Funded places
Provider agreement
View the provider agreement document.
How can I offer the hours?
It is up to you to determine the days and times you offer funding within the following parameters:
- No more than 10 funded hours in a day
- No set minimum amount of funded hours that need to be offered in a single day
- Offered between the hours of 6am to 8pm Monday to Friday and the same time at weekends.
A parent doesn't have to take all the hours they're entitled to. A parent can use more than one setting, e.g. a preschool and a childminder.
You can choose to offer the funded hours as:
- Across 38 weeks of the year - often aligned to school term times, but it doesn't have to be.
- 'Stretch' offer which is over more weeks (than 38) of the year, but for less funded hours per week as they are 'stretched' out
- Or a mixture of both 38 weeks and stretch - you can be flexible depending on the requirements of families, for example, one child may have funding over 38 weeks, whereas another child may have funding as stretched.
Charges
A parent can choose if their child attends for just the funded hours. Providers can charge for additional services and consumables if these are accessed by the child, for example:
- food
- transport
- nappies
- sun cream
- trips
- extra activities
You can charge for a deposit so parents can secure a placement, though you should consider whether a charge should be applied for some families. For example, Think2.
The most important thing is to let parents know how the funded hours can be accessed and offered. You must also clearly inform parents what their fees are for non-funded services and consumables. This information must be made clear on invoices.
Frequently asked questions for practitioners and professionals
View our frequently asked questions
