Admissions, Fees and Funding
It is our intention to make our setting accessible to children and families from all sections of the local community and beyond. We aim to ensure that all sections of our community have access to the setting through open, fair and clearly communicated procedures.
Please click here for a copy of our admissions policy
If you wish to apply for a place at Earlybirds Pre-School please complete the form below and return it to the setting.
Fees
All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can have 15 hours a week free childcare for 38 weeks of the year.
Additional sessions can be paid for at the rate of :
- £5.50 per hour for 3 and 4 year olds
- £6.00 per hour for 2 year olds
When you can start claiming
The date you can start claiming depends on your child’s birthday.
Child’s birthday | When you can claim |
1 January to 31 March | The beginning of term on or after 1 April |
1 April to 31 August | The beginning of term on or after 1 September |
1 September to 31 December |
The beginning of term on or after 1 January |
Two Year Old Funding
This is a scheme that allows eligible children to receive free early education from the funding period after their second birthday
This is part of a national offer from the Department for Education (DfE) and has been developed to improve outcomes for identified two year olds who would benefit from access to high quality early years and childcare provision.
Children who are confirmed as eligible will be offered up to 15 free early years education hours per week for 38 weeks, totalling 570 hours for your child’s eligible funding year.
Your 2 year old can have free early education and childcare if you claim welfare benefits (‘economic criteria’) or your child is looked after by the local authority or has additional needs (‘non-economic criteria’).
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Details of the eligibility criteria.
You can find more information at https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/approved-childcare
30 Hours Funding
On top of the ‘universal’ entitlement of 570 hours of free early years education (which is available to all children), children aged 3 and 4 may also be able to benefit from an additional (‘extended’) 570 hours.
Working parents of 3-and 4-year olds who are eligible will be able to apply for up to another 15 hours of early years education or childcare per week for 38 weeks. This is called the ‘extended’ entitlement.
In total there are 1,140 free hours in the child’s funded year that are available.
The eligibility for the additional 570 hours of free early years education/childcare is similar to the requirements of working parents who apply for Tax-Free Childcare (TFC), except this funding is only for 3-and 4-year olds.
The Government has stated that eligibility for 30 hours cannot start until both the following conditions have been met:
- The child must be age eligible for the “universal” free entitlement hours and
- It is the term following receipt of the parent’s eligibility code from HMRC the start date for the first claim applies to whichever is the later
You can find more information at https://www.hants.gov.uk/socialcareandhealth/childrenandfamilies/childcare/payingforchildcare/freechildcare/3and4yearoldoffer