All 3 and 4 year olds can receive up to 15 hours of funded childcare a week, to a maximum of 570 over three claim periods. It is available from the start of the claim period following their third birthday. 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 3rd 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

[IMPORTANT] Families will no longer be able to claim the entitlement once their child starts in a stated funded reception class or reaches compulsory school age.