Babies from 9 Months
We offer funded childcare for children aged 9 months and over if you (and your partner, if you have one) are: in work - or getting parental leave, sick leave or annual leave. each earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week - if you're over 25.
We offer free early education and childcare for your child from the term after they turn 9 months old, (if you meet the qualifying criteria).
Attending quality childcare will help your child with their early learning and development. They will have new experiences with other children the same age, and will be offered a wide range of activities and learning opportunities.
The new baby funding entitlement starts the term after your child turns 9 months. They can attend sessions up to a maximum of 570 hours per year, until the term after their second birthday.
From September 2025 this free entitlement from 9 months old will increase to 1140 hours per year , 30 hours per week over 38 weeks or 22.8 hours per week stretched over the full year.
2 Year Funding
The two year free entitlement starts the term after your child’s second birthday. They can attend sessions up to a maximum of 570 hours per year, until the term after their third birthday. If you (and your partner, if you have one) are: in work - or getting parental leave, sick leave or annual leave, each earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week - if you're over 25.
From September 2025 this free entitlement will increase to 1140 hours per year , 30 hours per week over 38 weeks or 22.8 hours per week stretched over the full year.
2-year-olds can also get funded childcare if you get any of the following:
• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• The Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Or if your child:
• is looked after by a local authority
• has an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• gets Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order
No income thresholds apply.
3 & 4 Year Early Education Funding (EEF)
All children are entitled to EEF on the term after their third birthday. There are three cut off dates as detailed below:
• Birthday between 1st January and 31st March – funding starts on 1st April.
• Birthday between 1st April and 31st August – funding starts on 1st September.
• Birthday between 1st September and 31st December – funding starts on 1st January.
Early Education Funding can be claimed for any regularly booked session at Explorers Childcare Group, whether term time or all year round.
The universal allowance of EEF is 15 hours per week for 38 weeks per year (a total of 570 hours per year). Every child is entitled to 15 hours of free education on the term after they turn three.
Thirty Hours EEF (1140 hours per year):
You can usually get 30 hours free childcare if you (and your partner, if you have one) are: in work - or getting parental leave, sick leave or annual leave. each earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week - if you're over 25.
You’re not eligible if:
• your child does not usually live with you
• either you or your partner has a taxable income over £100,000
Early Years Pupil Premium
The early years pupil premium (EYPP) is additional funding for early years settings to support the education they provide for eligible children. At Explorers, we may use this funding to purchase and provide additional resources and equipment that can be used here at the nursery or at home, or could use the funding to offer a staff member specialist training to further support your child’s needs.
Eligibility
Children in receipt of funded early education will attract EYPP funding if they meet at least one of the following criteria or their family receives one of the following:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided they’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
• Universal Credit
• They are currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales
• They have left care in England or Wales through:
• An adoption
• A special guardianship order
• A child arrangement order
Children must receive free early education funding in order to attract EYPP funding. They do not have to take up the full 570 hours of funding they are entitled to in order to get EYPP. Children become eligible for free early education funding at different points in the year, depending on their age. Please contact us for more information.
Tax Free Childcare
Who can apply?
If you and your partner (if you have one) work full or part-time hours, you could get Tax-Free Childcare. You can claim for children up to 12 years old, or up to 17 if they have a disability.
If you don't work, but you get either one of these, you could still be eligible:
• employment and support allowance (ESA): this used to be called Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance (SDA)
• Carer's Allowance
Tax-Free Childcare is replacing Childcare Vouchers which is no longer available for new applicants.
You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you're eligible for both.
Check your eligibility on the GOV.UK Tax-Free Childcare page.
What you will get
When you apply for Tax-Free Childcare, you'll set up an online childcare account. For every £8 you pay into the account, the government will add £2, or £4 for children with a disability. The government will pay up to £2,000 per child per year, or £4,000 per year for children with a disability.
You will use this account to pay Orchard Day Nursery for your monthly invoices.
How and when to apply
You can apply for Tax-Free Childcare any time you think you could be eligible.
You can also apply if you're not eligible because you're not working but are due to start work within the next 31 days.
Reconfirm your eligibility
You must reconfirm your eligibility every 3 months if you're claiming Tax-Free Childcare. You must do this 3 months from the date you applied, even if you haven't started using your account.
When will the Tax-Free Childcare start?
You start receiving Tax-Free Childcare once you:
• meet the eligibility criteria
• have children under 12 years old, or under 17 years old if they have a disability
• have set up your account.
You can still set up an account to start saving, even if you haven't started using childcare yet.
Please note: There will be a daily sundries charge added onto all sessions.