Early Years Entitlement Funding (EYE).

​We offer up to 15 or 30 hour Early Years Entitlement (EYE) funding. This is either the 3 year universal or extended working families funding,  the 2 year Working Families Entitlement funding or the better2gether (2 yr disadvantaged) funding for 38 weeks over an academic year. The EYE funding allows access to high quality childcare, education and provision for up to 15 or 30 hours a week for 38 weeks a year as detailed in our option 2 package. It is not intended to cover the costs of meals and consumables therefore, we offer an alternative option 1 package which includes everything in option 2 as well as food, consumables and access to our enhanced provision.

 

Please note these options cannot be mixed and matched. You can access a mixture of sessions within your chosen option for example 2 full days in option 1 and an afternoon in option 1. Please choose the option you would like your child to access when securing your place here at The Learning Meadow.

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Any additional hours will be charged at our full rate. We do offer a stretched funding option to cover non funded days if you are not already using all your funding. Priority booking for this applies under our option 1 package. You are entitled to share your EYE funding with another childcare provider.                                                                     

All 3 year old children can receive EYE funding the term following their 3rd birthday. All eligible 2 year olds can also receive their EYE funding the term following their 2nd birthday. Only childcare is paid for using this entitlement. We can be as flexible as possible as to how many of your entitled hours you choose to use as per our availability. For example you may be entitled to 15 hrs but may only want 10hrs or entitled to 30hrs but may only want 18hrs. Please note we can only claim for the hours that you want to use and are not permitted by Wiltshire Council to change this claim part way through a term. Additionally, we can only claim these hours if your child/ren takes a place here at The Learning Meadow before head count weeks. The local authority will not accept any mid term changes unless you meet the Wiltshire Council late starter criteria which includes moving house.

 

Funding periods

We are a term time only, day nursery with the added bonus of providing an optional summer holiday club. We are obliged to open for 38 weeks per academic year and provide the following amount of weeks and hours of EYE funding during the funded terms. The difference in hours relates to if you will be entitled to 15 or 30 hours a week.

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The breakdown of these weeks and hours are as follows:

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Winter Term: 1st September – 31st December – 14 weeks = 165 or 330 hours

Spring Term: 1st January – 31st March – 11 weeks = 210 or 420 hours

Summer Term: 1st April – 31st August – 16 weeks = 195 or 390 hours

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Please note you do not have to use your whole early years entitlement. If you choose not to use it we cannot bank it. We are only entitled to claim the hours you require. We can however, stretch any unused hours to cover non funded hours such as summer holiday club or unfunded hours out with the 38 week term.

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How do I claim for funding?

Please follow this link to find out if you are eligible to claim for EYE funding: https://www.gov.uk/check-eligible-free-childcare-if-youre-working

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Additionally, this link will help you apply for tax free childcare: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

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If you are eligible you will be issued with a funding code. When you join us you will be asked to choose which option you would like to access and complete a declaration form requiring your funding code, national insurance number and your child’s birth certificate or passport.

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When are fees payable?

We send our invoices out on the 1st of every month (unless we are on holiday). Fees must be paid within 7 days of invoices being sent via our chosen digital platform. Our invoices are protected with a password. Each invoice is completely transparent in itemising the funded hours, non-funded hours and the option package you have chosen. As per our terms and conditions all fees are payable regardless of absence during term time. There is no charge for school holidays and bank holidays.

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Wiltshire Council better2gether funding

Otherwise known as 2 year funding. If you are claiming this through The Learning Meadow the local authority will issue extra funding from time to time to help with rising food and household costs. We will contact you if you have been allocated this funding and offer you a food voucher.

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Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) or Disability Access Funding (DAF)

EYPP is additional funding available to support us to deliver funded hours to children meeting the Wiltshire Council criteria. An example of eligibility include families accessing income support, income based job seekers allowance, currently a looked after child or a child under special guardianship.

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DAF is available to support disabled children’s access to the EYE. The criteria to access this is that a child must be in receipt of Disability Living Allowance and the child received 15 hours of EYE.

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Please contact The Learning Meadow if we can help with any further funding information.

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