How much are providers paid for funded hours?
Staffordshire will pass through 98.1% to its Staffordshire based providers, above the government minimum requirement of 97%.
Funding rates for all early years providers, childminders and school run provision from April 2026 is as follows (all rates are applicable to a child’s age regardless of what entitlement they are eligible for):
- Children under 2 years old - £10.37 per hour, per child - (rate up to 31st March 2026 was £9.85)
- 2-year-olds - £8.17 per hour, per child - (rate up to 31st March 2026 was - £7.84)
- 3 and 4-year-olds - £5.93 per hour, per child - (rate up to 31st March 2026 was - £5.43)
Deprivation supplement rates for 3 and 4-year-olds only will be as follows:
- £0.20 Lower-Level Deprivation Rate (Per child/per hour based on between 10-32% of children in attendance with postcodes in the 20% most deprived areas)
- £0.30 Upper-Level Deprivation Rate (Per child/per hour based on 33% or more of children in attendance with postcodes in the 20% most deprived areas)
The Contingency fund will continue for 2026 - 27, this is to mitigate financial risk and to manage any unforeseen budget variances as a result of changes in demand. This will be c. 0.97% of the overall budget.
- Disability Access Fund (DAF) is - £975 per year.
- Early Years Pupil Premium is - £1.15 per hour (based on the first 15 funded hours only that a child accesses).
