We understand that covering the cost of childcare isn't always easy, but the good news is that there a number of government initiatives that can help support families during their time at Partou. And from this September that support gets even better!
No matter which stage you're at in your childcare journey, we're here to help by making it as easy as possible to understand what support you can get with your childcare costs.
Childcare funding is changing and more families than ever before will be eligible for working family funded childcare than ever before.
30 Hours Working Family Funded Childcare for Children aged 9 months – 4 years
As of 1st September 2025, working families may be eligible for 30 hours funded childcare for children aged 9 months to 4 years until they go to school. This is as part of a Government commitment to help make childcare more affordable. The funding is applied as 30 hours for the 38 term weeks of the academic year at a maximum of 10 hours per day as per Local Authority guidelines which is a total of 1,140 hours a year. Families requiring year-round childcare will be able to “stretch” this so that they receive funding across the full year. For example: 1,140 hours divided by the 52 weeks of the year is 21.92 hours of working family funded childcare each week.
Working Family Funded Childcare Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, you will need to meet the following criteria:
You must live in England
You and your partner earn at least £195 per week if over the age of 21 (equivalent to 16 hours on National Minimum Wage)
You or your partner must not earn over £100,000 per annum adjusted net income (after tax)
You may still be eligible if you are on sick or parental leave and if you are claiming benefits. It’s best to check your working family funded childcare eligibility against the full criteria so you know what funding you are entitled to.
To access this funding you will need an Eligibility Code and to follow the working family funding access guide provided at the bottom of this blog.
The deadline for applications is the day before the term begins however we encourage families to apply at least 6 weeks earlier to ensure all parties have enough time to complete their tasks.
Period your child turns 9 months
Term you can access 30 funded hours childcare from
Recommended Application Period
1st January to 31st March
Term starting on or after 1st April
15th January – 28th February
1st April – 31st August
Term starting on or after 1st September
15th June – 31st July
1st September to 31st December
Term starting on or after 1st January
15th October -30th November
The time of year you apply for funding could impact how much funding you receive. This is due to funding being applied during term-time only (these dates vary across different local authorities). For example, if you apply mid-term then this may impact the number of funded hours you receive across the term and some Local Authorities do not facilitate mid-term starts, our Family Care Team will be able to assist you with this as part of your nursery onboarding.
Working Family Funded Childcare Checklist:
Here is your checklist to make sure you have done everything you need to access the funding:
Complete Funding Loop paperwork once received via email from funding@mail.fundingloop.co.uk and return as quickly as possible.
Universal 15 Hours Funded Childcare for 3-4 Year Olds
In line with current funding, all 3-4 year olds continue to be eligible for 15 hours childcare for the 38 weeks of the school year at a maximum of 10 hours per day as determined by the Local Authority that your Partou Nursery belongs to. This is equal to 570 funded weeks per year which can be applied as either term time only or a “stretched” year-round funding. If you access childcare all year round, this could be 570 funded hours divided by the 52 weeks of the year to give you 10.96 funded childcare hours per week.
Universal 15 hours funded childcare access dates
Period your child turns 3 in:
Term you can access the universal 3-4 year old 15 hours funding:
1st January – 31st March
Term starting on or after 1st April
1st April – 31st August
Term starting on or after 1st September
1st September – 31st December
Term starting on or after 1st January
How to access the 15 hours universal funded childcare for 3-4 year olds
As all 3-4 year olds are eligible for this funding, you will not need to apply however you will receive a Free Early Years Entitlement (FEEE) Declaration Form via email so that your funding can be applied.
How to redeem your childcare funding code
To benefit from the new childcare funding support during your time at Partou, you must redeem a funded childcare Eligibility Code by following the steps below:
Step 1. To apply you’ll need a Government Online Childcare Account log in. If this is the first time you access this you will need to provide some supporting documents and information such as your National Insurance Number, Unique Taxpayer Reference if you’re self-employed and the UK birth certificate reference number of the children you are applying for.
Step 2. Apply within the Online Childcare Account for your funded hours. Once you have applied, you will receive an 11-digit eligibility code. Please pass this to your Partou Nursery using this online funding code form. Your Nursery Management Team will then check this code and add it to your account.
Step 3. Once this has been done you will receive a Free Early Years Entitlement (FEEE) Parental Declaration form from Funding Loop to check and sign. Please return this as quickly as possible so that the funding can be applied and your nursery can claim this from the Local Authority.
Step 4. Your funding will be applied to your invoice which will be issued on the 15th of each month for the month ahead.
The Free Early Years Entitlement (FEEE) Parental Declaration form will be sent to you via Funding Loop. Funding Loop is the online system Partou nurseries use to collect completed Parental Declaration forms each term. We need these to be able to claim funded hours from the Local Authority.
Look out for emails from funding@mail.fundingloop.co.uk and please try to complete and return these as quickly as possible to make sure that your funding is confirmed for the term ahead.
Your Partou Nursery will assist you with any queries you have about your application however please do remember that it is your responsibility to apply for your funding, pass your eligibility code to your nursery and sign your Parental Declaration.
Please remember you’ll have to reconfirm your working family eligibility code every three months. Your nursery may remind you when this is due, and you will see your renewal period dates in your Online Childcare Account, however the responsibility for renewal lies with families.
Meals and snacks, consumables and extras
Invoices will be very clearly broken down into costs for care, meals and snacks, consumables and extras for transparency.
The 30 or 15 hours funding that nurseries receive from the Local Authority is for care only. This means that meals and snacks, consumables (such as nappies, wipes, suncream plus other health and hygiene essentials) plus extras (such as extra-curricular classes or activities to enhance your child’s nursery experience) will not be covered by funding.
It should be noted that these charges are not mandatory or a condition of your child receiving a funded place at a Partou nursery. We make these charges clear on your invoice so you have a transparent view of how this is calculated. Charging for these items ensures that your Partou nursery is able to maintain a hygienic and safe environment and that we can continue to invest in the nursery to provide a high standard of care at a quality setting.
Mealtimes are also a very important part of Partou nursery life and we have worked closely with food experts, families and governing bodies to offer healthy, balanced and enjoyable meals and snacks in an engaging and educational social setting. This sets children up with solid foundations for nutrition and enjoyment of food and encourages them to share this experience with their peers to develop a range of food based and social skills.
At Partou we offer seasonal 3-week rotating menus which expose children to a range of foods and flavours balanced alongside their familiar favourites. We continue to invest in our food provision and the meals and snacks charge allows us to build lifelong healthy eating habits for the children that attend our nurseries.
“Extras” on your invoice applies to extra-curricular activities such as music classes, trips or any activities in the nursery provided by external provider.
If you are unable to pay these fees or would like to discuss them in more detail, please raise this using this online feedback form and a member of the Customer Service Team will be in touch.
Partou are here to help
Whether you’re considering a nursery place for the first time or trying to understand your eligibility at a different stage of your child’s journey, Partou are able to provide the funding support you need.
If you’re already enrolled at one of our nurseries, we advise speaking to your nursery manager as first point of call. You can find their contact details on your local nursery page. If you’re new to Partou, then our Family Care Team are the go-to support line.
Simply send us an email by clicking here, and one of our advisors will be in touch to answer any questions and help you discover more about the options available to you.
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