30 hours free childcare?!

[Noodles14]

Hi all. I know that you are entitled to the 30 hours free childcare at the start of the term after your child turns three but I'm unsure of the cut off dates for each term. If your child is born at the end of December, would they be entitled to it in the spring term which is the start of January or would it not be until the summer term after Easter. What about if they are born in the first few days of January- again as above, spring term when January term starts or summer term after Easter?! Our baby is due 4th January.

Mines a December birthday and he can get it in the January term :)

My September born didn't get it until January either though.

Cut off dates are 31st December, 31st March and 31st August.

And it’s funded not free!

Just found this.

1 September to 31 December - January (spring)
1 January to 31 March - April (summer)
1 April to 31 August - September (autumn)

Dd1 first week April got hers September Dd2 first week September will get hers January
Dn1 march got hers April
Dn2 January will get hers April
I think cutoffs are the end of March, August and December I'm not sure when the autumn one is though

You also only get the 30 hours if both parents (if they still live together) are working at least 16 hours a week each. If not it's 15 hours not 30 hours.

Thanks for your quick replies!

You don’t say where you are but in my council - Falkirk - children who are three between March and July start in August and for all others, it’s a month after they are three so my September child will start in October.

It’s not necessarily free childcare. It depends how your childcare provider uses those hours, some split it across the year, some don’t. And they only get paid so much per hour by the council, they have to make up the shortfall and so providers often charge for extras to make up the money. It certainly wasn’t as ‘free’ so to speak as we expected.

Just wanted to add that if you are considering a school nursery, some of them don't offer the 30 hours until the September after they are 3, regardless of when the child's birthday is.

The cut of dates are as given above but it does depend on finding a setting with spaces available and other than September that can be a challenge in some places. The schools only have one intake and settings can't afford to leave spaces empty for one or two terms so will fill up as quickly as they can.

Yes, absolutely don't bank on "free". It rarely is.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm aware that it is certainly not 'free' childcare- wrong turn of phrase on my part. It was just a query re dates of birth and when the entitlement starts. Thanks again for your responses- certainly lots to consider and check out.