Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
What is the definition of an eligible child?
If your child lives in a Flying Start area, they can access Flying Start Childcare from the term following their second birthday up until the end of the term that they turn three. There are specific deadline dates by which your child must be 2 years old to qualify for childcare the following term.
I don’t think I’ll be eligible, how can I check?
We have recently expanded the areas that are eligible to receive Flying Start Childcare, if you haven’t done so already, we would encourage you to use our postcode checker to check if you’re eligible.
Other postcodes around me are entitled, I think my postcode should be included.
Flying Start is a geographically targeted programme which uses income benefit data, a proxy indicator for poverty, to target areas with the highest proportions of children aged 0-3 living in income benefit households. These areas have been identified using the Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD), data from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs and are broken down by Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
The LSOAs have boundaries which means that some postcodes next to each other may fall under different LSOAs. However, if you feel that your postcode is amongst other entitled postcodes then please contact us so we can check this for you.
Why is the childcare not available for all 2 year olds?
Welsh Government are committed to delivering a phased expansion of early years provision to include all two-year-olds. Phase 1 of the expansion of Flying Start, was launched in September 2022 and included all four elements of the Flying Start programme, enhanced Health Visiting, support for speech, language and communication, parenting support, and high-quality childcare. Phase 2, from April 2023, focuses on a phased roll out of the part-time, high-quality childcare element of Flying Start to 2-3 year olds. Phase 3 will scope what may be required to move to universal Flying Start for all children across Wales. Welsh Government have not yet confirmed when this is likely to commence.
I’m working so why can’t my child access the childcare just because I don’t live in the right postcode?
Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s targeted Early Years programme for families with children under 4 years of age who live in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Wales. Flying Start aims to make a decisive difference to the life chances of children by mitigating the impact of poverty, which is linked to poor life outcomes in early childhood, including health outcomes.
The programme is not linked to council tax bandings. Flying Start is a geographically targeted programme which uses income benefit data, a proxy indicator for poverty, to target areas with the highest proportions of children aged 0-3 living in income benefit households. These areas have been identified using the Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD), data from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs and are broken down by Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs).
What happens where parents have separated but do not share equal custody of a child?
Your child is eligible for Flying Start at the address where they live most of the time, and it is that parent that should apply.
What happens in families where parents live apart but have equal custody of a child?
One parent needs to be nominated to act as the lead parent and will need to live in a Flying Start Area. The way in which the funded hours are used by both parents is a matter for them to agree.
What happens if my child is accessing Flying Start childcare but I’ve moved to a new address within Pembrokeshire?
You or your childcare provider must complete a change of address form to tell us about the new address. If you have moved to another Flying Start area, your child will be able to continue to receive the funding. However, if you do not, your funding may need to stop. There are some circumstances where you may be able to continue to receive the funding through Flying Start outreach. In these cases, you may be asked to complete an amendment to your existing application.
What happens if my child is accessing Flying Start childcare in Carmarthenshire and we move to a new local authority area?
You or your childcare provider must complete a change of address form to tell us about the new address. Then, you need to make a new application to the new local authority. They will check your child is eligible then complete the necessary checks.
Can I choose a childcare setting closer to where I work?
Yes. If your child has been approved for Flying Start childcare and you already use the setting, we will fund the placement at any of our approved Flying Start childcare providers. It does not need to be the settings closest to where you live.
Accessing Flying Start Childcare
How many hours of childcare will be funded?
Flying Start Childcare is a maximum of 12.5 hours per week, for 39 weeks usually during term-time.
Which times of day can Flying Start Childcare be accessed?
High quality part time Flying Start childcare sessions focus on improving the outcomes for children and to support their transition into early education and beyond. To achieve maximum benefit, sessions should be 2½ hours per day, 5 days a week. Whilst there is some flexibility with this, which can be discussed on an individual basis, we would encourage children to access a Flying Start session which does not include sleep or lunch times.
Is there a limit to the number of hours Flying Start Childcare can be accessed during any one day?
Yes. Sessions should be for 2.5 hours per day, 5 days a week, so that the child gets the maximum benefit from the programme. However, in some circumstances, if you are a working family for example, you may wish to use 2 sessions a day (this equates to 5 hours) to support your work pattern. You can discuss this with your chosen Flying Start childcare provider to check if their registration would allow for this. Both the Flying Start setting and the family must agree this arrangement.
Further national guidance is as follows:
- Sessions times must support the needs of the family. If only a 2.5-hour session is required per day, under the terms of the contract and in adherence with their Statement of Purpose, the provider must accommodate this request.
- A flexible approach to the number of sessions attended is often required to cater for the needs of parents or children. For example, if a parent decides to bring the child for three sessions only, this should be accommodated. However, providers should encourage parents to take up their full entitlement where possible.
- The Flying Start childcare session should be focussed on high quality development opportunities and so should not include sleep, lunch, or wraparound care.
- Sessions times must be transparent and stated in the childcare provider’s Statement of Purpose. To access two sessions in one day, the childcare setting must be registered for full day care and identify the sessions in their Statement of Purpose clearly identifying that children could stay for two sessions a day. More than 2.5 hours cannot be provided by sessional providers who can only deliver care for the same child for less than 4hours in one day.
- Anything outside the agreed approved Flying Start funded hours, for example more than the 2.5 / 5-hour session, is regarded as additional hours and must be agreed in the contract between the parent and the provider as they would be chargeable by the provider.
Can I carry over unused hours to the next week or school holiday?
No. You are not able to ‘bank’ childcare hours, in other words, carry over any unused hours from one week to another. Nor can unused hours be used in school holidays. Flying Start childcare is usually during term time. The number of hours funded cannot exceed 12.5 in any term time week and you can choose how much of the 12.5 hours to take up. Any hours not used in a week will be lost. You can pay for additional hours of childcare, over and above the 12.5 hours, at your own expense.
Is there flexibility to change the hours booked within a week?
Yes, this is possible provided the childcare provider can accommodate the change. If you wish to increase the funded hours, this cannot exceed 12.5 hours of funding per week or more than 5 hours within any one day.
Who can deliver Flying Start Childcare?
The funded childcare is only available at approved childcare settings who have met the required quality criteria and are contracted to provide Flying Start childcare on our behalf.
We are currently working to increase the number of Flying Start childcare places available in Pembrokeshire by supporting our childcare providers who are not yet contracted to offer Flying Start to meet the quality criteria required by the scheme. We will continue to update the list of providers as more are able to offer Flying Start.
What happens if my childcare provider does not want to offer Flying Start Childcare?
If you are using, or wish to use, a childcare provider who is not contracted by us to provide Flying Start childcare, you must decide whether to continue with that provider and not receive the funding or to use an alternative provider that is contracted to provide Flying Start.
How many approved Flying Start childcare settings can my child access?
A fundamental aim of the Flying Start programme is to offer the child consistent, quality childcare. Therefore, we discourage you from using more than one childcare provider for Flying Start childcare.
Can childcare providers in Pembrokeshire provide Flying Start childcare to children from other local authority areas?
Yes. However, you will need to discuss the potential funding with the relevant local authority. Flying Start Pembrokeshire cannot fund children who live outside of the County.
Is Flying Start Childcare available during bank holiday?
This would depend on the individual childcare provider, and you would have to check with them directly.