If you are a professional working in early years childcare and parents of the children under your care are receiving free childcare hours under the national scheme, you can claim funding to cover the cost from us. 

You will need parents or carers to fill out the form below before you make a claim.

Timetable for claiming funds

Payments are scheduled to clear or on before the first day of the related month. For twice termly paid providers, this will be an estimated payment, with balance payments following during the final week before half term (dependent on school term days).

Any April payments may not fall on or before the first day of the related month due to the start of the new financial year.

Summer 2024

• Portal opens 9 February 2024
• Term time only funding: 1 April 2024 to 1 September 2024 (13 weeks - provider chooses which weeks)
• Stretched offer funding: 1 April 2024 to 1 September 2024 (up to 22 weeks)
• School holidays: 1 to 14 April, 27 May to 2 June, 22 July to 1 September 2024
• Estimate claim portal closes: midnight 10 March 2024
• Balance claim portal closes: midnight 5 May 2024
• Adjustments portal closes: midnight 6 October 2024

Autumn 2024

• Portal opens 3 June 2024
• Term time only funding: 2 September 2024 to 27 December 2024 (14 weeks - provider chooses which weeks)
• Stretched offer funding: 2 September 2024 to 27 December 2024 (up to 16 weeks, one week not covered - providers choose which week)
• School holidays: 28 October to 3 November, 16 to 31 December 2024
• Estimate claim portal closes: midnight 11 August 2024
• Balance claim portal closes: midnight 6 October 2024
• Adjustments portal closes: midnight 19 January 2025

Spring 2025

• Portal opens 3 November 2024
• Term time only funding: 30 December 2024 to 28 March 2025 (11 weeks - provider chooses which weeks)
• Stretched offer funding: 30 December 2024 to 28 March 2025 (up to 13 weeks)
• School holidays: 17 to 23 February 2025
• Estimate claim portal closes: midnight 1 December 2024
• Balance claim portal closes: midnight 19 January 2025
• Adjustments portal closes: midnight 6 April 2025

Summer 2025

• Portal opens 10 February 2025
• Term time only funding: 31 March to 31 August 2025 (13 weeks - provider chooses which weeks)
• Stretched offer funding: 31 March to 31 August 2025 (up to 22 weeks)
• School holidays: 7 to 20 April, 26 May to 1 June, 21 July to 31 August 2025
• Estimate claim portal closes: midnight 9 March 2025
• Balance claim portal closes: midnight 4 May 2025
• Adjustments portal closes: midnight 5 October 2025

Early education funding guides

The below documents may be of use to you or parents and carers as you work through the funding process. We are aware that the Funding Calculator is currently in an Excel format, which is not accessible to everyone - we are working on a more appropriate solution.

We also recommend that you read the early education funding team privacy notice.

Contact us

If you have any queries regarding claiming Early Education Funding, email your local funding team at earlyeducation.fundingteam@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.