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Early education funding (EEF) for parents

Frequently asked questions about funded early education

This page answers your questions about funded education. Select a link to jump to that topic:

You may also find the FAQs on the Childcare Choices website useful.

Early education funding available

Funded childcare places are available for families with children aged from 9 months to 4 years old.

For under 2s

Working Parent Entitlement - 15 hours is now available for working parents of 2 year olds.

For 2 year olds

  • Best Start - 15 funded hours are available for families that may not be in work, are on a low income or are receiving additional government support.

For 3 and 4 year olds

You can access the Working Parent Entitlements from the term after you have successfully applied for an age eligible child.

You can access funded hours at registered childminders, both private and school based nurseries, pre-schools and some wraparound providers. Children could access funding up until and including the term they turn 5 years old, but 4 year olds attending a primary school reception will not be eligible as this is considered a full time school place.

What to do with working parent entitlements and best start confirmation codes

Apart from the universal hours for 3 and 4 year olds, parents will have to meet the eligibility criteria and apply for all other elements of funded childcare, this includes:

  • Best Start - 2 year funding for low income families receiving government support - Parents apply to Herefordshire Council. Successful applications will receive a confirmation code that you must give to your childcare provider.
  • Working Parent Entitlements - for children from 9 months to 4 years and includes the extra 15 hours for 3 and 4 year olds - Parents must meet the criteria and apply via the government website Childcare Choices. Parents who receive a code must present this to their childcare provider so it can be validated.

Fosters carers and their social worker must apply to Herefordshire Council for the Working Parent Entitlement, not to Childcare Choices.

Childcare Choices are solely responsible for checking eligibility on applications made to them for the Working Parent Entitlements.

Funded hours eligibility and reconfirming eligibility

  • Best Start - once you have applied and received a code, this funding remains in place until your child becomes eligible for the universal entitlement for 3 year olds.
  • 3 and 4 year olds universal 15 hours - all children are entitled to this funding in England regardless of circumstances.
  • Working Parent Entitlements - families who have applied to Childcare Choices will receive reminders from Childcare Choices advising them to reconfirm their eligibility every 3 months. If you fail to reconfirm or are no longer eligible, you could lose your funded hours. Foster carers will be sent reminders to reconfirm from Herefordshire Council and not Childcare Choices.

How you can take the funded hours

You must speak to your childcare provider about how the funded places can be taken at the provision. Providers can differ from the times in the day they are open and offer funded places. Providers can offer funding as 38 weeks during term time or school holidays, or across the whole year, which is called a 'stretched offer'. Some providers may do both but it is at their discretion.

Below are the parameters providers can offer funded places within:

  • No more than a maximum of 10 hours in a day
  • No minimum requirement
  • Between the hours of 6am to 8pm - Monday to Friday
  • For the universal 15 hours, the entitlement could be offered over no less than across 2 days
  • For the full 30 hours, the entitlement could be offered over no less than across 3 days

Speak to your provider about their offer.

When your child can attend and using the funded hours

You can choose that your child attends for just the funded hours, but only on the days and hours that are supplied by the provider and depending on their availability. You are under no obligation to purchase additional hours, food, nappies, trips, clothing or any other consumable or service just to gain access to funded hours.

You are also under no obligation to use up all the funded hours your child is entitled too. It is at your discretion how many hours and days you wish your child to attend within your provider's offer. Providers can only claim for hours you have agreed for your child to attend with them.

Deposits and registration fees

Providers can charge for a deposit so parents can secure a placement, though providers should consider whether a charge should be applied to a family claiming 2 year funding (Better Start). Such a deposit can be kept if the child does not start the placement but providers must reimburse a deposit by the end of the same term (or off-set against paid for elements) if a child starts a Best Start funded placement.

You should not be charged a registration fee if a child is attending for the funded hours only. When parents are paying for extra hours or services it is possible a registration fee could be off-set against those paid for elements.

