Once you have chosen a childcare provider offering funded places and your child's eligibility has been confirmed, you will be asked to complete a Parent Declaration Form before your child can access their funded hours.
The Parent Declaration Form confirms the funded childcare hours your child will receive and allows your provider to claim funding on your behalf.
Before completing the form, please read the information below so you understand how funded childcare works in Manchester.
If you have any questions about your funded childcare entitlement or completing the Parent Declaration Form, please speak to your childcare provider.
Important information about funded childcare
- Please refer to the Types of Funded Childcare Available for information about funding ages, available funding offers, eligibility criteria and how to apply.
- You can claim up to 570 funded hours in an eligibility year across all providers attended, or up to 1,140 hours if you are eligible for the 30-hour entitlement. This is up to 15 funded hours a week, or up to 30 funded hours a week if eligible.
- You can claim a maximum of 10 funded hours in one day.
- Your provider may offer a stretched entitlement. This means your child receives fewer funded hours each week over more weeks of the year. Your provider will explain how this works and it should be agreed in your contract.
- You can claim funded hours with up to two providers on the same day, provided you do not exceed your total entitlement.
- You must tell your provider if your child attends another childcare setting or school and receives funded hours there, as this may affect the number of funded hours available to you.
- You must tell your provider if your child is leaving the setting and give their leaving date. This may affect your ability to claim funding at another provider. Your provider may also require a notice period.
- Funding cannot be claimed with a childminder who is related to your child.
Children aged 9 months to 2 years
- Children aged 9 months to 2 years can move to a different provider during the term. However, your current provider may require up to 4 weeks' notice. If you leave before the notice period ends, this may reduce the funded hours available at your new provider. Please note, if you purchase additional childcare hours, notice periods may apply in line with your provider's contract.
- If your child joins a childcare setting part way through a term, there must be at least 3 weeks remaining in the term and at least 3 weeks of funded entitlement available for that term.
- If your child is aged 2 and you have a valid Working Parent Entitlement code, your childcare provider will also check whether your child is eligible for Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds funding.
- If your child is eligible for both schemes, your provider will claim 15 hours from each funding stream, allowing your child to access their full 30 funded hours in line with Department for Education guidance.
- If your child receives both the Working Parent Entitlement and Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds funding, and you later become ineligible for the Working Parent Entitlement, your child can continue to receive 15 funded hours through the Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds offer.
- Once eligibility for Early Learning for 2-Year-Olds funding has been confirmed, it continues until your child becomes eligible for the Universal 15 Hours entitlement in the term after their third birthday, even if your circumstances change. This is why your provider will complete checks for both funding offers.
Further information:
Children aged 3 and 4 years
- Children aged 3 and 4 must be attending their childcare setting on National Headcount Day for the provider to receive funding for that term. Your childcare provider can tell you the National Headcount Day for each term.
- If you give notice to end your child's place, or your child leaves before National Headcount Day, you may be required to pay for any childcare received before that date.
- If your child leaves after National Headcount Day, you may not be able to access a funded place at a new childcare setting until the following term.
- If you are no longer eligible for the Working Parent Entitlement, your child will still be entitled to the Universal 15 Hours offer.
- Providers cannot apply a notice period where a child only attends on a fully funded 3 and 4-year-old place. However, if you purchase additional childcare hours, notice periods may apply in line with your provider's contract.
Further information: