Information for childcare providers who offer funding

Who can offer funded early education to 2, 3 and 4-year-olds?

Childcare settings and childminders can offer the funded early education to two-year-olds as long as you:

• are an Ofsted registered childminder or childcare setting in the East Riding 
• have an Ofsted inspection grade of good, outstanding, met or have yet to be inspected.

Childcare settings and childminders can offer funded early education to three and four-year-olds as long as you:

• are an Ofsted registered childminder or childcare setting in the East Riding
  
• have an Ofsted inspection grade of good, outstanding, requires improvement, met or have yet to be inspected. 
  

Please note: if you are inspected and receive any grade below good or outstanding then you will not be able to continue offering the 2-year funding.

For more information about offering funded early education to 2, 3 and 4-year-olds please contact FISH on:

Please find below the privacy notice template for East Riding of Yorkshire settings who provide Funded Early Education:

Privacy Notice Template (pdf 21kb) 

How can childcare settings offer the 30 hours extended entitlement?

Parents of 3 or 4-year-olds who are currently employed may be entitled to an additional 15 hours funded childcare on top of their universal entitlement.

For more information on eligibility criteria please visit the 30 hours funded childcare page.

Settings who offer the universal 3 and 4-year old funding may also be able to offer the extended entitlement.

30 hours leaflet - Polish (word 14mb)

30 hours leaflet - Romanian (word 7mb)

Knowing if a parent is eligible

Parents who have applied successfully for the 30 hours extended entitlement will have been given a voucher code for each of their children.

You will need to use the 30 hours voucher checker on the e-hub to check voucher codes which will confirm if the child is eligible for the extended entitlement. You will also need the parent/carer's national insurance number to complete the check.  

If you are not able to offer the full 30 hours extended entitlement, you may still need to check parent's voucher entitlement codes, if they have nominated you as a setting at which they are using their extended entitlement.  

You will need to gain written permission from the parent before sending their code to be checked. You can use the new parental agreement form to do this. 

Please note: for 30 hours extended entitlement, a child will be entitled from the start of the term after the child turns three or the parent applies whichever comes first and receives a positive determination of eligibility from HMRC. Parents are able to apply for the extended entitlement at any time during the term their child turns three. 

How do childcare settings claim for funded early education?

All claims are processed through the e-Hub. Payments are made each term. The documents below will help you to process the funded places.

If you have any further queries please contact FISH on:

To access the most up to date Provider Agreement, please contact FISH on (01482) 396469.

Parents should be asked to sign a parental agreement form to agree how the hours will be accessed and this should be reviewed each term:  

Provider Agreement Form (word 48kb)

Parental agreement and declaration form  - for amendments to termly arrangements (word 48kb)

Parental agreement form - Polish (word 53kb)

Parental agreement form - Romanian (word 50kb)

The weeks that are funded are shown in the calendars below:

Funding calendar Academic Year 2021/2022 (pdf 27kb)

Funding calendar Academic Year 2022/2023 (pdf 58kb)

Funding calendar Financial Year 2021/2022 (pdf 29kb)

Funding calendar Financial Year 2022/2023 (pdf 59kb)

Payment dates and headcount dates can be found below:

Important dates and useful information 2022/2023 (pdf 80kb)

What is the 'Stretched Offer'?

The ‘Stretched Offer’ is for parents of children who take up their funded entitlement and want to spread their funded hours across more of the year. The ‘Stretched Offer’ relates only to funded hours, not to any hours paid for. The ‘Stretched Offer’ will involve childcare providers calculating how many funded hours the parent is entitled to across the year (term time) and spreading these hours evenly across a greater number of weeks. This would mean that the parent would be able to access some of their funded hours during school holidays.

Providers are not able to let parents bank hours.

Stretching hours involves childcare providers calculating how many funded hours the parent is entitled to across the year (term time) and spreading these hours evenly across a greater number of weeks.

Banking hours would mean that a parent who was not accessing their full entitlement ‘saved up’ the hours they were not using and used these hours at any point during school holidays/non-funded weeks. 

To help calculate the 'Stretched Offer' we have created a spreadsheet that will allow you to work out parents entitlements if stretching over more weeks. 

FISH 'Stretched Offer' Calculator (excel 11kb)

What is the 'e-Hub' and what is 'headcount'? 

The e-Hub is a secure website through which childminders and childcare settings that offer 2, 3 and 4-year-old funded places, can input data about the children that they care for so that they can receive payment. This is done once each term on a set date which is known as 'headcount' date.

The guidance notes below give you detailed information on how to use the e-Hub:

e-Hub Staffing and Training guidance notes 2022 (word 1.92mb)

e-Hub Headcount and FEE module guidance notes 2022 (word 2.8mb)

If you do not have a username and password to access the e-Hub then please contact FISH:

Estimates 

In accordance with the Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) the local authority is required to give those settings who deliver 2, 3 and 4-year-old funded places a budget at the start of the financial year.

