Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE)

Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) - from September 2025

Up to 30 hours childcare for eligible working families

Available for children aged 9 months to 4 year olds

Up to 30 hours of funded childcare support over 38 weeks of the year (or up to 22 hours per week over 51 weeks of the year) for children aged between 9 months and 4 years old. Funding available from the term after your child reaches eligible age Please visit the Best Start in Life website to check your eligibility and for details on how to apply.

Up to 15 hours childcare for eligible families of 2 year olds receiving some additional forms of support (Local Authority Funding)

Available for children aged 2 years receiving some additional forms of support.

Eligible 2-year-olds can receive funded childcare support of up to 570 hours of childcare (up to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year or up to 11 hours per week over 51 weeks of the year) each year from the start of the term after their second birthday.

This funding is applied for via West Sussex County Council and is for families in receipt of some forms of government support. Please visit the West Sussex County Council webpages for further information on eligibility criteria and details on how to apply.

Up to 15 Hours “Universal” Funded Childcare

For all children aged 3-4 years

All 3- & 4-year-olds automatically receive funding to support up to 570 hours of childcare (15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year or 11 hours per week over 51 weeks of the year) each year from the start of the term after their third birthday. You do not need to apply for this funding.

When can you start the funding?

Your child becomes eligible for funding from the start of the term after they reach the eligible age.

A child born on or between:	will be eligible for funding from:
1 April and 31 August	The start of the Autumn Term following turning 9 months old, 2 years old, or 3 years old
1 September and 31st December	The start of the Spring Term following turning 9 months old, 2 years old, or 3 years old
1 January and 31 March	The start of the Summer Term following turning 9 months old, 2 years old, or 3 years old. Please note the Summer Term starts the week after the Easter Holidays

Headcount Day

It is important to know when Headcount Day is each term, as children in receipt of funding must be in attendance by this date to access any funding for that term. The only exception to this is for Local Authority funded 2-year-olds (those issued with a 6-digit eligibility code) who can start at any point during the term. Headcount Days are usually towards the end of Janaury, April and September. These dates are set by West Sussex County Council.

If your child joins Kamelia Kids after the week of Headcount Day, the nursery cannot claim any until the following term (unless they are a 9 month old with a valid Working Family Funding code, or a Local Authority funded 2-year old with a 6 digit eligibility code). Any sessions will be charged at our unfunded rates until the funding starts, or you can choose to delay the start of your child at our nursery until the beginning of the next term.

Once your child is using their funded hours, if you choose to increase your child’s hours after Headcount Day, any increases to the funding cannot be made until the start of the following term.

Stretched Funding at Kamelia Kids

The standard 15 or 30 hours funding is usually spread over 38 weeks of the year. We can stretch our funding over the 51 weeks that we are open for children that attend Full Year to apply up to 11 or 22 hours funding over 51 weeks of the year. This means it is applied more consistently over the course of the year.

Parent Declaration Form

Families in receipt of funding will be asked and sent a link to complete an online FE Parent Declaration Form via Funding Loop. We are unable to make any funding claims without this form. We will ask you to complete a new form if any of your circumstances change (e.g. new address, change to sessions, change from 2-year-old funding to 3-year-old funding).

What does this funding cover the cost of?

The money we receive for the funding from the Government is intended to cover the cost of childcare and the delivery of the Early Years Foundation Stage only. In reality, the funding we receive is a lot less than what it costs for the nursery to deliver the childcare itself, let alone the cost of any overheads such as consumables, cleaning costs, food etc.

It therefore does not cover the cost of a range of other services that our nursery provides. These include, but are not limited to:

Breakfast, lunch, tea and snacks
Activities over and above the provision of the Early Years Foundation Stage, such as Spanish Lessons, and enhanced ratios for Beach School, and other off-site outings.
Consumables such as nappies, baby wipes, nappy cream, sun cream, art and craft and other resources.

Funded Only Spaces (limited spaces available)

We are dedicated to supporting families and giving every child the best possible start in life. It is our mission to enable young children to thrive in a learning and caring environment, therefore, to support eligible families who would not normally have the opportunity to access quality childcare, we are able to offer 1 Funded Only space to a family in receipt of 9m+ FE, 8 Funded Only spaces to families in receipt of 2-year-old FE and 24 Funded Only spaces to families in receipt of 3- & 4-year-old FE (Universal or Extended). These spaces are allocated on a first come-first serve basis, with priority being given to Children We Care For (children in foster care).

Our Funded Only spaces are offered over a Term Time Only (38 weeks) or stretched (51 weeks) basis. Please discuss with us to on how best to maximise your funding, subject to availability.

Our Funded Only sessions are all inclusive other than a lunch. You can chose to purchase a hot lunches or provide a healthy packed lunch as an alternative. There are no other costs for a Fully Funded session.