- Aims of the early years service
- Childcare Act
- Children's centres
- Childcare sufficiency assessment
- Early learning and childcare places
- Inclusion works
- Information for parents
- Information for providers
- Information updates
- Key partners
- Play policy and strategy consultation
- Toolkit - online safety
- Toolkit - toddlers
- Training
- Safeguarding audit
CONTACT
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Mail :
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Early Years Service Advisory Support, Childcare 0-19 and Children's Centres Plymouth City Council Plymouth PL1 2AA |
| 01752 307450 | |
| earlyyears@plymouth.gov.uk |
LINKS
- Directgov
- Department for Education
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Early learning and childcare places
As of April 2010 the early learning and childcare funding for three and four year olds increased to 15 hours per week. Your child is entitled to up to 15 hours of free early learning and childcare each week for up to 38 weeks a year during school term time. The hours can take place in nurseries (including school nursery classes), playgroups, pre-schools or at certain childminders.
The 15 hours must be used over at least three days each week and you can use a maximum of 10 hours a day between 8am and 6pm. You can also share the 15 hours between two providers.
For information on childcare available in your area visit the Plymouth Family Information Service website or call 0800 783 4259.
When can my child have their entitlement?
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Children who are three years old between: |
Will have a free place from the following: |
|---|---|
| 1 April and 31 August | September |
| 1 September and 31 December | January |
| 1 January and 31 March | April |
These free places can be offered until your child reaches statutory school age.
To support the extension of funding to 15 hours free entitlement in 2010 with increased flexibility, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (now the Department for Education) announced details regarding the early years funding reform in June 2007 which required all local authorities to:
- Analyse the cost of delivering the free entitlement in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector by March 2008
- Introduce a consistent pupil count for maintained and PVI settings from 2009/2010.
- Introduce an Early Years Single Funding Formula (EYSFF) for both maintained and PVI settings by 2010/2011.
Useful documents regarding the early learning and childcare places and early years funding reform are available to download from the documents table below by all interested parties.
Early year funding reform [315KB]Two year old funding (ME2)
Plymouth City Council is working together with the Department for Education (DfE) to offer a limited number of free places to some two year olds living in Plymouth. The scheme is designed to support your child’s learning and could help you to be able to get training or a job.
If your family qualifies, you could get a free childcare place and a range of other services to help with the everyday pressures of bringing up children.
To find out if you qualify, you can contact your local Children’s Centre, talk to your Health Visitor or contact the Family Information Service (FIS) on 0800 783 4259.
A Children’s Centre worker will be able to chat to you about the options available. If you do not qualify, the worker will help you to look at other funding and give you information on childcare, local children’s activities and support services.
For further information about this funding and how to qualify please read the ME2 leaflet available below or contact the ME2 Coordinator on 01752 307450.
ME2 funding leaflet [2MB] ME2 funding application form [78KB]
