Early Years Entitlement for children from nine months old
Who is eligible and for how many hours
Qualifying children from the term after they turn nine months old and every child from the term after their third birthday is entitled to up to 570 hours funded nursery provision a year until the term before they start school. For children under three years old these sessions are known as the ‘Expanded Entitlement’, for three and four year olds these sessions are known as the ‘Universal Entitlement’.
In addition, working parents / carers of 3 and 4 year olds who meet the qualifying criteria are eligible for an additional 570 hours (1,140 in total) funded nursery provision a year until the term before they start school. These sessions are known as the ‘Extended Entitlement’.
Starting from April 2024, existing childcare support is being expanded in phases. From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours childcare support from the term after their second birthday. From September 2024, 15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents of children from the age of 9 months to 3-year-olds from the term after they turn 9 months old. From September 2025, eligible working parents of children between nine months and five years old will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week from the term after their qualifying birthday.
In all cases the funding applies from the term after the child's qualifying birthday and is contingent on the parent / carer applying for and providing us with a valid code in time for us to verify before the start of term. A place cannot be guaranteed until this procedure has been completed.
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When your child turns the relevant age |
When they can get their funded hours from |
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1 January to 31 March |
Term starting on or after 1 April |
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1 April to 31 August |
Term starting on or after 1 September |
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1 September to 31 December |
Term starting on or after 1 January |
To apply for a funded place, parents / carers must complete the nursery’s Early Years Entitlement Registration Form. The Universal Entitlement is applied for on a termly basis via the nursery. Application for the Extended Entitlement and the new Expanded Entitlements for children from nine months old requires an eligibility code, which parents / carers must first apply for on-line by the end of the month preceding the start of term through the Government’s Childcare Service - www.childcarechoices.gov.uk - and renew every three months. Existing clients moving to the Extended / Expanded hours and those changing their Extended / Expanded hours MUST do so before the Headcount Day as the Local Authorities will not fund these changes after Headcount Day.
Parents / carers must re-confirm their eligibility code by the date provided and provide this information to us otherwise they will irrevocably lose their entitlement to claim the Extended Entitlement after the Grace Period has expired.
Both entitlements are subject to Government and Local Authority terms and conditions which we are obliged to work within and which may change without notice. Payments for Early Years Entitlement hours that Mama Bear’s provides but the Local Authority refuses to fund become the responsibility of the parent / carer.
How we deliver the Early Years Entitlement (from 1st April 2025)
Funded places are available for up to 24 hours a week to qualifying families for 47.5 weeks of the year completely free of charge including all meals, snacks and drinks across our afternoon sessions. These can be taken Monday to Friday in any combination of 4 and 5 hour sessions up to the child’s maximum entitlement (start time for all is 1pm).
Between the period 1st April – 31st August 2025, families qualifying for 12 funded hours a week can likewise take these as 4 or 5 hour afternoon sessions up to the child’s maximum entitlement (start time for all is 1pm).
Families on a term-time only booking profile can take their fully-free sessions as follows:
• 15 hours per week: three 5 hour afternoon sessions per week
• 30 hours per week: any combination of 5 and 10 hour sessions,
however the 5 hour sessions must be in the afternoon
Other [non-funded] sessions can be purchased without restriction as per the schedule on our price list and combined with funded sessions. If space is available, parents / carers can choose to opt out of our fully-free sessions, offer to pay a sustainability contribution of £2.50 per hour and request to likewise use their funded hours for any of these sessions. These can also be used in combination with non-funded (ie paid for) sessions but please note that these sessions would not form part of our statutory offer (as detailed above) so cannot be combined or interchanged with any fully-free sessions.
For a full list of sessions please see here Essential Info | Mama Bear's Day Nursery
All sessions include meals, snacks, weaning food and drinks but exclude baby milk, nappies, wet wipes and creams which must be supplied by the parent / carer. Meals, weaning food, snacks and drinks (other than baby milk) are provided without any additional charges.
The dates of the funded weeks vary from year to year and are published in advance. Any hours that fall outside of the funded entitlement are charged in line with our standard tariffs. Under scheme rules, parents / carers registering for Early Years Entitlement-only sessions are not required to pay a registration fee, however a registration fee will be required to access all other sessions. Early Years Entitlement sessions are offered in line with the DfE and Local Authority’s Codes of Practice and are subject to their terms and conditions. All sessions, funded and non-funded, are subject to availability.
Your obligations
Please note that it is the parent’s / carer's responsibility to ensure that their application for Early Years Entitlement funding is made in line with the LEA’s requirements and eligibility codes are kept up to date. Late, incomplete or invalid applications and lapsed eligibility codes may result in nursery fees being charged at our normal rates for these sessions. Scheme rules dictate that children are required to attend all funded sessions booked. Any charges imposed on us by the Local Authority for non-attendance or other infringement by the Client of the scheme rules will be passed back in full to the Client.
Additional sessions / terminating an Early Years Entitlement place without sufficient notice / other T's and C's
Any hours that fall outside of the funded entitlement are charged in line with our standard tariffs. Under scheme rules, parents / carers registering for Early Years Entitlement-only sessions are not required to pay a registration fee, however a registration fee will be required to access all other sessions. Early Years Entitlement sessions are offered in line with the DfE and Local Authority’s Codes of Practice and are subject to their terms and conditions.
In the event that an Early Years Entitlement place is terminated without sufficient notice, and in accordance with our Terms and Conditions of Sale, Mama Bear’s are entitled to claim up to four weeks’ funding in lieu of notice. Mama Bear's Terms and Conditions of Sale apply to all places and are subject to change with one month's notice
For more information about the criteria for two year old funding please click on the relevant link below:
Bristol childcare for two year olds
South Gloucestershire childcare for two year olds
Somerset childcare for two year olds
Torbay childcare for two year olds
Plymouth childcare for two year olds
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Useful Links
FAQ's regarding the Early Years Entitlements - The Main Things You Need To Know
Please click here for an excellent FAQ sheet from the Department for Education: Early Years Entitlements - The Main Things You Need To Know
The DfE also have a Q&A for parents on their website, which can be found here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/04/02/how-to-claim-15-hours-free-childcare-code/
Also don't forget to visit Childcare Choices | 30 Hours Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More | Help with Costs | GOV.UK for more information on help with funding and to apply for your funded place.
Families living in B&NES should read the following Local Authority Factsheet: B&NES EYE Factsheet No. 2 - Information for Parents and Providers Whilst this has been produced for that specific Local Authority, much of the detail is universal and applies elsewhere.