Childcare Funding Support

Childcare support if you are under 20 years old – Care to Learn

If you are under 20 years old then Care to Learn may be able to provide support for your childcare needs.

Care to Learn can help with the cost of:

• your childcare, including deposit and registration fees.
• a childcare taster session for up to 5 days.
• keeping your childcare place over the summer holidays.
• taking your child to their childcare provider.

Am I eligible for help?

You can get Care to Learn if all of the following apply to you:

• you’re a parent under 20 at the start of your course.
• you’re the main carer for your child.
• you live in England.
• you’re either a British citizen or have a legal right to live and study in England.
• your course qualifies.
• your childcare provider qualifies.

For more information about Care to Learn and how you can apply please visit : https://www.gov.uk/care-to-learn

Please speak to a member of the funding team if the payment from Care to Learn does not cover the full cost of your childcare.

Childcare Support  if you are over 20 years old

If you are aged above 20 you may be eligible for a contribution towards your childcare fees from the Learner Support Fund.  Learners must complete an online LSF form as well as the additional childcare form which will be emailed to them once the childcare option is selected.  You must also provide a copy of your child’s birth certificate and child benefit letter. If eligble, you can get up to £180 per week.

Childcare payments can either be made direct to your childcare provider or to yourself upon the submission of receipts

ALL applications for Childcare funding are subject to the following procedures:

• Learners must submit their Childcare Application form along with their Learner Support Fund application form.
• Learners must satisfy all residency conditions, provide proof of household income details and child birth certificate/s.
• It is the learner’s responsibility to complete the forms and submit them in a timely manner to allow for their forms to be assessed and processed as soon as possible. Due to limited funding the College cannot guarantee to support every application it receives.
• Applications can take up to 10 working days to process but where possible this will be kept to a minimum.
• If an application is unsuccessful, both the learner and the Childcare provider will be notified in writing and the learner will be liable for any costs incurred.
• If an application is successful, notification will be sent to the learner’s e-mail address provided on their application form and to the e-mail address provided by the Childcare provider which will confirm the support in place. It will also detail the start and end dates for childcare funding support and expected costs per month for the academic year.

Government Funded Free Childcare Education for 2 year olds

From the term after your child turns two, you might be entitled to up to 15 hours a week of free flexible childcare over 38 weeks of the year. This is called free Early Education and it’s paid for by the government.

If your child is eligible, you will be able to claim free hours when they turn 2 years old, the date you can claim from will depend on when your child’s birthday is.

Government Funded Free Childcare for 3 -4 year olds

All 3 to 4-year-olds in England can get 570 hours of free early education or childcare per year. It’s usually taken as 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year. Some 2-year-olds may also be eligible.

You may be able to get 30 hours of free early education and childcare. To find out further information please visit  https://gov.uk/apply-30-hours-free-tax-free-childcare

The date you can start to claim free hours depends when your child’s birthday is:

Birthday on or between	When to Claim
1 January and 31 March	Summer Term (1st April)
1 April and 31 August	Autumn Term (1st September)
1 September and 31 December	Spring Term (1st January)

To check your eligibility for these free hours, please contact the Families Information Service on 0800 0345 340 or e-mail: infoFIS@barnsley.gov.uk.

Please note: If you are eligible or already in receipt of the free Early Education hours paid for by the Government then you MUST use these in the first instance for your timetabled College lessons. The College will only support where there is a shortfall in hours. If you are not eligible for free Government Funding then the maximum allowance paid is up to £180 per week.