Early education for 3 and 4 year olds

If you live in the Peterborough City Council area, you can now get 15 hours per week of free childcare and education for your 3 or 4 year old child for 38 weeks per year (split into terms closely associated with school terms). If you live in neighbouring local authority areas like Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire you will currently only be able to claim 12½ hours of free childcare.

 

The only childcare providers who can claim the 15 free hours are day nurseries, pre-schools/playgroups, nursery schools/classes and accredited network childminders.

 

Just find a pre-school, day nursery or accredited network childminder who can offer the hours you want.  You will be asked by the setting to complete an application form and they will claim the hours for you.

 

To help parents who work or study, the free 15 hours should be spread over 3 days (or more per week). The free hours can also be taken over lunchtimes, although any food costs are not included in the offer.

 

You will have to pay for any additional hours at the childcare provider's normal hourly rate.

 

You can choose to just use your 15 free hours and providers cannot insist that you take up extras such as lunches/breakfasts or extra hours of childcare.

 

You will need to ask your childcare provider if they are part of the scheme, most childcare providers in Peterborough are taking part, but childminders need to be accredited to be able to offer the free hours.  The 15 hours are only available to children living in the Peterborough City Council area.

 

All 3 and 4 year olds who live in the Peterborough City Council area are eligible for 15 free hours. The free hours start the term after the childs 3^rd birthday (and continue for 6 terms prior to the child's 5^th birthday).

 

 

This extension of hours and making them more flexible is being trialled in the Peterborough City Council area and other parts of England as a Pathfinder project.  The aim of the government is to learn from the experience here in Peterborough and then provide these extended and flexible hours of childcare for the whole country in 2010.