The Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) scheme is open to day nurseries, pre-schools and childminders in West Sussex that meet the scheme criteria. Out of school and holiday playscheme providers can also offer EYFE in partnership with a provider type listed above.
The terms and conditions for providers are outlined in the provider declaration document below. Providers who join the scheme must adhere to these.
The EYFE scheme is made up of several different schemes, all with their own eligibility criteria:
- 3 and 4 year old Universal EYFE - all children are eligible to access up to 15 hours EYFE a week the term after their third birthday
- EYFE for working families - eligible working families can access up to 15 hours EYFE a week for 2 year olds*, as well as children aged between 9 months and 2 years from the term after they turn 9 months old (from Autumn 2024). They can also receive up to an additional 15 hours a week of Extended EYFE the term after the child’s third birthday (in addition to Universal EYFE)
- 2 year olds may be eligible for 2 year old Local Authority (LA) issued EYFE*, which entitles the child to access up to 15 hours EYFE a week
*Note that children cannot access both 2 Year Old LA Issued EYFE and EYFE for working families within the same term.
You may also be able to claim the below additional supplements for eligible children who are in receipt of the funding at your setting:
- Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
- Deprivation supplement (flat rate top-up automatically applied to all children in receipt of EYPP)
- Disability Access Fund (DAF)
Funding rates per hour for EYFE and supplement amounts can be found on our Providing Early Years Funded Entitlement web page.
Before joining the scheme, consider that:
- childminders need to have a separate, non-personal account for WSCC to be able to pay EYFE funding to them. You must have this account in place before contacting us to apply
- if your EYFE offer includes a period where food would normally be offered (for example, breakfast, lunch or tea), do you have provision to allow children accessing EYFE to store packed lunches should the parent opt out of any food charges? If not, do you know what your alternative to this paid service would be for these parents?
When to apply to join the scheme
If you are an existing Ofsted registered provider, you must apply to join the scheme in the first half of the term prior to the one in which you wish to begin claiming funding. You may apply to join the scheme earlier if you wish, as your approval remains valid even if you are not claiming for children at your setting.
If you are in the process of registering with Ofsted as a new provider, or are taking over an existing provider, you should apply as soon as possible. We will only be able to complete your sign up once your registration is complete.
If your Ofsted registration is delayed past your anticipated opening date, we will work with you to start your Early Years Funded Entitlement places from an appropriate date.
How to apply
You must first read the EYFE provider declaration above.
You will then need to prepare the below documents so they may be included with your application:
- admissions and fee policies, detailing your policies on Early Years Funded Entitlement, Early Years Pupil Premium and Disability Access Fund
- written pattern of delivery, showing how your provider will offer Early Years Funded Entitlement
- example invoice(s) showing how Early Years Funded Entitlement hours and additional hours/services will appear
Once your Ofsted registration is complete and you have access to the Online Provider Portal, you must complete a 'Termly childcare update form' via the Online Provider Portal before your ability to offer Early Years Funded Entitlement is agreed.
A checklist for your reference is provided below, which will help you determine if your policies are compliant with the Early Years Funded Entitlement provider declaration.
If you do not currently have a fee or funding policy that incorporates EYFE, or invoices suitable for the inclusion of EYFE, the below templates can be used and adapted for your setting or used as a reference to create or update your own.
Once all the above have been completed, contact us to register your interest. One of our team will answer any queries you may have and begin the process to apply.