Funding FAQ’s
Quick Funding Overview
Early Years Funding is the Government scheme to support parents to access early years education. Understanding childcare funding can be complex, but the team at GroWild are here to provide assistance.
*NEW* WORKING FAMILY FUNDING (2 & 3 YEAR OLDS)
Currently, families with children aged 3 and above can receive up to 30 hours of funded childcare. This was previously called 'Universal' funding and will now be referred to as 'Working Family Funding'.
From April 2024, families with children aged 2 and above will be eligible for 15 hours of working family funding.
Starting September 2024, families with children aged 9 months and above can access 15 hours of working family funding.
By September 2025, families with children aged 9 months and above will again be eligible for 30 hours of working family funding.
For further information, visit: childcarechoices.gov.uk/
Your child becomes eligible for funding the term after they turn 2. All 2 & 3 year olds are eligible for 15 hours funding. The 15 hours per week are available for 38 weeks a year. GroWild Nursery is open all year round and we stretch our funding. This means we spread the 15 hours out over our opening weeks resulting in less funding per week but available for more weeks.
What am I eligible for? When am I eligible?
Your child becomes eligible the ‘term’ after they turn 3. All 3 year olds are eligible for 15 hours funding, known as Universal. The 15 hours per week are available for 38 weeks a year. Some settings that are open all year round ‘stretch’ their funding. This means they spread the 15 hours out over their opening weeks resulting in less funding per week but available for more weeks.
What is 30 hours funding?
The 30 hours funding is an additional 15 hours of funding per week on top of the working family funding, known as Extended. The Extended funding is not available to everyone, it is means tested, meaning you can only claim it if you meet certain criteria; earning more than minimum wage for more than 15 hours per week, not earning more than £100,00 per year.
How does it work?
Every setting will have their own ‘funding model.’ Most will offer you some funding hours and apply a consumables charge for the cost of resources and equipment used each day.
How does GroWild offer Universal funding?
All children aged 2 & 3 are eligible to access funding. At GroWild, we stretch the funding across our opening weeks. This equates to 11.2 hours per week. We split this over 2 days, 5.6 hours per day on a 9am-4pm core day session. There is then a cost for the remainder of the session as laid out in our fees. Our parents often require longer nursery hours than the funding covers, and we accommodate this by offering additional, non-funded hours to suit your needs.
How does GroWild offer Extended funding?
The same principle applies as with the Universal funding. 30 hours stretched becomes 22.5. This is split into 5.6 hours per day up to 4 days per week on a 9am-4pm day.
CLICK ON THE INFORMATION BELOW TO VIEW OUR FEES & FUNDING PDF GUIDE
