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Early education funding (EEF) for parents

Funded education for 3 and 4 year olds - eligibility and how to apply

Universal 15 funded hours for 3 and 4 year olds

All 3 year and 4 years olds are entitled to 15 hours of early education funding from the term after a child turns 3 years old. This can be taken as:

  • 15 hours of early education for 38 weeks (up to 570 hours per year),
  • Some providers will allow you to 'stretch' funding over more weeks per year but by using fewer hours per week. Check with your childcare provider about how they offer funded hours

When your child could be eligible

When a child turns 3 years old between:

  • 1 January - 31 March: funding can start from the summer term (from 1 April)
  • 1 April - 31 August: funding can start from autumn term (from 1 September)
  • 1 September - 31 December: funding can start spring term after turning 3 years old (from 1 January)

For example, if a child is 3 years old in between 1 January - 31 March, they will be eligible for funded places from 1 April. These dates are fixed and independent of school term dates.

Parents are eligible for the funded hours up until and including the term a child turns 5 years old if the child is attending a day nursery, preschool, childminder or at some out of school club or any other type of early years provision registered for funding.

Children cannot receive the funded hours if they attend a local authority or academy reception class.

How to claim for a funded place

  • Contact your childcare provider
  • They will submit a claim on your behalf

Additional support

Some families could be eligible for some additional support if criteria are met:

  • Early years pupil premium (EYPP) - families could receive some additional funding to support the education of their child. To find out more and check your eligibility, please visit the Early years pupil premium page.
  • Disability Access Fund (DAF) - settings who have children who receive Disability Living Allowance could be eligible for some funding to make reasonable adjustments to the provision and improve access. To find out more and apply for DAF, please visit the Disability Access Fund page.

30 hours for working families

In addition to the universal 15 hours, some families could be entitled to an extra 15 hours, this means parents could access:

  • Up to 30 hours per week over 38 weeks (up to 1140 hours per year), or
  • Some providers may allow parents to 'stretch' funding over more weeks but using fewer hours per week. Check with your childcare provider about how they offer funded hours

Eligibility

Working parents (or a lone parent) could be eligible if:

  • Each parent expects to earn (on average) at least £167 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage).
  • If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible

You will not be eligible if:

  • Either parent earns £100,000 a year.

How to apply

You can apply via the government website Childcare Choices who will check and confirm eligibility.

If you are successful, you will receive an 11 digit code from Childcare Choices which you must present to your childcare provider.

If you are having difficulty with the online application process or you do not agree if you are not eligible, you should contact the HMRC Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097.

Please note, no money is passed to parents. Funding goes to your childcare provider who supplies the funded hours to families.

Reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months

You must reconfirm your eligibility with Childcare Choices every 3 months to remain eligible. They will contact you via text or email to remind you to log into your gateway account and confirm your circumstances and check eligibility again. If you do not do this the funding will stop after a grace period.

Start date

Children could receive funding from the term after turning 3 year olds and a parent has successfully applied and received an eligibility code. Funding could start:

  • From 1 April - for applications made 1 January - 31 March
  • From 1 September - for applications made between 1 April - 31 August
  • From 1 January - for applications made between 1 September - 31 December

What happens if you are no longer eligible for the extended 15 hours funding

  • If a family falls out of the eligibility criteria for the extended 15 hours, or they do not confirm your eligibility every 3 months, a 'grace period' of funding will then commence from when eligibility has ended. The 'grace period' is an extra period that parents will continue to receive the full 30 hours so they can resolve the issue of why they have dropped out of eligibility, for example seek employment or reconfirming eligibility
  • After the grace period has ended and the parents are still not eligible, the child will then revert to being able to claim a maximum of 15 hours per week
  • The extended hours cannot be claimed if a child moves or starts at a new childcare setting and is already in the grace period for the extended hours. Families will only be eligible for the universal 15 hours

Fosters carers

An eligible child in foster care is entitled to the funding based on the following criteria:

  • The local authority is satisfied that a foster parent engaging in paid work (other than fostering) is consistent with the child's care plan, placing the child at the centre of the process and decision making, and
  • That in two foster parent families, both partners hold additional paid employment outside of their role as a foster carer
  • A lone (foster) parent must have additional paid employment is also outside their role as a foster carer

Foster carers must make their application with the aid of the social worker to the EEF Team at eef@herefordshire.gov.uk not to Childcare Choices.

Successful applicants will receive a confirmation letter from Herefordshire Council with an 11 digit number that begins "400". You must present this letter to your childcare provider.

The council will remind you every 3 months to reconfirm your eligibility.

Adopted parents can claim the extended 15 hours for legally adopted children from 31 days before returning to work (or if already at work) and if they meet the earnings criteria. Parents can still apply for their own birth child at any point while on adoption leave for another child.

Further information