can find out about this on the Childcare Choices website or you can talk to your provider about it.

Tips on using my 30 hours childcare

Which provider suits you best?

  • Full day care such as nursery
  • School provision
  • Childminder
  • Sessional provider
  • Out of school club.

*You can only take up 30 hours at an approved provider, this means they need to be a school, registered by Ofsted or a Childminding Agency.

Different childcare arrangements work for different families. When deciding, you might want to consider the following.

  • You can take up your 30 hours between 6am-8pm, but no session can be more than 10 hours.
  • You don’t have to use all 30 hours, just those that meet your needs.
  • Providers have a choice whether to offer the hours, some may not offer the full 30 hours.
  • You can split your hours between providers but splitting is limited to a maximum of two sites per day. Remember to get your 30 hours code checked by all the providers you use.
  • Like at school, your provider might charge for additional services, for example; lunch, trips or music classes but these charges cannot be a condition of accessing your 30 hours place.
  • 30 hours is available for 38 weeks of the year (just like the existing 15 hours scheme). Some providers will allow you to ‘stretch’ your 30 hours entitlement over 52 weeks of the year meaning fewer hours per week (for example: you could take 22 hours a week for 52 weeks).

Speak to your provider about whether they offer 30 hours and any additional charges that may apply or contact your local authority for further information about accessing the right childcare for you.

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