30 Hours of Free Childcare

What is 30 Hours of Free Childcare?

The Childcare Act 2016 is delivering the Government’s election manifesto commitment to giving families (where parents are working and eligible) an entitlement to 30 Hours of Free Childcare for their three and four year olds. The national rollout of 30 Hours of Free Childcare commenced on the 1 September 2017.

A child qualifies for the extended entitlement if both parents are working (or the sole parent in a lone parent family is working) and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours (National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage) and less than £100k a year.

• Eligibility Criteria
• Childcare Choices

Early Education and Childcare: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities (June 2018)

In June 2018, the Department for Education published an updated version of Early Education and Childcare: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities.

• Statutory Guidance June 2018

Early Years Entitlements: Operational Guidance for Local Authorities and Providers (June 2018)

The guide sets out:

• What LAs should do to fulfil their statutory responsibilities
• What Early Years settings should do to fulfil their agreement with the LA
• How LAs and Early Years settings can support parents and children.

• Operational Guidance for Local Authorities June 2018