Working Families

Early Education & Childcare Entitlement for working families’ children aged 9 months to 4 years - 1140 hours over a 12-month cycle.

Children aged 9 months to 4 years old of working families are entitled to 30 hours per week of early education for 38 weeks or stretched for the equivalent number of hours across more weeks of the year. As we are open 50 weeks a year (closed on all Bank holidays and for two weeks at the Christmas to New Year period) , we stretch the funding to cover those weeks which works out at 23 hours per week.

Children will qualify for the funding the term after they turn 9 months old:

Child birth dates and when they can get their hours from

1st September to 31st December - Spring term - starting on or after 1st January
1st January to 31st March - Summer term - starting on or after 1st April
1st April to 31st August - Autumn term - starting on or after 1st September

Recommended time to apply and the date code must be received by for the above birth dates

October to November - 31st December
January to February - 31st March
June to July - 31st August

To be eligible you, and any partner, must each expect to earn at least:

£2,380 before tax if you’re aged 21 or over (equivalent to £183 per week)
£1,788 before tax if you’re aged 18 to 20 (equivalent to £137 per week)
£1,331 before tax if you’re under 18 or an apprentice (equivalent to £102 per week)

If you, or your partner, are currently not working you may still be eligible. Use the link below to check if you are eligible.

You can't get this early years education entitlement if you, or your partner, each individually expect to earn over £100,000 adjusted net income

To check if you are eligible and to apply visit: https://www.gov.uk/applyfree-childcare-if-youre-working

If you're eligible, you'll receive a childcare account and a code

You can find out about all the options available to help with the cost of childcare by visiting the Government website: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk