Golden tickets

Staffordshire County Council receive regular updates (from the DWP) of families whose two year old could be eligible for up to 15 hours of funded childcare per week up to a maximum of 570 hours per year for their two year old, this is known as Think2. These families will be sent a personally addressed golden ticket in the post by our Early Education and Childcare Team.

The golden ticket allocates Think2 to the right families quicker and means parents do not need to apply online for 2 year funding (Think2) themselves. 

Golden tickets - what settings should do!

Parents will receive the next round of golden tickets by mid-August. The expiry date for these tickets is Friday 17 September 2021.

• Collect the golden ticket from the parent or carer and check the ticket has not expired.

• If the ticket is still in date, the parent must complete a parent declaration and privacy notice form as this gives consent to share information.

• Validate the golden ticket by contacting our early education and childcare Team (EEAC) on 01785 278 201 before the expiration date (17 Sept 2021), you will need to supply to us the following details:

• • child's name and date of birth

• address of child

• ethnicity of child

• name of one parent

• parent's national insurance number (NINO) and date of birth

• contact information of parent

• your setting name

• Our team will set up a record for the child and give the childcare setting a confirmation code in order to claim the funding via the Early Years Portal.

• If settings cannot get through on the above contact number, please send an email before the expiry date to eeac@staffordshire.gov.uk with the above information and your contact details.

• When can a child start? Check the child’s date of birth as funding can start from the term after a child's second birthday or immediately from the date of the golden ticket, if the child is already age eligible and attending the provision.

• What if the ticket has not been validated and has now expired? As the ticket is expired it is no longer valid. You can support or signpost the parent to apply online  by visiting our Think 2 webpage and selecting ‘apply online’

• What if a parent who could be eligible has not received a Golden Ticket ? Any parent who has not received a golden ticket can still apply online in the normal way if they meet the criteria. Think2 confirmation letters with a unique code can continue to be accepted as normal by settings.

Example golden ticket

Below is an example of a golden ticket. Settings will also be able to view the 'Golden Tickets- what providers should do!' document on the EY Portal explaining the validation process to follow.

Contact us

If you have any queries about the golden ticket, please contact us:

Phone: 01785 278201
Email: eeac@staffordshire.gov.uk