Department For Education
To access a government-funded childcare entitlement place, parents and carers must apply for an eligibility code. The code is then validated by early years providers or local authorities when a place has been secured at an early years setting.
This publication provides the number of eligibility codes issued to parents and the number of codes validated to date.
In March 2023, the government announced that funded childcare hours would be extended to children of eligible working parents in England from 9 months old to support increased parental engagement in the labour market.
The policy has a phased rollout, with 15 hours per week for 38 weeks a year offered to eligible parents of 2-year-olds from April 2024 and to eligible parents of children under 2 from September 2024.
From September 2025, all eligible parents of children aged 9 months and older will be able to access 30 hours per week for 38 weeks a year.