Can I use free childcare entitlement for the whole year in 6 months?

[Susie987]

My 2 yo will be eligible for 15 hours of free childcare in April (2024) but she can't get into the local nursery until September. She will then be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare around Easter 2025, but the nursery said they probably won't have availability to increase the hours until September 2025. Would I typically be able to use the hours I haven't used from April - Sep 2024 to increase the free childcare hours from Sep 2024 - April 2025 (by which time she will then be eligible for more hours)?

The remainder of the childcare (plus the childcare for my soon-to-be-born 2nd child) is done by my sister-in-law.

No you can't.

the funded, free childcare is only available for 38 weeks of the year. Some providers stretch this, over 52 weeks say but means you get less hours funded a week. If stretch over 48 weeks then only get 4 hours a week funded and not 30. If stretch over 52 weeks then 22 hours is funded.

not all providers will stretch it, some just offer the 38 and if contacted for a full year the rest is at full costs.

I am not aware of being able to have more than 30 - certainly not on Gov website or the Early Years Alliance.

Certainly in my local authority you couldn't do this. Settings have to provide 'headcount' numbers 3 times a year (each term) along with eligibility codes which are valid for 3 months. So you could only claim one term at a time even if the setting allows you to stretch this over the full year. Others have different systems but I'd be surprised if it was possible.

As PP have said this is unlikely to be possible.
I know for our childcare setting we have to give them the code and reconfirm this to them regularly so they can keep claiming.
Additionally we were told that if we sign up for a certain number of hours and then regularly didn't send DD then the setting may not receive the funding for those absent hours (eg booking a Monday morning session to use up the entitlement but not needing it so only sending her once in a blue moon)

24 hrs a week not 4 it should have said

No, settings claim by term and are limited to the hours/weeks of that term.

I'm currently claiming carers allowance for my disabled child he gets high rate care and low mobility, my partner works I don't due to having to run my son to and from school and him having alot of time of due to his medical conditions, my youngest is 2.5 years old and I'm looking into childcare for him and unsure weither we qualify for the 15 hours free funding for 2 year olds with me not working....there's alot of mixed things online