Early Years Funding
The government fund five separate streams of early years funding:
- Disadvantaged 2-year-old funding
- Working family 9 - 23 months old funding
- Working family 2-year-old funding
- Universal funding for all 3 and 4-year-olds
- Extended entitlement for some 3 and 4-year-olds
Disadvantaged 2-year-old funding is criteria based and for families in receipt of benefits or on low income; children who are Looked After or adopted; children in receipt of Disability Living Allowance or have an Education Health and Care Plan. Families applying under these criteria can do so online at https://croydon.cloud.servelec-synergy.com/Synergy/2YearChecker.aspx.
Working family 9 - 23 months and 2-year-old funding is also available for working families who meet the criteria, please visit https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk to apply.
To claim the universal entitlement for 3 and 4-year olds, parents simply need to show the setting the child's birth certificate and proof of address.
The extended entitlement is criteria based and for working families where all parents in the household are working for the equivalent of 16 hours a week at minimum wage, all applications are via Childcare Choices https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.
There are two additional funding supplements for some 9 - 23 month olds, 2-year-olds and 3 and 4-year-olds - if the family are on a low income and in receipt of benefits or the child is Looked After or adopted then settings can apply for Early Years Pupil Premium. If a child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance then the setting can apply for an annual payment via the Disability Access Fund (DAF).