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30 hours extended entitlement for three to four year-olds

Thirty hours funded childcare is for eligible working families of three and four year olds. It is an extra 15 hours on top of the 15 hours already available for all three and four year olds. Parents will need to check they are eligible and apply through Childcare Choices. 

If you want to offer the 30 hours funded childcare you must follow the early years foundation stage. Your setting must also be registered with Ofsted. 

Next steps

Parents will need to apply in the term before they wish to take up the funding. If eligible, the parent will receive an 11 digit code and you must check that it is valid on the Provider Portal. Read the Provider Portal 30-hour funded childcare guidance for details. 

The parent must give you the:

  • 11 digit eligibility code
  • parent's national insurance number
  • child's date of birth

Payment

You will receive payment after you have checked that the code is valid and is for the correct child. The payment will come to you from Essex County Council. We will pay you at the same time as the 15 hours for all three and four year olds. See the headcount data collection dates for details.

Reconfirming eligibility

Parents must reconfirm their details every three months. The HMRC will send them two reminders to do this. Parents' eligibility for 30 hours funded childcare will expire if they do not respond. 

If they miss the deadline they can only keep their childcare place for a short time, known as a grace period. Read about grace periods in the operational guidance on GOV.UK.

Please remind parents of what they need to do. 

Relevant resources

Early Years and Childcare Business Sustainability:

Resources to support your parents:

You can also download and distribute the following eligibility leaflet to parents:

Useful websites for parents:

Related pages

Useful links