Non-funded hours or services at a provision

If your child does attend for hours that are not part of funded sessions supplied by the provider, you will be charged for these hours. The provider is entitled to charge for items such as food, nappies, trips clothing, other consumables and services, if accessed by children. These charges are determined by the provider.

Spreading the funded hours over more than 38 weeks

Some providers are open all year and may offer parents the option to 'stretch' funded hours. This means you will have less funded hours per week but it would be spread over more weeks of the year (for example, across school holidays). This offer is at the discretion of the provider and 38 week (or term time only) only providers will not be able to offer stretched.

Taking the funded hours at more than one provider

You can split funded hours between multiple providers, but no more than at two sites in one day. This can be between any types of provider. You will need to decide how many hours your child attends for at each site as providers must agree to this.

Parental declaration form

For the funded hours it is a legal requirement that all families sign the parental declaration form that will be provided to you by your childcare provider. On this form you will identify key aspects of you own personal information as well as your child's. You will also need to advise how many hours you wish your provider to claim for your child.

In the case of the child being eligible for 30 hours and a split arrangement is in place to access the funded hours at more than one provider, the parent must identify which provider will claim the universal 15 hours.

Children must attend for the agreed amount of funded hours you have requested your provider/s to claim, or the funded hours will be reduced or cease if non-attendance is a regular occurrence.

A child changing a setting part way through a term

If you wish to change setting part way through a term, you can do so. The funding will follow your child to their new provider. It is the responsibility of the provider your child is leaving to inform the local authority that your child has left/is leaving - otherwise they would be 'over-claiming' on their part. The new provider can then claim from when your child starts with them.

If you change from a stretched offer ( in summer ) to a 38 week term offer (in autumn) and are accessing the maximum entitlement, you should be aware that your annual entitlement could end sooner than normal in the third term of the year. This is because more funded hours are used in the summer term as a stretched offer compared to a 38 week term time offer.

We urge you to check your provider's notice period before leaving.

Claiming Tax Credits and Tax Free Childcare

You can claim Tax Credits and Tax Free Childcare on hours, services and consumables you have to pay for. Go to Childcare Choices for more information. However, you must inform HMRC if your circumstances change when claiming Tax Credits and Tax Free Childcare as you cannot get assistance for the hours which you are receiving the funded places.

A provider's obligations

Providers sign an agreement with their local authority, that outlines they must provide parents from the outset of the placement with information on how their child's funded place will be supplied to them. Providers must also inform parents clearly for additional charges parents will incur on non-funded hours, consumables and services.

Invoicing, additional charges and top ups

Providers must make it clear on invoices the amount of funded hours and monetary value of those funded hours supplied or taken for the invoice period. For additional charges for non-funded hours, consumables and services, the provider must clearly outline what you have been charged for in the period.

This so parents can clearly identify they are receiving their child's funded hours as initially agreed with the provider.

The provider must inform parents of the monetary value of a funded hour at their provision. But providers cannot charge top ups on the funded hours, this is the difference between the funding the provider receives and what they normally charge.

If you don't understand if you are receiving the funded hours as agreed

In the first instance, you should speak to your provider because in most cases such issues can be cleared up easily. Your should request a clear breakdown of:

  • Days and hours the funded hours and place is supplied to the child
  • The charges you pay for, for example non-funded hours, meal, trips
  • A monetary total of charges against what you have saved on funded places
  • Term time or stretched offer

Make a complaint

If you are unhappy that you are not receiving your child's funded hours as agreed, you can email eef@herefordshire.gov.uk You must clearly outline the details of the concern and any evidence (emails, invoices), the name of the childcare provider as well as supplying your child's name and your own contact information. All enquiries are treated in confidence.

Enquiries will be reviewed and where possible an update will be provided in 20 working days from when relevant information was sent to the service. We may need to ask for further information that could result in it taking longer to resolve disputes.

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