What is the 30 hours free early education/additional entitlement?

All children can currently access 570 hours (15 hours x 38 weeks term time only) free early education from the term following their third birthday. The government has recently announced their intention to extend this entitlement up to a maximum of 1140 hours (30 hours X 38 weeks term time only) for eligible families.

Additional Information

You do not need to actually work 16 hours per week, but your earnings must equal at least 16 hours work at minimum wage / national living wage. This equates to a minimum income requirement for a parent/carer over the age of 25 of £115.20 a week, or for 21-24 year olds of £107.20 a week.

A parent/carer will be eligible if they expect (on average) to earn this amount over the coming three months: for example, for a parent/carer who is on a zero-hours contract, they will qualify if on average they work two weeks out of every three, and when they are working they get 25 hours of work at the minimum wage.

‘Parent’ means a person who has parental responsibility for the child. In cases where a parent has remarried or is living with a partner, the step-parent or partner must also meet the earning threshold.

Foster carers are only eligible for the extended entitlement for their own children (if they meet the criteria); they are not eligible for children that they foster.

Will I need to re-check eligibility for the additional entitlement?

We expect that parents/carers will need to request a new voucher code via the HMRC website every 3 months. You will then need to give this to your free early education provider.

If I am eligible where can I access a 30 hour place for my child?

We will be collating a list of childcare providers who are planning on offering the additional entitlement. Any providers offering the additional entitlement will be viewable via a 30 hour route on our childcare search.  This will be available from April 2017.

When will the additional entitlement be introduced in Leeds?

Eligible families will be able to receive 30 hours of Free Early Education for their child from September 2017.

How can I check if I am eligible for the additional entitlement?

Parents/Carers will apply via the government’s HMRC website. We are still awaiting details of when this will be available. Once it is available, you will input your details and be issued a voucher code for each child (multiple births such as twins are issued an individual code). You will then take this voucher code to a childcare provider of your choice to check eligibility and discuss how you will take up the hours for your child.

What if my circumstances change and I am no longer eligible?

You should discuss this with your early education provider to ensure you do not receive an unexpected charge. The Local Authority (LA) will routinely audit voucher codes, if a voucher code is no longer eligible, the LA will inform the provider and a grace period will be issued. All providers will be expected to honour the grace period before issuing a charge.

How much free early education can my child access a year if eligible for the additional entitlement?

The maximum a child can claim in a year, if eligible for the additional entitlement will be 1140 hours.

This equates to 30 hours a week over 38 weeks of the financial year (April-March)

Can I split the funding between FEEE providers?

You will be able to split the additional entitlement between private providers. Please be aware if you choose to split the additional entitlement between private providers, the universal entitlement of 15 hours, must be assigned to one provider only first.

FEEE can be split between a maximum of two providers in one day.

How many funded hours a day can my child attend FEEE?

For both the universal (15 hours) and additional entitlement (30 hours) the maximum claim per day is 10 hours. This can be taken between 6:00am and 20:00pm, 7 days a week.

Who will receive it?

The government has set out the eligibility criteria for this additional entitlement:

Both parents are working (or sole parent in a lone parent family) & each parent/carer earns on average:

• *a weekly minimum salary equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) (for under 25 yr olds)
• *national living wage (NLW) (if over 25 yrs old), and less than £100,000 per year

or

• *both parents are employed but one or both parents is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave or statutory sick pay, or
•  
• *one parent is employed & the other parent has substantial caring responsibilities based on specific benefits received for caring, or
•  
• *one parent is employed & one parent is disabled or incapacitated based on receipt of specific benefits.

If I am not eligible, will I still receive the 15 hours Free Early Education Entitlement?

Yes. All children will continue to receive 15 hours Free Early Education Entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds, from the term following their 3^rd birthday.

How long is the grace period?

We are awaiting confirmation from central government on the grace period length.

Can I stretch the additional entitlement?

If the FEEE provider you choose offers stretched funding, your child can receive FEEE for 22 hours a week over 51 weeks of the year.

You can find out more details from the Leeds City Council website:

Click here to go to the Leeds City Council website for more information