As a childminder, you can choose to offer Government-funded schemes such as 15 hours and 30 hours of funded childcare. Offering these schemes is not obligatory, however, if you plan to look after children between the ages of three to four, offering such schemes could make your childcare services more attractive for parents.
In this guide, we run through all things funding-related, from defining what each scheme offers, eligibility criteria, how to offer funded childcare, and how much funding you could receive.
* Please note there will be certain changes to these Government-funded schemes from early 2024.*
What is the 15-Hour Funded Childcare Scheme?
Known as ‘funded hours’ or ‘free hours,’ this Government-led scheme allows all parents with children between ages three to four, up to 15 hours per week (570 hours per year) of funded childcare.
As a childminder, your local authority will fund you an hourly rate (usually £3-£5) for a child between three to four years. Offering the 15-hour funded childcare scheme is totally up to you as a childminder.
What are the Eligibility Criteria?
As a childminder, to offer the 15-hour funded childcare scheme, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register.
- Have an outstanding, good or satisfactory Ofsted rating.
Local councils may also ask you to be registered on their public directory list of providers that offer this scheme, making it easier for parents to find you.
It’s also important to keep the following in mind:
- The funding is traditionally over ‘term-time’ or 38 weeks a year. Funding can, however, be stretched across a 52-week period, which, as a result, reduces the number of funded hours per week. This is something you should discuss with the parent.
- You can choose to charge parents a deposit for a funded place. The refunding period should be discussed with the parent.
- Your invoices should clearly state which hours are funded and which are ‘normal’ hours.
- With funded hours, don’t hesitate to ask parents for voluntary payments towards meals, nappies, etc.
- No session should be longer than 10 hours, shorter than 2.5 hours, or between the hours of 7 pm to 7 am.
- The full 15 hours must be taken over at least two days per week, and a maximum of five days per week.
How do I Offer 15-hour Funded Childcare?
The 15 hours of funded childcare is a universal scheme, meaning that parents do not apply for the funding, the childminder applies on their behalf.
You will need written consent from the parent to register their child for 15 hours of funded childcare. To do this, you must log into your Early Years Education portal and check that the child is eligible. Once the child is verified, you can use the 15 hours of funded childcare with the child.
You will need to record the hours of funded childcare in your Early Years Education Portal and your Local Authority will transfer you the funding for the declared hours.
How much funding can I expect to receive?
There is no set rate across the UK. Each Local Authority has its own hourly funding rate. This can range from £3-£5 depending on the Local Authority. Usually, funding will be paid on a monthly basis.
What is 30-hour Funded Childcare?
In addition to 15 hours of free childcare, some parents are eligible for an extra 15 hours of childcare per week, totalling 30 hours of funded childcare a week. Parents are eligible for this extra-funded childcare if they work more than the equivalent of 16 hours at minimum wage and earn less than £100,000 a year.
Much like the 15-hour funded childcare scheme, offering 30-hour funded childcare is your choice.
What are the eligibility criteria?
As a childminder, to offer the 30-hour funded childcare scheme, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be registered on the Ofsted Early Years Register.
- Have an outstanding, good or satisfactory Ofsted rating
Local councils may also ask you to be registered on their public directory list of providers that offer this scheme, making it easier for parents to find you.
It’s also important to keep the following in mind:
- The funding is traditionally over ‘term-time’ or 38 weeks a year. Funding can, however, be stretched across a 52-week period, which, as a result, reduces the number of funded hours per week. (eg. 22 hours a week over 52 weeks) This is something you can discuss with the parent.
- You can choose to charge parents a deposit for a funded place. The refunding period should be discussed with the parent.
- Your invoices should clearly state which hours are funded and which are ‘normal’ hours.
- With funded hours, don’t hesitate to ask parents for voluntary payments towards meals, nappies, etc.
- No session should be longer than 10 hours, shorter than 2.5 hours or between the hours of 7 pm to 7 am.
- If a parent loses their eligibility status, there is a defined grace period in which they can still access funded childcare. Your Early Years Education Portal will define the length of this grace period.
How do I Offer 30-hour Funded Childcare?
It’s up to the parent to check their eligibility for the 30-hour funded childcare scheme. If you are unsure whether a parent is eligible for the scheme, you should ask parents to check this through the Government childcare calculator.
Parents must apply for the scheme before the start of a new school term to receive the funded place (1st January, 1st April, 1st September following the child’s third birthday.) The parent will need to create a Government Gateway account and provide the relevant information (eg. DOB of their child, National Insurance Number) to request funding. Eligible parents will receive an 11-digit eligibility code.
Make sure to check this code yourself before offering the scheme, to be sure there are no problems. You can check this using your Early Years Provider portal provided by your Local Authority. You will need written consent from the parent to check this information, their child’s date of birth, and their National Insurance Number.
Once you have this information, you can then use the Early Education Portal to
a) verify the eligibility of the child (by typing in the Eligibility Code) and once confirmed,
b) claim funding for the 15 extra hours.
Parents will need to reconfirm their eligibility every three months. It is up to the parent to manage this.
How much funding can I expect to receive?
There is no set rate across the UK. Each Local Authority has its own hourly funding rate. This can range from £3-£5 depending on the Local Authority. Usually, funding will be paid monthly.
At Yoopies, we know your childminding business is important to you. That’s why we’re here every step of the way of your registration to ensure you get your business up and running with ease. Once you have your business up and running, you can use Yoopies, for free, to find your first clients simply and quickly. With our handy postcode tool, you can easily find families in need of a childminder near you.