(April 2010 - March 2011)
All children will be eligible to 15 hours free funding from September 2010
What is Free Entitlement?
Free Entitlement is your child’s right to free, part-time* early years education before he or she reaches compulsory school age (the term following his or her 5th birthday).
*From 1st April - 31st August 2010, 75% of settings will continue to offer up to 5 x 2½ hour sessions per week for 38 weeks of the year during term time and 25% of settings will continue to offer 15 hours of free early years education which can be spread over 52 weeks of the year (claiming less than 15 hours per week).
(Some providers will not be open for 38 weeks a year and children will not be funded in an alternative provision for any additional weeks.)
Free Entitlement from September 2010
From September 2010 all eligible 3 and 4 year olds will be able to access 15 hours of Free Entitlement per week to a maximum of 570 hours in a year.
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Hours that can be taken during 3 funding periods
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1st April – 31st August (up to 195 hours)
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Total 570 hours
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1st September – 31st December (up to 210 hours)
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1st January – 31st March (up to 165 hours)
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When can I get a free place for my child?
All children are funded from the start of the April, September or January term following their 3rd birthday.
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Child’s date of birth
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Funding can be claimed from:
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01/01/2007 to 31/03/2007
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1st April 2010
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01/04/2007 to 31/08/2007
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1st September 2010
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01/09/2007 to 31/12/2007
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1st January 2011
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01/01/2008 to 31/03/2008
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1st April 2011
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01/04/2008 to 31/08/2008
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1st September 2011
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Which providers are included in the Free Entitlement Scheme?
Most Pre-schools, Day Nurseries and Independent Schools, District Specialist Centres*, Portage Schemes*, Local Authority Nursery Classes attached to a school, NCMA accredited childminders**
*Although these services are free to parents, Free Entitlement money is paid to the service, therefore parents can only use any additional hours in an alternative setting.
**These are childminders who have undertaken additional training and accreditation to become registered providers of early years education. Sessions with these childminders can be funded through the Free Entitlement scheme in the same way as other providers.
Who pays Free Entitlement to my provider/s?
Wiltshire Council will pay the pre-school, nursery, school, specialist centre or accredited childminder directly. You will be asked by the provider/s to sign a form confirming your child’s date of birth, postcode and the number of hours that will be funded. You will need to sign a binding parental contract.
It is important that you understand what your entitlement isand what services and hours you are still be responsible for paying for.
Can I claim for more than one session per day?
(only applicable if using a setting offering 12½ hours)
Currently two 2½ hour sessons of Free Entitlement can be claimed in a day as long as there is an appropriate length break between the two sessions. However, the number of sessions offered in a day varies between providers and you need to check this with them.
How will Free Entitlement work from September 2010
Free Entitlement will be paid for hours rather than sessions over a minimum of 3 days. Parents can claim a minimum of 2½ hours and a maximum of 10 hours Free Entitlement during one day (this can include any meal times although not the cost of the meal). A maximum of 12½ hours can be claimed over 2 days.
Examples could be:
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Claim 3 hours for 5 days each week during term time (570 per year)
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Claim 6 hours on Tuesday, 3 hours on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week during term time (570 per year)
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Claim 12 hours each week for 47 weeks of the year plus 6 hours for a further week, for example, spread your Extended Free Entitlement across term and holiday periods by claiming fewer hours each week (570 hours per year)
Can my child attend more than one provider?
Yes – children can attend more than one pre-school, nursery or accredited childminder, or a combination of these. The funding can be shared between 2 providers (3 if one is a specialist SEN provider).
N.B. The grant is not available for any other providers if your child attends an infant or primary school.
Is there additional funding for childcare costs?
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If you and your partner both work a minimum of 16 hours a week or, as a lone parent, you work at least 16 hours a week, you may be able to claim funding towards childcare costs through Working Tax Credit. Contact ask for further details.
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Funding is available to enable some 2 year olds to access 10 hours of free childcare per week if the family is in receipt of benefit. Contact your local Children's Centre for details.
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The Early Years Inclusion Fund may help with fees for childcare or holiday activities in cases of disability or family disadvantage.
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Your employer may offer, or you can request, childcare vouchers through the Salary Sacrifice scheme.
What happens if my child changes provision?
Providers can only claim funding based on the number of eligible children on their registers during a specified week (“headcount week”). There are three “headcount weeks” a year for the periods April to August, September to December and January to March.
It is unlikely that children will need to change provision during a funding period and you will have signed a contract relating to the funding period. In exceptional circumstances, for example, a house move:
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the new provider must accept your child without funding up to the maximum Free Entitlement for that period; they can only charge you for any additional hours.
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if the new provider would incur additional costs by accepting your child, for example, employing another member of staff, your child will not be eligible for Free Entitlement until the following funding period. In this cse you will be charged for all the hours your child attends until the beginning of the next funding period.
What happens if I do not live in Wiltshire but my child attends a group in Wiltshire?
Funding is allocated on the basis of where your son or daughter receives his or her early years education rather than where they live. Therefore your child or children will be eligible for Free Entitlement.
What should I do now?
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Find out which providers in your area are part of the scheme and have places by contacting the Family Information Service at ask.
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Decide how many sessions your child will attend and book them.
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Be clear what will be free and what you might be charged for.
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Think about when your child will be ready to start school; remembering there is no requirement for them to start school until the term following their 5th birthday.
