Early Years Government Funding- 2024 onwards
Government funding can be applied when children become eligible. The Nursery will submit a claim through the local authority each term. All parents must complete a government funding claim form in advance of wanting to claim for their child. Further information about how to claim can be sought via the Nursery Office.
The nursery is a full year nursery - we do not offer term time only places. Funding will be stretched over the 50 weeks we are open. If parents do not want to use the setting during the school holidays, their child’s space will be protected when they don’t attend, but our full fees and charges will apply whether their child attends or not.
Parents/carers or legal guardians using The WonderWorks may be entitled to claim up to 570 hours of government funded childcare hours per year (known as the universal 15 hours childcare offer).
Those with children aged 3-4 years, using this service who earn more than the UK minimum/living wage for 16 weeks per year, may be able to claim up to 1140 hours of government funded childcare hours per year (known as the 30-hour extended offer) however:
· An additional £1 consumables charge will be applied to each funded hour.
· Parents must sign a funding form held at the nursery to claim these hours, this form will be reviewed termly, and updated annually.
· Parents must provide any applicable funding codes to the nursery for the nursery to claim these ‘free’ hours back.
Consumables Charge- more information
Unfortunately the government funding does not fully cover the cost of the additional services provided by The WonderWorks such as meals, snacks, visitors, trips, and outings. Therefore to help us provide these for your child we add a £ 1 charge to every funded hour. So, for example if your child is claiming a full day of funding 8am-6pm this will use 10 hours of government funding. Therefore, there will be a charge of £10 for the day towards these consumables. This will be shown clearly on your monthly invoice. If you have any concerns about affording this charge please speak with a member of the office team.
How to check if parents are eligible
The Childcare Choices website provided by The Government explains what parents are eligible for. The WonderWorks do not have any say about eligibility and responsibility for checking and meeting eligibility for funding is for the parents to do. The nursery team will happily offer advice, support, and signposting if necessary.
Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK
Extended (30 hour) offer
If eligible for the extended offer, the parent will receive an 11-digit eligibility code via the Childcare Choices website. Before a parent can take up a place they must present their code, national insurance number and child’s date of birth to the Nursery Manager so they can check that the code is valid. Parents should share their code as soon as they receive it. Parents cannot take up their extended place until the nursery has validated their code.
Every three months parents will need to confirm that the details they previously entered on their application are up to date. The government will send direct email reminders to do this. If this is not done the code will expire and the funding withdrawn. At this point the child will only be eligible for the universal (15 hours) offer, until the code can be validated again, and the following funding term starts. This could mean an extended period (perhaps 3 months or so) where the parent would be responsible for paying for the non-funded hours booked. Therefore, it is essential that parents keep on top of validating their codes.
When does the funding start?
This is set by the Government and put simply parents can claim from the term AFTER their child turns 2 or 3 (depending on if they are eligible for 2-year-old funding)
If a child's birthday is between...
Parents can start using their free hours from...
1 January – 31 March
1 April
(After their 3rd birthday)
1 April – 31 August
1 September
(After their 3rd birthday)
1 September – 31 December
1 January
(After their 3rd birthday)
Tax Free Childcare from birth to 11 years old (17 if they have a disability)
Some parents/carers or legal guardians may also be eligible for the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, which entitles them to reclaim 20% of their childcare costs, up to a maximum off £500 every three months.
Parents cannot get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as claiming Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit, or childcare vouchers.
The WonderWorks are registered to receive payment towards fees through the Tax-Free Childcare service.
The added benefit to this scheme is that when your child moves onto ‘big school’ the September after they turn 4, you can still use this scheme to pay for ongoing childcare like wraparound care, after school clubs or other activities.
The Childcare Choices website will offer advice and support.
Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK