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Funded Childcare Hours: What you need to know
The UK government recently introduced a new scheme of childcare funding, extending the previous universal 15 hours of funded childcare for 3-year-olds to families with 2-year-olds, followed by the same offer being extended to families with 9-month-olds from September 2024.
By September 2025, eligible working parents of children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare a week.
But what else do you need to know?
Jump to:
Funding for 9-23 month olds
Funding for 2 year olds
Funding for 3-4 year olds
Am I eligible?
When to Apply
Tax Free Childcare
Discounts at Kindred
Funding for 9-23 month olds
What are my options?
15 hours funded childcare for eligible working families.
Tell me more...
Within the 2023 Spring Budget, the Government announced plans to extend their 15 hours Funded Childcare Offer to eligible working parents of 9-month olds from September 2024. This is something that ALL Kindred nurseries offer.
To check your eligibility, visit Childcare Choices.
Further proposed plans are as follows:
- From September 2025, eligible working parents of children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week.
Funding for 2 year olds
What are my options?
15 hours funded childcare for eligible working families
15 hours funded childcare for eligible families who receive additional support.
Tell me more...
Within the 2023 Spring Budget, the Government announced plans to extend their 15 hours Funded Childcare Offer to eligible working parents of 2 year olds from April 2024. This is something that ALL Kindred nurseries offer.
Some families are entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare each week (570 per year) if you have a child who has or is turning two-years old and you qualify for one of the following:
- A household income of less than £16,190 per year
- Job Seeker's Allowance
- Income Support
- Employment and Support Allowance
To check your eligibility, visit Childcare Choices.
Further proposed plans are as follows:
- From September 2025, eligible working parents of children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week.
Funding for 3-4 year olds
What are my options?
15 Hours of funded childcare for ALL families
30 Hours of funded childcare for eligible working families
Tell me more...
As a rule, every child in England gets 15 hours of funded nursery education starting from the term after their third birthday.
Some eligible working families are entitled to 30 hours of funded nursery education. To be eligible for this, both parents (or the sole parent in a single-parent household) should be working a minimum of 16 hours per week at the national minimum wage or living wage. As with the 15 hours universal funding, you are also able to top up and pay for further sessions if needed.
Further proposed plans are as follows:
There are currently no further proposed plans for changes to funded childcare for 3-4 year olds.
Am I eligible?
There are a few factors that will determine your eligibility, but not to fear! You can check out our handy, step-by-step video guide on how to check what financial help you’re entitled to below:
You can find the Eligibility Checker on the Childcare Choices website here.
When to Apply
With all of the above options, children are entitled to this funding the term after they turn the specified age (9 months, 2 years or 3 years). Their birthday must fall before the cut-off date in order to receive the funding the following term.
What’s the difference between the 15 hour scheme and the 30 hour scheme?
All families with 3 and 4 year olds automatically get 15 hours of funded childcare per week. That’s a universal scheme, so everyone can benefit, whether they’re working or not. The 30-hour scheme is just for working families, and it increases funding from 15 to 30 hours.
To check your eligibility, visit Childcare Choices.
Tax-Free Childcare
Tax Free Childcare is quite literally what it says on the tin— a government scheme designed to help working parents with childcare costs. With this scheme, the government pitches in £2 for every £8 you spend on childcare, up to a maximum of £2,000 per year per child (or £4,000 if your child has a disability). The best part? You can combine Tax-Free Childcare with other funding options, including the Universal and Extended Funding received at three years, to further reduce your nursery expenses.
You can check your eligibility here.
Discounts at Kindred
At Kindred we want to support families as much as we can, so we are pleased to tell you that alongside the government funding options, we also offer these special discounts for Kindred families:
- Sibling Discount: 5% off all regular booking sessions
- Services (Fire, Police, NHS and Educators): 5% off all regular booking sessions
Every family is different, so whatever your childcare needs, please don’t hesitate to come and talk to us. We’ll help you understand how the different schemes work and put together a package that makes the decision easier, and more affordable for you. To get in contact, click here to find your nearest Kindred Nursery, or visit our Fees & Funding Page to find out more. We can’t wait to hear from you.