The government is doubling this entitlement to 30 hours a week (for up to 38 weeks a year) from September 2017. In Somerset, families can 'stretch' this entitlement to a maximum of 1140 hours a year.

This will have a significant and positive impact on families and help make childcare more affordable.

The additional hours will be available to working families that meet the criteria set out below.

Who is eligible?

Families will be eligible where:

Both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and each parent earns, on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at national minimum wage (NMW) or national living wage (NLW), and each parent earns less than £100,000 a year.

Parents’ earnings must reflect the equivalent value of at least 16 hours of work at NMW or NLW, which is £107 a week at the current NMW rate. This includes those parents on zero-hour contracts who meet the criteria.

The minimum amount will always be judged against the lowest hourly rate that a person of the parent’s age could legally be paid, as minimum wage rates vary by age.

Working will include the employed and self-employed and people on zero-hour contracts, and people away from work on statutory sick pay, maternity, paternity or adoption leave, and where one parent is working and the other is in receipt of benefits because of a caring responsibility or disability.

To check what help you could get with childcare costs please visit the childcare service.

How can parents apply?

HMRC are creating a joint online application for 30 hours and tax-free childcare (which will replace the childcare voucher schemes) where parents can enter their information and find out if they are eligible.

Eligible parents will receive a voucher code that they can take to a childcare provider. This will be on gov.uk and we will publish the link here as soon as it is available.

PLEASE NOTE

• Funding is only available for 38 weeks of the year.
• If you wish to use this funding on an 'all year round' basis it will not equate to 30 hours a week.
• If you use these hours on an ' all year round' basis you will have 22 hours per week.
• 30 hour funding x 38 funded weeks = 1,140 hours per year
• 1,140 funded hours / 51 weeks of the year = 22 hours per week.
• Woolavington Nursery is open term time only so to take the stretched offer your child will need to be in a dual placement.

Two Year Funding

Families with 2 year old children who meet the criteria can apply for funding for 2 year olds.

Somerset County Council will pay for a place for up to 570 hours over the year at a registered childcare provider. A maximum of 15 hours per week is available. Children become eligible in the funding period after their second birthday.

Early Years Pupil Premium

The Early Years Pupil Premium provides an extra amount of money to the nursery, pre-school etc for three and four year old children whose parents are in receipt of certain qualifying benefits or who have been adopted or are in care.