If you are currently employed and are a parent/guardian of a child aged 3 or 4 years old, you could receive an additional 15 hours of government funded childcare each year.
This means you could receive a total of 30 hours per week term time of funded childcare.
You will not qualify if you have an income of £100,000 or more.
To apply for the 30 hours funding and see full eligibility criteria please visit the website Childcare Choices
If your application is successful you will be issued with a voucher code, you will need to take this to your chosen childcare provider along with your National Insurance number before the start of the term that you intend to begin using the funding.
You can apply up to 16 weeks before their third birthday, but you may need to reconfirm you are still eligible before the termly deadline to ensure your code remains valid.
Termly deadlines are as follows:
Autumn Term - 31st August
Spring Term - 31st December
Summer Term - 31st March
Please Note: to make sure you continue to be eligible to receive the additional 15 hours childcare, you must access your account at the Childcare Choices website every 3 months and either update your information or confirm that your information has not changed.
For parents starting a new 30 hours place they must make sure they are not starting the term in their grace period as the code will be invalid.
To find out more about the 30 hours funding please follow the link below:
Do I have to pay anything?
The funding does not cover the costs of meals, other consumables (such as nappies or sun cream), additional hours or additional activities (such as trips).
Providers may charge a fee for these additions, although you must be offered alternative options.