When to apply

Your child is eligible from the term following their 2nd birthday. The table below shows when you can access a place and when to apply so your child can start as soon as they are eligible.

Childs birthday	When you can access a place	When you can apply from
1 April – 31 August	1 September (autumn term)	1 April
1 September – 31 December	1 January (spring term)	1 September
1 Jan – 31 March	1 April (summer term)	1 January

Please note - Eligibility is based upon household income. Parents/carers who live in the same household must only submit one application per child (i.e. please do not submit multiple applications for each parent/carer living in the same household).

Parents/carers who are separated will need to agree between themselves who submits the 2-year-old application. If more than 1 application is received for the same child, we will contact each applicant to request further evidence of parental responsibility.

Eligible working families

To access the 15 hours childcare support for working parents from 1 April 2024, you must apply for a code by 31 March 2024. We recommend you apply between the middle of January and end of February 2024 to get your code in time.

You can apply from when your child is:

• 1 year and 36 weeks old for 15 hours funded childcare