Childcare support and funding

Currently, all parents and carers in England of 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of childcare support. Eligible working parents can also receive an additional 15 hours of childcare support, bringing the total number of childcare support hours to 30 a week for eligible working parents.

These hours can be used for 38 weeks of the year (term time), and some childcare providers may allow you to stretch these hours over 52 weeks.

Upcoming expansion of childcare support

From April 2024, exisiting childcare provisions will be expanded in phases and by September 2025, most working families with children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours a week of childcare support.

  • April 2024, eligible working parents of 2 year olds will be able to acess 15 hours childcare support
  • September 2024, the 15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents children aged 9 months to 3 years
  • September 2025, all eligible working parents of children from aged 9 months till they start school will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support a week

Like with the current childcare support offer, these hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year, or stretched over 52 weeks if this is something your childcare provider offers.

This handy table explains the number of hours of childcare funding you maybe eligible to receive per week:

Hours of childcare funding available
  Now April 2024 September 2024 September 2025
Working families of children aged 9-23 months N/A N/A 15 hours

30 hours
Working families of children aged 2 N/A 15 hours 15 hours

30 hours
Families of children aged 2, receiving additional government support 15 hours 15 hours 15 hours

15 hours
All parents with children aged   3-4 15 hours 15 hours 15 hours

15 hours
Working families with children aged 3-4 30 hours 30 hours 30 hours

30 hours

You can also check what help you could get with childcare costs via the childcare choices website, Childcare Choices Logowhich is a great resource for explaining the different types of childcare support available. 

 

 

The childcare calculator can help you to find out how much you could get towards approved childcare, including:

  • Free childcare for children aged between 2 and 4
  • Help with childcare costs if your child is under 16 (or under 17 and disabled)

You can also always contact your local Family Hub or call 01905 520032 if you would like support with finding childcare or applying for free childcare.

Current 2 year childcare funding

Some eligible parents/ carers of 2 year old may be able entitled to get 15 hours of free childcare per week, if you met the below criteria: 

  • Income support
  • Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Universal Credit and household earnings are no more than £15,400 per year
  • The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credits, with an annual household income of no more than £16,190
  • Working Tax Credits, with an annual household income of no more than £16,190
  • Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (paid for 4 weeks after a family stop qualifying for Working Tax Credits)
  • Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act and you have a NASS number

Please note that parents are not eligible where they claim working tax credits and child tax credits at the same time.

If you receive one of the benefits listed above your child may be eligible and you can apply for the funding via Worcestershire Children First Portal

When can my 2 year old have a free place and when should I apply?

Children who meet the relevant criteria below will become eligible for free hours from the term following their 2nd birthday until the end of the term in which they turn 3 years of age.
When to apply for 2 year funding
Children who turn 2 between: Apply by:  Start received free hours from:
1 January and 31 March Middle of February to end of March April after the child's 2nd birthday
1 April and 31 August Middle of June to end of July September after the child's 2nd birthday
1 September and 31 December Middle of October to end of December January after the child's 2nd birthday

Additional Information

Is there any additional funding for a child with Special Educational Needs?

If a child has Special Educational Needs (SEN), their entitlement is still a maximum of 15 free hours.

Where a child with SEN attends a specialist provision (such as a Special School or a Speech and Language Unit), the free hours must be allocated to these providers first before they are used on other provision. If a child attends a specialist provision for less than 15 hours, children will be able to receive their remaining
entitlement at any other funded provider.

Can I be charged during holiday periods? 

If you have agreed with your provider to stretch your free hours over the holiday
periods, then you will not be charged. However, you will be charged if you are using more than the free hours agreed with your provider.

If my child is unwell, is the free place affected? 

You are not able to claim back any free hours that your child has been unable to attend due to illness. The free hours will be used to keep your child’s place open for their return. If your child is unwell and unable to attend for more than four weeks, please contact your childcare provider to discuss your child’s place.

What happens if I am awarded funding and then get a job? Do I lose my funding?

No. Once funding has been awarded it will remain in place regardless of any changes to your
circumstances.

What if I want to change provider?

If you would like to transfer your free hours to another provider, you can contact the Family Information Service at your local family hub who can support you to do this.

You can contact our Family Hubs by calling: 01905 520 032

Current 3 year childcare funding

All 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 570 ‘universal’ hours of free childcare per year (15 hours a week).

However, if eligible, you are entitled to an additional 570 hours of free childcare for the year (30 hours a week in total). These hours can be used in many ways such as 30 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year, or fewer hours per week for more than 38 weeks of the year. Your childcare provider will have more information about what they can provide to you.

To be eligible for the additional hours:

  • You, and your partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £142 a 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 are unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible
  • You cannot get the additional hours of free childcare if you, or your partner, expect to earn £100,000 or more

Additional Information

When do the free hours start?

It is recommended that you apply in advance as the process to provide a validity code for the additional hours can take up to 3 weeks, particularly if you are self-employed.
Once you have a code to give your provider, you can start using your free hours from the beginning of the term following your child’s 3rd birthday. Term dates are fixed and are 1 April, 1 September, and 1 January.
 
If you receive your code after these cut off dates, then you will wait until the following term to use your free hours.

How do I apply for a place?

You can apply for 30 hours via the HM Government Childcare Choices website. If you are eligible, you will be given a ‘30 hours eligibility code’ to enter on to your Parent Declaration Form.

This includes giving your consent for the code and your details to be validated. If you do not give your consent, your code cannot be validated, and you cannot take up your additional hours.

What happens if I stop being eligible?

Your child will enter ‘the grace period’ when you stop meeting the eligibility criteria. Worcestershire County Council will be able to access information about whether your child is in the grace period and will let your provider know.

Your provider will then be able to tell you when the grace period will end and when your child will stop receiving their additional 15 hours.

Tax-free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare is a government scheme to support working parents with childcare costs for children under age of 12 or 17, if your child is disabled. If eligible, you set up an online childcare account which you can use to pay your childcare provider directly. For every £8 you pay in, the government will pay in an extra £2. You can get up to £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 for disabled children.

You can use Tax-Free Childcare to pay for:

  • Registered childminders, nurseries, and nannies
  • Registered after-school clubs, breakfast clubs, holiday clubs
    and play schemes

Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from Tax-Free Childcare.

You can also use Tax-Free childcare along side your Funded hours for any extra charges incurred.

Check with your provider to see if they are signed up.

You can apply, sign in or create an account via the Government Gateway

Finding Childcare in Worcestershire

Parents and carers in Worcestershire can search the Worcestershire Children First directory for childcare in your local area. 

The Worcestershire Children First portal includes childcare that has spaces for 2, 3 and 4 year old funded children, as well as those that provide before and after school pick-ups and those that specifically cater for children with a disability or special educational need.