30 hours eligibility

[cjm10979]

My DD turns 3 on 3rd September this year and her preschool term starts on 6th September. I'm assuming that because she is already 3 when the term starts she will be eligible for 30 hours based on age (I know there are other criteria and we satisfy that as well). However, it says on the childcare choices website that terms start dates are 1st September, 1st January & 1st April even though these dates will not align with preschool terms.

I have an tax free childcare account and noticed that I have a 30 hours free code available. Does anyone else have a child that technically has a birthday in the holidays but after the term dates specified above and got the 30 hours a few days after the third birthday?

I'm afraid your daughter won't be eligible for her funded hours until the Spring Term. The are three deadlines throughout the year; 1st September, 1st Jan and 1st April and it is to these dates that the 'term' starts for funding purposes, irrespective of when the setting chooses to 'start' their term. It's really unfortunate for those whose children have birthdays at the very beginning of the term, but there has to be cut-off point somewhere.

Yeah agree, you won’t get 30 hours until January. I’m a childminder and my daughters birthday is the day before your dd’s.

Sorry but agree with previous posters, you won't get the funding till January
The cut off point is 31st august, so your did needs to have been born on that date or before

Also, she won't be eligible for the 15 hours till January either

I think it can depend on the nursery though. My daughter's birthday is 13th September and I presumed she would start after Christmas but she actually was allowed to start after the October half term. This seems to be normal in our nursery with new starters all through the year. I don't know if this is because it's a school nursery or just because it's how this nursery works.

The nursery would be covering the cost of that then to secure you starting with them. Claiming funding from the government doesn’t depend on the nursery, the same rules apply to every setting.

bananastar - did she attend for free for half a term? As others have said, they wouldn't have been getting government money for her, so must have been paying themselves!

At our preschool, children start when they're 2y9m, but don't get funded til the term after their third birthday, so parents pay for a short while.