1 Types of funded childcare
There are different types of funded childcare available depending on your child's age and your family circumstances. In West Sussex, funded childcare provided by the government is referred to as the Early Years Funded Entitlements (EYFE).
Funded childcare for 2 year olds (local authority issued EYFE)
Funded childcare for 2 year olds is issued through the local authority you live in and is for families who meet specific benefits or income criteria, or those who meet one of the additional criteria.
Children can use up to 570 hours each year, or a maximum of 15 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year.
Find out more about claiming Funded childcare for 2 year olds.
Funded childcare for 9 months to 4 years old for working families
Eligible working parents of children aged 9 months up to 4 years old can access 15 hours funded childcare per week (over 38 weeks of the year). This will increase to up to 30 hours per week from September 2025 for children aged 9 months up to 3 years.
3 and 4 year olds of working families can also access an additional 15 hours of funded childcare per week. This means eligible 3 and 4 year olds can access up to 30 funded hours (over 38 weeks of the year) of childcare per week.
Find out more about claiming Funded childcare for 9 months to 4 years old for working families.
Funded childcare for 3 and 4 year old for all families (Universal EYFE)
All 3 and 4 year olds, regardless of individual needs and citizenship status, can access up to 15 hours of funded childcare per week from the term after they turn 3 years old. No application is needed.
3 and 4 year old Universal funded hours does not need to be applied for. You should be given a parent declaration form to complete by your chosen childcare provider. They must also have seen appropriate identification confirming your child’s identity and date of birth, such as a passport or birth certificate. You do not need an eligibility code for this type of funding.
2 When can my child start
When will my child by eligible to claim the funded hours?
Funded childcare can only be claimed for the school term after a child becomes age eligible. For example:
- an eligible child who turns 9 months old in February will be able to access funded childcare for working families when the summer term starts in April
- an eligible child who turns 2 years old in November will be able to access the funded childcare for 2 year olds (local authority issued EYFE) when the spring term starts in January
- an eligible child who turns 3 years old in July will be able to access the funded universal childcare when the Autumn term starts in September
When can my child start at a provider?
Children claiming funded childcare for 2 year olds (local authority issued EYFE) can start at any point during a term (once they are eligible).
Children claiming one of the other funded hours must start at the beginning of the term in January, April and September unless there is an exceptional reason.
Exceptional reasons
Exceptional circumstances could include:
- moving from outside of West Sussex after headcount as funding is not transferred between local authorities
- missed start of term due to serious illness
- children from traveller communities
- children with an additional need whose start with a provider has been supported by a professional such as a GP, Portage, Speech and Language or Health Visitor
- Child We Care For by West Sussex, for example, foster care
- asylum seekers, refugees or Afghan families who have resettled in the UK
- ethnic minorities, English not first language
- a child of parent who is in a women’s refuge or part of a Witness Protection Programme
- other vulnerable children
3 Using your funded hours
Funded childcare is calculated over 38 weeks of the year. Depending on how many hours you can claim for, you could get:
- 15 hours per week of funded childcare: 570 hours per year
- 30 hours per week of funded childcare: 1,140 hours per year
Some early years and childcare providers may choose to deliver a ‘stretched offer’. This will depend on your chosen provider’s availability and pattern of delivery. This means you can use fewer hours per week over more weeks of the year, but your child may not be able to access their full entitlement. For example:
- when a child is entitled to 15 hours per week, they access 11 hours of funding over 51 weeks of the years, meaning they access a maximum of 561 hours over the year
- when a child is entitled to 30 hours per week, they access 22 hours of funding over 51 weeks of the year, meaning they access a maximum of 1,122 hours over the year
A limited number of providers may be open for less than 38 weeks. This may mean you would be unable to access the full 570 hours (or 1,140 hours if applicable).
Your chosen provider should make you aware of any potential loss of free hours. Speak to your chosen childcare provider to find out more about how they offer the funded hours and if it meets what is best for you and your child.
A provider may close for bank holidays or inset days. If they do, any free funded hours should be offered at another time if possible.
The amount of free funded hours that can be taken in a day will depend on the admissions policy of your chosen provider. However, the provider is required to work within the following national guidelines which include:
- no minimum session length or quantity
- no more than 10 hours in one day
- not before 6.00am and after 8.00pm
- a maximum of 2 sites in a single day
- where possible, providers should ensure children are able to take up their hours in continuous blocks of time and avoid artificial breaks in the day
If you choose not to take the full funded hours each week, then you will only be able to increase this at the beginning of the following term.
Providers should offer a settling in period at the beginning of your child’s attendance.
It is important you know exactly when your provider offers so you can decide if this meets your needs. Accessing optional additional services outside of these funded hours may incur additional costs.
Splitting funded hours between providers
You are able to split the funded hours between a maximum of 2 childcare sites per day that are registered to receive the funding. Parents must complete a parent declaration form at each childcare provider to show that hours are also claimed at another childcare provider.
For example, a child could attend a registered breakfast club and nursery based on one site or a maintained school and private, voluntary or independent provider on two different sites. It is important to bear in mind the impact of multiple providers on a child’s learning, development and wellbeing.
