➭ What is the Childcare Offer?
The Welsh Government recognises that affordable, available, and accessible childcare enables parents to work, supporting its drive to increase economic growth, tackle poverty and reduce inequalities.
With the Childcare Offer for Wales, you could receive up to 30 hours of funded early education and childcare a week, for up to 48 weeks of the year.
As the Childcare Offer for Wales is a combined Offer, made up of Early Years part time education and childcare provision, children must be of an age to be eligible to access both these elements at the same time.
The Offer is a maximum of 30 hours of combined education and childcare. If parental eligibility has been established, children will usually receive the childcare element of the Offer from the term after their third birthday, until they are offered a full time education place.
*Learning Foundation Nursery part time Early education hours cannot be exchanged for childcare hours*
Foundation Learning Funding.
All children are entitled to part time Early Education (formerly known as Foundation Phase Nursery) from the term after their third birthday. All local authorities provide a minimum of 10 hours per week of early education, this could be in a:
• Local school
• Playgroup
• Day nursery
• Cylch Meithrin
The Childcare Offer funds CHILDCARE HOURS only. You cannot apply for FPN provision (education hours) through this application.
For further information about the different types of settings that are available https://fis.carmarthenshire.gov.wales/approved-pre-school-settings/
Parents do not have to access their Early Education entitlement (FPN) in order to access the Childcare Offer. However their entitlement will include these hours whether they access them or not.
Approved-PreSchool-Settings-in-Carmarthenshire April 2024
List-of-Schools-3-11-FPN-hrs July 2023
Please check your local authority School Admissions Policy to check when your child is eligible to start the FPN provision.
For queries about Early Learning Education Funding, please contact the Early Years Team by email: nonmaintained@carmarthenshireshire.gov.uk
