Childcare Funding Options
Covering the cost of childcare isn’t always easy, especially in the current financial climate. The UK government offers a range of funded childcare schemes to help lighten the financial load.
Take a look through all the available options to see what childcare funding can help your family.
Changes to Funded Childcare from April 2024
In March 2023, the Government announced plans to increase access to funded childcare hours to include younger children. You may be eligible for 15 hours funding for your 2 year-old if you are working and earning at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the national living or minimum wage, but less than £100,000 a year.
If you are a couple then this applies to each of you – if one of you doesn’t work, or one of you earns over £100,000 you won’t be eligible.
To find out more about the new funding, please sign up on the government Childcare Choices website.
Whilst the details of the new funding are being finalised, we are working towards being able to offer the new two-year-old funding in the vast majority of our nurseries making sure families use their funding to its full potential.
Tax-Free Childcare
Tax-Free Childcare is a UK government initiative designed to help working parents with the cost of childcare.
For every 80p you (or someone else) pays in, the government will top up an extra 20p. This is equivalent of the tax most people pay - 20% - which is how the scheme got its name.
15 Hours Funded
In England, there are two government funded 15 hours free early education schemes that offer childcare for children aged two, three and four:
- 15 hours funded childcare for eligible 2-year-olds
- 15 hours funded childcare for all 3 and 4-year-olds
30 Hours Funding in England
Bright Horizons are pleased to offer 30 hours funded childcare for all eligible families.
All 3 and 4-year-olds in England currently receive 15 hours a week government funded early education. If their parents are living and working in England, 3 and 4-year-olds may be entitled to 30 hours funded childcare, which is up to 1,140 hours per year in total!
1140 Hours Funding in Scotland
If your child is 3 or 4 years old, then from August 2021 you will be able to access up to 1140 hours of funded Early Learning and Childcare a year. About a quarter of 2-year-olds in Scotland are also eligible. These hours are free to you, funded by the Scottish Government, and Local Authorities are responsible for ensuring that funded entitlement is available for all eligible children in their area. Bright Horizons liaises closely with each Local Authority to ensure that we offer the funded childcare to best support our families.
Childcare Vouchers
If you joined either one of these schemes on or before 4 October 2018, you're still able to receive these vouchers and use them to support your childcare payments with us.
Download our guides
Discover more about what we can offer your family by downloading our easy to read set of guides. Explore our Bright Horizons nurseries and discover the funding options available - from funded childcare and tax free childcare, to childcare vouchers plus key dates. You can also find out what’s included in our fees and how we support families from the beginning.
