The Childcare Offer Wales

1. The Childcare Offer for Wales: help with childcare costs for eligible parents of 3 to 4 year olds

2. Who can apply? Am I eligible

3. What’s included in the Offer? How many hours am I eligible for under the Offer?

4. Choosing a childcare setting

5. Charges for food, transport and activities

6. School holiday entitlement

7. Effect on benefits

8. How and when can I apply?

9. Registering your Childcare Setting

10. Help

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What’s included in the Offer? How many hours am I eligible for under the Offer?

The Welsh Government’s Childcare Offer for Wales means that many parents of 3 to 4 year olds can receive help with childcare costs.

This means 30 hours of early education and childcare in Wales for eligible parents. The 30 hours is made up of a minimum of 10 hours of early education a week and a maximum of 20 hours a week of childcare.

The Offer is available for 48 weeks of the year, meaning that it can help you with childcare costs for some of the school holidays.

Parents and guardians can apply for childcare and early education for up to 30 hours a week.

30 hours is made up of:

at least 10 hours of early education a week
up to 20 hours a week of childcare

The amount of childcare funded hours depends on the number of hours of early education your child attends a week.

Early Education

All children are entitled to 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

During term time, this early education will be part of the Offer’s 30 hours.

During the school holidays when there is no early education the Offer provides 30 hours a week of childcare for up to 9 weeks of the year.

Schools in Pembrokeshire offer a variety of different hours and sessions for part time early education for 3 – 4 year olds. This varies from 10 hours per week to 15 hours per week.

Please note: If you intend to access the early education element of the Offer, you need to apply directly to your local authority before you begin to complete the Childcare Offer for Wales agreement on the digital platform.

This application is only for the childcare element of the Childcare Offer (up to 20 hours). Further details on how to apply for your child’s early education place in Pembrokeshire.

If you have had that education place confirmed then have those details to hand when creating an agreement with your provider. You will need to know the town and postcode of the education setting.

The number of hours of funded childcare will depend on the number of hours of early education per week your child is receiving. No combined total should exceed 30 hours.

For example:

If your child receives 10 hours of early education per week - You are eligible for a maximum of 20 hours of funded childcare through the Childcare Offer.
If your child receives 15 hours of early education per week - You are eligible for a maximum of 15 hours of funded childcare through the Childcare Offer.

Please note: You cannot swap education hours for childcare hours, or childcare hours for education hours. You can pay for additional hours of childcare yourself based on a private contract between you and your childcare provider.

If your child is eligible for full-time education in your local authority:

you will not be eligible for the Childcare Offer during term time
you may still be eligible for the Childcare Offer during school holidays, if they are aged 3 or 4.

ID: 7218, revised 19/09/2024