Funding

Early Years Education (EYE) entitlement for 3 and 4 year old children

Children aged 3 and 4 years old are entitled to a minimum of 15 hours of funded early years education per week during term time. There is also an extended funded childcare entitlement for working parents of 3 and 4 year olds, which will provide eligible parents with a total of up to 30 hours of funded childcare per week, over 38 weeks (term time). 

The additional 15 hours is available to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family). Each parent must earn, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) or national living wage (NLW), and less than £100,000 per year. ‘Working’ will include employed and self-employed persons. Parents do not necessarily need to actually work 16 hours a week, but rather their earnings must reflect at least 16 hours of work at NMW or NLW. This includes those parents on zero contract hours who meet the criteria.

To check eligibility for 30 hours funding, parents can use the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/apply-30-hours-free-childcare

Additional information

EYE funding cannot be claimed for more than 10 hours per day and for less than 2.5 hours per day.

There are no conditions attached to children receiving EYE funded hours. Parents will not be charged any ‘top up’ fee or be required to buy anything else to access the entitlement. 

Parents will be required to complete a Parent Declaration Form in order for St Jude’s Pre-School to claim the funding. Information will also be given relating to the Privacy Notice regarding child data and how it is collected and used.

All unfunded hours will be charged at a rate of £5.00 per hour.