Free Funded Hours – Up to 30 hours childcare for eligible families in England

Significant changes came into play April 2024 for those eligible for free childcare in an early years, approved education settings.  Below is an overview of the advances but please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for further information and an eligibility checker.  You can also sign up for updates on when and how to apply so you don’t miss out!

 

Changes from April 2024

• From April 2024 – up to 15 hours for eligible working families in England with a 2 year old.
• From September 2024 – up to 15 hours for eligible working families in England with a child aged between 9-23 months old.
• From September 2025 – up to 30 hours for eligible working families in England with a child from 9 months old to school age.

 

Currently available for eligible working families in England with children aged 3-4 years

• Up to 15  or 30 hours of early education over 38 weeks of the year.
• A total of 1,140 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider.
• some providers will allow you to stretch the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

 

Currently available to ALL FAMILIES in England with children ages 3-4 years

• 15 hours of childcare or early education for 38 weeks (up to 570 hours per year) that you can use flexibly with one or more providers.
• Some providers will allow you to stretch the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

 

Currently available to families in England receiving some additional forms of Government support for children aged 2 years

• 15 hours of childcare or early education for 38 weeks (up to 570 hours per year) that you can use flexibly with one or more providers.
• Some providers will allow you to stretch the hours over 52 weeks, using fewer hours per week.

 

Please visit www.childcarechoices.gov.uk for further details, eligibility calculator and sign up for updates.

 

Free Funded Childcare as a Foster Parent

Children in foster care will be eligible for 30 hours if it is consistent with their care plan and foster parents are in paid work outside their role as a foster parent

You can claim 30 hours from the term after:

• Your foster child turns three
• The date you receive your eligibility code from the local authority

It is recommended that you apply in good time, so that you receive your code the term before your child becomes eligible. You can apply up to 16 weeks before your foster child turns three.

For more information see How to apply

Children in foster care who are aged 9 months to 4 years old could also be eligible for the working parent entitlements, provided the foster parent is in paid work outside their fostering role and does not expect their adjusted net income to exceed £100, 000.

There is no minimum income requirement for foster parents, however the local authority responsible for the child must confirm it is satisfied that the foster parent’s p[aid work other than their fostering role is consistent with the child’s care plan.

Foster parents cannot use the online Childcare service application to get free childcare. Speak to your social worker and your local council if you want to apply.

 

Immigration status

To be eligible for funded childcare for working parents, you (and your partner if you have one and if they live with you) must have a National Insurance number.

The person who applies must also have at least one of the following :

• British or Irish citizenship
• Settled or pre-settled status, or you have applied and you’re waiting for a decision
• Permission to access public funds – your UK residence card will tell you if you cannot do this

To check if you are eligible, you can use the eligibility checker tool from childcare choices here