3 & 4 Year Olds

All 3 and 4 year old children automatically receive 15 hours free government universal funding from the term following their 3rd birthday.

An extra 15 hours is available for children of working parents in England. This extra funding is called 30 hours extended funding.

2 Year Olds

From April 2024 working parents of 2-year-olds can access 15 hours of funded childcare. This is called 2 year old funding for working families.

Criteria and Applying

The criteria for 30 hours extended funding and 2 year old funding for working families, is as follows…………

• Each parent must earn a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at the national minimum wage
• Each parent must have an annual income of less than £100,000

Parents are able to check if their child is eligible by using the following link:

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If the child is eligible, a unique 11-digit code will be issued. Once we have verified the code, parents will be able to reserve sessions at preschool for the following term.

Parents must apply for the code during the term prior to the term that they wish to use extended or 2 year old funding. For instance, if parents want to use the 30 hours extended funding or 2 year old funding for preschool sessions in the summer term then they must apply during the spring term. HMRC sometimes requires additional information from parents to check whether they are eligible so it is important that sufficient time is allowed to receive the code.

Please note it is the responsibility of parents to check if their child is eligible for the 30 hours extended entitlement or 2 year old funding – we are unable to apply on your behalf.

Parents must also check each term that their child remains eligible and will receive a reminder by email from the local authority administering the programme. If the child becomes ineligible for the extended 30 hours funding or 2 year old funding, then parents will be responsible for either cancelling extra sessions or paying for those sessions.