Early Education Funding

Early Education Funding is available for all children the term after their third birthday,

and for eligible families the term after a child turns 9 months old.  

When to apply 

If your child turns 9 months old between:

1st September and 31st December you will need to apply by 31st December and the funding will start in January

1st January and 31st March you will need to apply by 31st March and the funding will start in April

1st April and 31st August you will need to apply by 31st April and the funding will start in September

If you are returning to work after maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave and your child is over 9 months old: 

Your return to work date is between 1st October and 31st January, you can apply from 1st September to 31st December and the funding will start in January.

Your return to work date is between 1st February and 30th April, you can apply from 1st January to 31st March and the funding will start in April.

Your return to work date is between 1st May and 30th September, you can apply from 1st April to 31st August and the funding will start in September.

If your child is starting nursery and has not claimed Early Education Funding previously, they will need to be attending during Headcount Week which is at the beginning of each term (January, April and September), if a child starts part way through a term than nursery fees will apply until the start of the new term.

If your child is already attending another setting, please contact us to discuss transferring the funding.

How to use the funding

The funding can be used in one of two ways:

Standard Offer: 

You can claim a maximum of 30 hours each week for 38 weeks per year, funding is only available during term time.

Stretched Offer: 

You can claim a maximum of 24 hours each week for 47.5 weeks per year.

If you are sharing funding between two settings and using both the standard and stretched offer, you can claim a maximum of 12 hours stretched funding and 15 hours standard funding.

Term dates are included on our website and monthly newsletters.

More information about Early Education Funding and how to apply can be found at www.beststartinlife.gov.uk.

As soon as you receive your eligibility code, please email it to us with your National Insurance Number.