If you are splitting your hours between providers, you will need to provide your eligibility code and information to each provider. If eligible for the 3 and 4 year old funded hours for working families, you must also choose which provider(s) you wish to use your 3 and 4 year old Universal funded hours with, if you were to become ineligible for the 3 and 4 year old Extended EYFE.
Some childcare providers may choose to give priority to children that attend for the whole week, but this must be clearly documented in the admissions policy of the childcare provider.
Providers can work in partnership to share funding over a term, including school holidays, and should have a formal agreement in place. For example, if you want to access stretched funding during term-time and also access a separate holiday provision, the provider where your child is in attendance during headcount day will claim the EYFE and be responsible for forwarding funds directly to the holiday provider through an agreement between themselves. This must not exceed the overall number of hours you are claiming the standard 38 weeks.
4 What your provider needs from you
In order for your chosen provider to claim the funded hours for your child’s place, you will be asked to:
- complete and sign a parent declaration form
- show proof of date of birth for your child
- provide proof of eligibility:
- for funded childcare for 9 months to 4 years old for working families, you will need to provide your eligibility code and National Insurance number
- for funded childcare for 2 year olds (local authority issued EYFE), you will need to provide the letter confirming approval issued by West Sussex County Council - if you were awarded this funding through another local authority, you will need to provide evidence of this
Your chosen provider may also ask for permission to use the above information to assess if your child is eligible for Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).
Make sure you understand and agree to any terms and conditions before you accept a place. Not all providers will be able to deliver your preferred days or hours. The flexibility you need may be achieved by using more than one provider. However, your child cannot access funded hours on more than 2 sites in one day. You must let the provider know if you intend to split the funding across more than one provider.
Parent declaration form
Your childcare provider will ask you to complete a West Sussex County Council parent declaration form to enable them to claim your funded hours. You will need to complete the form when you first start claiming at your chosen childcare provider and a new form if there are a change in circumstances, such as a change in your child’s attendance or your address.
The form will need to be signed by your childcare provider once they have seen an appropriate ID confirming the child’s identity and date of birth, such as a passport or birth certificate. If you are unable to provide appropriate ID, your chosen provider will not be able to claim funding for your child if they cannot verify your child’s date of birth.
When you first sign the parent declaration form, you should be given a copy of the Early Years Funded Entitlement booklet for parents and carers.
5 Moving providers
A child may move provider at any point during a term. However you should make sure that you have complied with your chosen provider’s notice period up to a maximum of 4 weeks.
If moving provider within West Sussex, the funding must follow the child, with no deductions. If your child attended another provider between the start of term, funding for the time attended must be passed on to your previous provider.
If you plan to move your child partway through the term, after headcount day, you should ask your current childcare provider to forward the balance of the funding to your new childcare provider. It is the childcare provider’s responsibility to provide a clear statement of admissions (including notice period) and term dates for the year, to parents prior to securing a place for their child.
Parents are expected to honour notice periods agreed to. However, there are occasions when this is not in the best interests of the child. If a parent has not kept to a notice period, West Sussex County Council will acknowledge a notice period of no more than 4 weeks relating to transfers of funding.
It can be hard to balance your own needs, especially for working parents, with those of your child. However, you should aim to use your chosen provider for as long as possible. If you can, avoid moving your child every few months or term.
6 Additional payments and costs
Childcare providers can set their own rates for additional hours or services. However, they must let you know in advance if you will be expected to pay for anything extra.
The funded hours allow children to access education and care at a provider which is delivered free of charge. Providers must ensure that there are no conditions of accessing the hours, including:
- no registration, administration and sustainability fees, payment up front or non-refundable deposits for children accessing free hours only
- no requirement for a child to access additional hours on top of the funded hours
- no requirement for the child to access additional weeks on top of the funded weeks
- no requirement to pay fees for any additional services, which include food, trips and consumables
Providers can choose the times that they offer the funded hours. They can also set their own rates for any additional time or extra services such as snacks, lunch or trips.
They should let you know in advance what you will be expected to pay. However, these charges cannot be a condition of accessing your place and alternative arrangements should be made available.
Any charges should be itemised and cannot be a supplementary 'top-up' (the difference between their usual fee and the funding they receive from the local authority to deliver funded places). Details should be included within the provider’s admissions and pricing policy.
If your child accesses hours or weeks outside of their free hours, providers may charge for these. You may also need to pay registration and administration fees or non-refundable deposits. See the provider’s fees policy for further information.
Providers should be able to show you a sample invoice and explain how charges are calculated and displayed. However, the invoice should never show your free funded hours as having a monetary value. If you think that you are being charged for your child's free hours or are being invoiced incorrectly, you should speak to your chosen childcare provider in the first instance.
Childcare providers should supply clear, written information about any fees or charges for additional services, or additional time taken over and above the free hours. Any fees charged for additional time must be at the standard rate of the childcare provider and should not be more than those charged to parents whose children do not access free hours.
If you are still unsure, you can contact us and we can investigate your query and check your invoice.
7 Further information and support
Visit our help paying for childcare page for more information on schemes that can be used alongside the funded hours.
Childcare Choices outlines all the government help available for childcare costs for children of all ages.