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Two year olds from families receiving certain benefits

When your child reaches the age of two years and you are receiving certain criteria, they may be eligible for 570 hours of funded childcare per year. This will offer them loads of opportunities to make new friends, try new things, have fun being creative and active.

The funding covers up to 15 hours early education per week, across 38 weeks per year. This can used at day nurseries, pre-schools or with childminders. If you need childcare in the school holidays you could stretch your entitlement (less hours per week, but over more than 38 weeks per year). You don't have to use all the hours, you may only need just a few.

Eligibility

Find out if you are eligible for funded childcare for your 2-year-old.

If you meet at least one of the criteria listed below you could be entitled to 15 hours early education funding a week, for 38 weeks of the year, for your 2-year-old child:

Income Support
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
Child tax credits, and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
The guaranteed element of Pension Credit

The Working Tax Credit four week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

Apply for two year old funding

Use the online eligibility checker to apply for 2-year-old early education funding. This online checker will take you through a series of questions to find out if you are entitled to the funding. Please see our 2-year-old eligibility check guidance, which explains how to make the application.

You will need the following information:

your own name and date of birth
contact details including email address
National Insurance number or National Asylum Seekers number
child's name and date of birth.

When you apply online, you'll get an instant response. You will receive a unique reference number and if you are eligible, you will need to take this code to your chosen childcare providers to enable them to claim the funding for your child.

If your benefits have changed recently or fluctuate, the online eligibility checker may say you're not eligible. If you feel you are, you may need to provide us with evidence of your benefits. If this is the case, please contact us 01202 093131 or by email at familyinformation@bcpcouncil.gov.uk

Please read our privacy notice to find out what happens to your information when you claim early education funding.