Explorers Nursery is proud to offer parents and carers access to various forms of funding provided by the government to parents/carers of children who meet the criteria for each of the funding streams available below.

You will not be entitled to funding if your child does not normally live with you.

Information below is correct as of April 2024.

Benefit's Based two year old funding

Your 2-year-old can get free childcare if you live in England and get any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)

2-year-olds can also get free childcare if they:

• are looked after by a local authority
• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• get Disability Living Allowance
• have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order

There may also be additional costs on top of the funded hours, these include: 

• Meals
• Nappies
• Additional Hours
• Activities such as trips

Universal 15 hours of funding for three and four year olds

All parents of children aged three to four can access 15 hours of government funded childcare a week. It doesn't matter how much you earn or how many hours you work.

There may also be additional costs on top of the funded hours, these include: 

• Meals
• Nappies
• Additional Hours
• Activities such as trips

Extended 15 hours of funding for Two Year Olds (new funding brought in from April 2024)

Working parents or carers of children aged two in England are now entitled to 15 hours government funded childcare a week. There are criteria parents will need to meet to be classed as a working parent or carer. Please Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

There may also be additional costs on top of the funded hours, these include: 

• Meals
• Nappies
• Additional Hours
• Activities such as trips

Extended 30 hours of funding for Three and Four year olds

Working parents or carers of children aged three to four in England are currently entitled to 30 hours government funded childcare a week. There are criteria parents will need to meet to be classed as a working parent or carer (e.g. must receive a level of income that roughly equates to 16 hours of paid hours a week at national living wage). Please Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

There may also be additional costs on top of the funded hours, these include: 

• Meals
• Nappies
• Additional Hours
• Activities such as trips

Additional Funding From September 2025

Children of working parents/carers aged from from two years old will now be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week as long as they meet the government's criteria. Please Check you're eligible for free childcare if you're working - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).