Childcare and funded places frequently asked questions

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What happens if a child is no longer eligible for the working parent entitlements, and what is a grace period?

Families who fall out of eligibility of the working parent entitlement will receive what is called a 'Grace Period 'of funding. This is an extended short period of time where a child continues to receive the Working Parent Entitlement, so parents can either reconfirm the code they forgot to do or to try ton find employment and therefore continue to receive the funded hours.

Once the grace period has lapsed, parents who do not meet eligibility will lose access to the Working Parent Entitlement. In these circumstances parents may have to pay for their childcare but could also consider other options for help with childcare costs:

  • 2-year-olds – Think2 – early learning for families receiving support
  • 3 and 4-year-olds – Universal Hours - families who lose the extra 15 hours that made up 30 hours, will revert to being eligible for just the universal 15 hours (that all 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to).
  • Parents of children aged 9-month to 2-year-olds will lose all funded hours.
    • other help with childcare costs can be viewed at Best Start in Life (formerly Childcare Choices).

Parents may not be able to access funded hours if already in their grace period where: 

  • a Parent falls into their grace period before the child starts their place/ their funded hours.
  • a Parent falls into their grace period whilst their child is attending a Provider for their entitlement, and the parent then moves the child to a different provider whilst in their grace period.

These scenarios are also applicable when a Provider submits a claim for a child who was eligible at the time, but the child entered the grace period later and before starting their funded hours.

Parents who re-apply to Childcare Choices after the grace period will be able to access the Working Parent Entitlements from the term after a re-application has been made.

In exceptional circumstances, The Council has the discretion to extend the “grace period” for a short time, i.e.

  • if the provider closes or if the local authority terminates its funding arrangement with the provider
  • the parent(s) moves home as a result of domestic abuse or any other emergency situation.

In these cases parents may have to supply some form of proof.