The criteria for this entitlement remains the same. Families must receive a qualifying benefit, or their child meets certain non-benefit criteria. It is available from the start of the claim period following their second birthday.
The criteria can be found here - Help paying for childcare: Free education and childcare for 2-year-olds - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Families meeting the criteria for this entitlement, should use a NEO account to obtain a 6-digit code to confirm eligibility. The code is unique to their child and will remain the same until they transition to the 3- and 4-year-olds universal entitlement or the family becomes eligible to receive the working parent entitlement. The code does not require re-confirmation and should be used every claim period.
The entitlement enables the family to receive up to 15 hours of funded childcare a week, to a maximum of 570 over three claim periods. Providers can offer the entitlement “stretched” where less funded hours are taken over more weeks.
Earliest start date for families to claim will be:
| Child has 2nd birthday in | Earliest Start Date | 1st Claim Period |
| January, February, or March | 1 April | Summer |
| April, May, June, July, or August | 1 September | Autumn |
| September, October, November, or December | 1 January | Spring |
For families living outside of Norfolk but wish to access the entitlement at a Norfolk registered provider must obtain a NEO code. A code issued by another local authority will not be accepted.
Please share this link with families to open or sign into an existing NEO account
IMPORTANT: If you plan to help a family obtain a code, please do not use your email address to create the NEO account because this will automatically remove your access to the provider portal.
Other Funding Streams:
From April 2024, and where the criteria is met, these claims will also attract funding for –
- Disability Access Fund (DAF)
- Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
- SEN Inclusion Fund (SENIF) or EHCP funding
- Deprivation Supplement