Funded Childcare

Learn more about funding

A maximum of 30 hours funded childcare is available for all children from working families +9 months.

15 hours universal funding is available for all 3- and 4-year-olds.

Some two-year-olds are also eligible for additional funded hours too if you are in receipt of extra support. Please contact your early years team or Family Information Service at your local council if you think you might be entitled.

All funding is ‘Term Time Only’ for 38 weeks of the year –

30 hours x 38 weeks = 1,140 hours
15 hours x 38 weeks = 570 hours

We stretch our funding over 50 weeks, giving 11.4 / 22.8 hours per week, 47.5 / 95.0 hours per month.

Our non-funded nursery billing is calculated over 50 weeks, with the cost spread equally over 12 monthly bills.

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Applying for funding

Visit Gov.UK to apply for your childcare account. You will need information about yourself, your partner if you live together, are married or are in a civil partnership, as well as about your child.

If successful you will be given a code to pass on to your childcare provider.

The code will need renewing every three months to remain valid.

When to apply for funding

A child born on or between:	Eligibility Codes obtained by	Earliest +9 months working family start	Return to work by	Earliest 2-year-old (additional government support) and 3/4-year-old (universal) start
1 January and 31 March	31 December	1 January following year from birth	31 January following year from birth	Summer term once 3
1 April and 30 June	31 March following year from birth	1 April following year from birth	30 April following year from birth	Autumn term once 3
1 July and 30 November	31 August following year from birth	1 September following year from birth	30 September following year from birth	Autumn term once 3
1 December and 31 December	31 December following year from birth	1 January two years following birth	31 January two years following birth	Spring term once 3

What is included in the Funded Hours

The Government only funds the delivery of EYFS in the funded hours attended, except for 2-year-olds who receive extra support.

What is excluded in the Funded Hours

All food and snacks as well as other consumables such as nappies, wipes, protective clothing, protective creams, Calpol etc.

Any additional activities the nursery provides over and above the delivery of EYFS – full details of our current term’s offerings are available from your nursery manager as they can vary each term.

Any additional hours and sessions required over and above the funded hours.

These excluded items are voluntary and only provided at your request.

When is funding delivered

We deliver our funded hours in specific funded sessions, two sessions every day 08.30-13.30 and 13.30-17.30. Six sessions over three days will ensure you receive 22.35 funded hours per week, 50 weeks of the year or 95 hours per month.

I would like to have all activities, food and consumables provided during my funded hours, how much will this cost?

I would like more information

Please discuss with your nursery manager who will talk you through the nursery’s terms and conditions as well as our fee and funding policy or alternatively visit www.beststartinlife.gov.uk to answer any generic questions you may have about funded childcare.

Fees and Funding

3- & 4-Year-Old Universal Entitlement Funding

All 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 570 hours of Universal Entitlement funded childcare per year (15 hours per week, term time only).

We do offer a small number of fully funded free at the point of access places, please contact the Nursery Manager for more information. Please note the fully funded places offered are on Mondays and Fridays.

Working Family Entitlement

Effective from 1^st April 2024, any working family with a child over the age over two years old on 31 March 2024 (subject to certain Government legislated criteria) can access 15 hours a week, term time only, Working Family funding. Children of working families will then become eligible from the beginning of each term following their second birthday. Some children, whose parents meet certain criteria, may still be eligible for 15 funded hours, term time only, from the term after their child’s second birthday even if they are not a working family. This new funding runs alongside the current three- and four-year-old funding, 15 hours of which is available to all and a further 15 hours are available to working families only, again all are term time only.

The 15 hours Working Family funding will be expanded to all children over the age of nine months on 31 August 2024, eventually increasing to 30 hours term time only from September 2025.

15 hours term time only equates to 570 hours per year, 30 hours term time only equates to 1,140 hours per year which we stretch over weeks.

Please refer to https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/ for more information.

When you can start claiming

Child’s brthday

1st January to 31st March
1st April to 31st August
1st September to 31st December

When you can claim

The beginning of term on or after 1st April
The beginning of term on or after 1st September
The beginning of term on or after 1st January

Universal Entitlement Funding

All 3 to 4-year-olds in England receive 570 hours of free early education or childcare per year. We stretch the termly entitlement over 51 weeks of the year.

Eligibility

Free early education and childcare must be with an approved childcare provider. Eligibility stops at the end of the term before your child is due to start reception class.

Get in Touch

Contact us

If you would like to enquire about spaces to join the Bright Stars Family please send the following information via the form below. Our team will use this to check our availability and contact you to let you know. If we do have the spaces available, we will then arrange a visit to our nursery so you can have a proper look around and ask any questions you have with one of our management team.

Registration

Once you have visited the nursery and returned your registration pack you will receive confirmation for the team of your child’s secured space at the nursery.

Within 6 weeks of your child’s start date your child’s key worker will be in contact to arrange tasters. We start our settling in process with an ‘All about me’ session. This is a one hour session where you come along with your child to meet your key worker and discuss/share everything about your child and ask any questions you may have. We then offer two more free tow hour taster sessions that you can drop your child to and pop and get a coffee whilst your child (with the close support of their key worker) explores the new environment and toys to support their transition from home to nursery. This helps to provide support during a time that can be emotional for both parents and children. If we/you feel more tasters may be needed these can be arranged.

Our Sessions

Early Start: 07:30-8:00
Full Day: 08:00 – 18:00
Morning with Lunch: 08:30 – 13:30
Afternoon: 13:30 -17:30
Late Finish: 17:30-6:00

**Please note that every child has to book a minimum of 2 full days per week.