All 3 to 4-year-olds can get free early education or childcare and some 2-year-olds are also eligible for 15 hours free childcare. From September 2017 the government is offering working parents of 3 and 4 year olds 30 hours free nursery education. Parents who have children 3 or 4 years old do not need to do anything to get 15 hours free education in childcare. They get those hours from the next term after his/her child’s birthday. Parents will sign in the declaration form when their child will get free hours in the nursery.

30 hours funding for 3 and 4 year olds

The Government has extended the free 15 hours childcare funding for 3 and 4 year olds to an additional 15 hours for eligible working families. This funding does not apply to children attending reception classes in schools. The Government provides early education funding so that the child can attend up to 30 hours of early years education per week for up to 38 weeks (term time) a year or up to 22 hours over 51 weeks at nursery. Nursery Moksliukas has chosen to use stretched hours and offer parents 22 hours per week over 51 week in a year. In this case the child has to attend at least 3 days/week and parents have to pay for extra hours. Also, the payment of the Early Educational Grant is made directly to the setting that the child attends – it is not paid to parents.

 

Exemption:  we agreed to offer a limited number of sessions only: 5 places.

Parents are eligible for 30 hours funding if they meet these criteria:

• Both parents are working (or the sole parent is a lone parent family) and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW).
• A weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage, less than £100,000 per year per parent/ carer.

 

Children qualify in their own right if:

• they have been adopted from care
• they have left care through special guardianship
• they are subject to a child arrangement order

 

If you think the child qualifies under any of the criteria, email EDU-NurseryGrant3-4@newham.gov.uk or call 020 3373 0980.

 

When is the child entitled to get 30 hours?

 

​If your child’s birthday is between the following dates you should apply in this period:	​They will be entitled to their free 30 hours place from:
​1 January – 31 March	The start of the summer term (after Easter)​
​1 April – 31 August	​The start of the autumn term (after September)
​1 September – 31 December	​The start of the spring term (early January)

 

How to apply for 30 hours?

 

Parents need to apply for the funding online at HMRC/Childcare choices. If they application is successful then parents will be given a reference number which needs to be given to the nursery. In order to receive the funding the code needs to be given to nursery the term before funding begins and will be subject to eligibility checking via Newham Early Years.

The child remains eligible up to and including the term in which they turn five but once the child starts attending school, their free entitlement stops. The child can start school in the September after which they turn four and must be in full time education at the start of the term after which they turn five.

15 hours funding for 2, 3 and 4 year olds

Which two year olds are eligible for funding?

Parents who are in receipt of one of the following:

• Income Support
• Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Support under part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Universal Credit – if you and your partner are on a low income from work (this usually means a combined income of less than £15,400 a year after tax)
• Child Tax Credit and have an annual household income (as assessed by HM Revenue and Customs) that does not exceed £16,190
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit.

Or if the Two Year Old child:

• Has a current Statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or an Education, Health and Care Plan
• Has left Local Authority care through Special Guardianship, Adoption or Residence Order
• Is currently a Looked After Child, for example in Foster Care
• Is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

When does funding start?

The following age parameters are used to decide when funding starts:

• Child who becomes 2 or 3 years old on or before 31 March – funding from 1 April
• Child who becomes 2 or 3 years old on or before 31 August – funding from 1 September
• Child who becomes 2 or 3 years old on or before 31 December – funding from 1 January

These children will then move automatically on to three year old funding, which is available for a maximum of 15 hours a week.

How yours free hours can be delivered?

The government has set out a framework for minimum and maximum national offer for Local Authorities to work to.

The minimum that parents can expect within any Local Authority is

• Five periods of 3 hours or
• Three periods of 5 hours each week

The maximum that a parent can expect is:

• No period longer than 10 hours
• No period shorter than 2.5 hours
• Not before 7am or after 7pm
• The full 15 hours over no fewer than two days
• A maximum of two providers at any one time

An early education place comprises 570 hours a year over no fewer than 38 weeks (13 weeks+12 weeks+13 weeks with short breaks in between) of the year from the relevant date of birth qualifying date.                                                           From April, 2014, a stretched entitlement provider is able to select Standard, Flexible or Stretched offers to the parents. Nursery MOKSLIUKAS is open full year round and gives an opportunity to parents to have stretched hours. In that case parents can have free hours all year round: 11 h/weak+9 hours. Nursery Moksliukas is full day care and requires attending at least 2 days/week if parents want to use their free hours. Also, the payment of the Early Educational Grant is made directly to the setting that the child attends – it is not paid to parents but parents will need to pay for extra hours.

How to apply for 2 years-old funding?

Parents and carers of 2 year old children need to contact the Learning and Achievement Team on 02033730980 or email twoyearold.childcare@newham.gov.uk and provide their names, dates of birth and National Insurance Numbers. If parents are eligible they will be given an eligibility certificate and will have to provide it to childcare provider.