Treehouse Pre-School offers places for eligible 2 year old's.

 

Here at Treehouse we are passionate about providing plenty of spaces for Two Year Old's.

You can receive up to 570 hours per year completely free (15 hours per week)

 

Who is eligible ?

When can my child start ?

 

2nd Birthday Between	Eligible from
1st Apr and 31st Aug	Start of Autumn term (September)
1st Sept and 31st Dec	Start of Spring Term (January)
1st Jan and 31st Mar	Start of Summer Term (after Easter

 

30 Hour Funding

The Government's 30-hours funded childcare places for working parents of three- and four-year-olds has thrown up quite a few questions and how it differs from the current 15 hours childcare offer. 

 

Below we address some of those questions including how to sign up for the 30 hours offer.

 

Is my family eligible for 30 hours funding?

You will be eligible for the 30-hour funded childcare offer if:

• You earn more than the equivalent of 16 hours at the national living wage or minimum wage per week: for example, £120 per week if you are 25 or older.

 

There is no requirement to work a certain amount of hours per week – it is all about how much you earn. This means if you only work 10 hours a week but earn £12 per hour, you will meet the minimum earning threshold. Apprentices are also eligible as long as they earn the equivalent to 16 hours at the apprentice minimum wage and earning less than 100k a year.

This applies if you are self-employed or on a zero-hours contract and expect to meet the earning criteria on average over the three months after you have applied for the 30-hours. HMRC will look at data such as your previous earnings to consider whether you are likely to meet the criteria and may contact you for further information if they are unsure. 

 

 

If you are starting up your own business, you will not be expected to meet the minimum earning criteria in your first year of trading. 

 

If you are not working but you expect to take up paid work within 14 days, you can still apply for 30 hours, as long as you expect to meet the income criteria over the coming three months.

 

If you are a single parent and meet the above criteria, you will be eligible for the 30 hours. If you live with a partner, you both must meet the above criteria. This still applies if one of you is not the child’s parent – for example, if you have remarried or have started living with a new partner. If you are separated/divorced from your child’s parent, the eligibility rules will only apply to the parent that the child normally lives with (and their new partner if they are part of the same household).

 

What if I am sick or caring for someone?

You will not have to meet the minimum earnings criteria if:

 

You and your partner are employed but one or both of you is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity or paternity, adoption leave, or on statutory sick pay

 

You are employed but your partner either has substantial caring responsibilities, or is disabled or incapacitated, or vice versa (i.e. your partner is employed but you have caring responsibilities or are disabled or incapacitated). This is dependent on you or your partner being entitled to specific disability or caring benefits.

 

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How do I sign up for the 30 hours?

 

You can apply for both the 30-hour offer and tax-free childcare via a single application on the  Childcare Choices website .

 

To complete the application, you provide your name, address and national insurance number, as well as whether you expect to meet the income requirements over the next three months and whether you are in receipt of any benefits. 

 

If you live with a partner, you will need to provide the same information for them as well. This will enable HMRC to decide whether your child is eligible for the 30 hours (as well as tax-free childcare).

 

If you are eligible, you will be given an 11-digit code that you will need to take to your childcare provider along with your national insurance number and your child’s birth certificate.

 

Your provider will then use the Government’s eligibility checking system to check the code is valid. If it is, they will be able to book your child’s place. At Treehouse we currently offer 27 hours a week funding.

 

You will need to reconfirm your eligibility every three months and will receive a reminder text message or email from the Government before the deadline.

From 2 January 2024, eligible working parents will be able to apply to HMRC for 15 hours of childcare for their two-year-old. Parents have until 31 March to apply for a code, with the best time in mid-January to the end of February, in case they need to provide further information to support their application.

To apply each parent needs to be working and earning the equivalent of 16 hours a week at national minimum or living wage and under £100,000 adjusted net income per year. This means that each parents need to earn from just over £8,600 per year to be eligible for 15 hours a week of childcare during term time.

Once confirmed as eligible HMRC will issue an 11 digit eligibility code per child. Parents will need to take the eligibility code to their chosen provider to secure a funded place.

More information on the range of childcare support available to parents can be found in the Childcare Choices toolkit. There is also a handy eligibility checker on the Childcare Choices website which parents can use to find out how they can save money on their childcare.

Please note: If a parent applies more than three months before the start of the new term they will need to reconfirm their details to ensure they are still eligible.