Are you eligible for free Childcare for your two-year old?

For families receiving some additional forms of government support.

In Sefton, some 2-year-olds are eligible for 15 hours of Free Early Education and Childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year.  This can be taken up with an Early Years provider such as a childminder, nursery or pre-school that is registered with Ofsted and Sefton Council to offer funded places. www.seftondirectory.com/childcare

The parent must receive one or more of the following benefits:

• Income support
• Income-based Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit – if you and your partner have a combined income from work of £15,400 or less a year, after tax  
• Tax credits and you have an income of £16,190 or less a year, before tax
• Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you receive when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
• You are excluded from claiming public funds as a consequence of immigration status, or lack of immigration status
• You are in receipt of support under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989

Children are also eligible if they:

• Are a Local Authority 'Looked After Child'
• Have a current statement of Special Educational Needs (SEN) or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan
• Attract Disability Allowance
• They have left care under a special guardianship order, child arrangements order or adoption order

Children of the groups below will also be eligible for a free place if their parents or carers meet similar low-level income requirements.  Please note there is a separate application process, please contact 0151 933 6021 for further information.

• Children of families with no recourse to public funds with a right to remain in the UK on grounds of private and family life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
• Children of a subset of failed asylum seekers (supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 - 'the 1999 Act')
• Children of Zambrano Carers
• Parents with a UK ancestry visa
• Parents with temporary protection status under Section 12 of the Nationality and Borders Act
• Parents with pre-settled status with no qualifying right to reside

Universal Credit

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit and apply but are told you are not eligible, we may need to carry out a manual check. In order to do this, we will need the last 3 online/paper statements proving what your 'take home pay' has been in those 3 periods.
Parents are now allowed to earn any more than £3,850.00 over the 3 month assessment period, with a maximum annual earning per household of £15,400.00

You can apply on-line via: www.sefton.gov.uk/2yearolds (please do not apply through this link if you are applying for the new 2 year old funding entitlement for working parents - please apply via: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If you need any help or advice, please contact 0151 933 6021 or send an email to: 2yearolds@sefton.gov.uk