The deadlines for estimates are as follows:

Autumn Term 2022 - Friday 22 July 2022

Spring Term 2023 - Friday 25 November 2022 

These can be submitted via the e-Hub, please see attached guidance notes on how to do this:-

Submitting Estimates via the e-Hub guidance notes (word 230kb) 

If you have no eligible children for funding this term, please complete these forms:

Nil return form – 3 and 4-year-olds (word 30kb)

Nil return form - 2-year-olds (word 31kb)

How much do childcare settings get paid for funded early education?

Childcare settings get paid based on two variables including the type of funding and the eligibility of the person claiming for funded early education. 

The table below illustrates this:

For more information on eligibility criteria for 2-year funding, please visit the Two-year-old funded places page. 

What should I do if a child leaves, or transfers to another setting, before or after the headcount?

Parents are required to give childcare settings 4 weeks notice if they wish to end their Funded Early Education. If a child leaves after giving 4 weeks notice to another childcare setting within East Riding of Yorkshire, both settings are responsible for arranging to transfer the funding. 

In any of the following circumstances you will need to complete a Funding Adjustment Form:

• A child starts due to the withdrawal of funding or closure of another provider
  
• A child moves out of East Riding of Yorkshire after headcount, but before the end of term
  
• A child moves out of East Riding of Yorkshire before headcount
  
• A child moves into East Riding of Yorkshire after headcount.
  

Adjustment Forms are now completed via the e-Hub:

Enter the e-Hub (external website)

If a child starts after headcount for any other reason than listed above they will need to wait until the start of the following term to access their funding.  

What is the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)?

Early years settings and schools will receive £0.60 an hour for each eligible three and four-year-old child, who receive the universal funded early education, to support children's development and help to narrow the gap in attainment between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their peers.

Please give parents a copy of the explanatory letters and use the Parental Agreement form and completed Section 4 to collect parents' details. This information should be inputted via the e-Hub each term when headcount is open to enable the local authority to check eligibility.

Early Years Pupil Premium - Parent Letter (pdf 22kb)

Early Years Pupil Premium - Polish version (pdf 133kb)  

The criteria for Early Years Pupil Premium is as follows: 

Early Years Pupil Premium is for all children aged 3 or 4-years-old taking their Funded Early Education hours if their parents or carers are receiving one of the following benefits: 

•  Income Support 

•  Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance 

•  Income-related Employment and Support Allowance 

•  Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 

•  The guaranteed element of State Pension Credit 

•  Child Tax Credit (provided they’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190) 

•  Working Tax Credit run-on, which is paid for 4 weeks after they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit 

•  Universal Credit

• The child is looked after by the Local Authority (defined under Section 31 of the Children Act 1989).

Please note: children aged 3 or 4-years-old will automatically be entitled to Early Years Pupil Premium if they are adopted, under a Special Guardianship Order or looked after by a Local Authority other than the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. To claim Early Years Pupil Premium for these children you will need to contact FISH on (01482) 396469 and give the child's details.

EYPP Appeal Forms

This form should be completed by settings if they choose to check a parent’s eligibility for early years pupil premium (EYPP) funding by viewing paper evidence themselves, following an appeal by the parent:

 Appeal Form Schools (word 31.6kb)

Appeal Form Settings (word 31.6kb)

 When to use this form:

• ONLY after the Local Authority check, using the Government electronic (ECS) checker has found the parents are NOT eligible
  
• ONLY if a parent disputes the results of the check and wants to appeal the decision if they think the ECS checker is inaccurate or they have recently become eligible.

What is the Disability Access Fund (DAF)?

The purpose of the Disability Access Fund is to aid access to places. This form should be completed by settings, childminders and schools to claim Disability Access Funding. The funding will be paid to the childcare provider/school, not the parent, at a fixed annual rate of £800 per eligible child, for use in the setting or school for the benefit of that child. This amount is not based on an hourly rate and a child does not have to be taking up their full FEE entitlement to be eligible. Only one claim can be made per child per year from the date of applying. 

Please note: keep a record of all children you receive DAF funding for, as you will be asked to record this data in your January census return.

All 3 and 4-year-olds, taking their funded early education entitlement at your setting or school, who are in receipt of child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in their own right could be eligible for DAF. 

When to use this form

• Only if the parent has nominated you are their childcare provider  to receive this funding (if the child is taking their FEE at more than one provider it is up to the parent to choose which setting receives this funding as DAF can only be paid to ONE childcare provider)
• Only if the parent has agreed to give you a copy of their child’s DLA award letter. Please copy this letter and attach to this claim form.
  

Deadlines for submission of forms for 2022-2023 are:

• Summer term – Friday 20 May 2022
  
• Autumn term – Friday 7 October 2022
  
• Spring term – Friday 20 January 2023

Disability Access Form (word 36kb)

Please return the completed form with the child’s DLA award letter to:

FISH
Room FS32
County Hall
Cross Street
Beverley
HU17 9BA.

or scan and email to:  fish@eastriding.gov.uk

What other support is available for childminders and childcare settings who offer the Funded Early Education?

Families Information Service Hub (FISH)

FISH play a key role in supporting childminders and childcare settings. You can contact the FISH team for information advice and support:

Early Years Development Advisers

Every Ofsted-registered childminder and childcare setting has a designated Early Years Development Adviser. For more information please contact FISH: