Early Learning and Childcare Funding for two year olds

In September 2009 a free entitlement of 10 hours per week of Early Learning and Childcare was offered to 15% of the most economically deprived two year olds in Dorset. From April 2012, this is being extended to provide 15 hours per week of free entitlement for two hundred children, and will also need to be provided flexibly wherever possible. It is based on the 38 weeks of the School terms.

Two year olds are the priority because research shows good quality part-time early learning and childcare at this age brings particular gains in cognitive and early language development.

In order to be eligible, families must meet the following criteria:

The child must be two years of age (Funding will be available from the beginning of the term following their second birthday until they will be entitled to the three and four year old nursery education funding.

The family must be in receipt of one of the following income based benefits:

•  Income support
•  Income based Jobseekers Allowance
•  Child Tax Credit at a rate higher that the family element
•  Extra Working Tax Credit relating to Disability
•  Pension Credit

Must meet at least one of the following:

•  Children subject to a Child Protection Plan
•  Children in Need (as defined under Section 17 of the Childcare Act 1989)
•  Children Looked After - Care Order (as defined under Section 31 of the Childcare Act 1989)
•  Children who are Accommodated (as defined under Section 20 of the Childcare Act 1989)
•  Children who are Looked After (under a Residence Order or Special Guardianship)
•  Children who have a CAF (Common Assessment Framework)
•  Children who are registered with Early Support
•  Children from Traveller or Migrant Families
•  Parent clinically diagnosed with a Mental Health condition
•  Parent has a Learning Disability
•  Parent has a Physical Disability
•  Teenage Parents (parents under 18)
•  Families with three or more children under five
•  Families who have experienced domestic violence

 Children of families living in Temporary accommodation (i.e. Homeless under Local Authority definition)

Must be resident in a part of Dorset

(Not including Poole and Bournemouth boroughs)

Making an Application

The application form (pdf, 45kb) can be completed electronically or alternatively a hard copy can be sent to you by calling the Early Years and Childcare Service on 01305 228422. Completed application forms should be sent to the Two year old Funding Co-ordinator, whose contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Approval of application

Once the application forms are received, the application will either be approved or declined. We aim to inform the referring professional within one week after receiving the application form. As places are limited, they will be offered on a first come, first served basis. If all places have been filled, the application will be placed on a waiting list, which will be reviewed half-termly. Applications which do not meet the criteria will be notified straight away.

Finding a Childcare Setting

A parent may be aware of a Childcare Setting that they would like to use, and this can be specified on the application form. Otherwise, a Family Information Service Outreach Officer will support the parent to find a suitable Nursery, Pre-School or Childminder for their child.

Only childcare settings that meet the following criteria can be used:

•  Have a good or outstanding Ofsted inspection outcome, or be actively working towards a good rating
•  Have a graduate Early Years Professional, committed to employing one through the Graduate Leader Fund and/or have  input from a Children's Centre Teacher
•  Regularly evaluate the quality of their provision through an improvement process

Dorset County Council's Early Years and Childcare Service will organise the funding direct with the chosen childcare setting.

Free Early Learning and Childcare for Disadvantaged two year olds

Read about the benefits and lessons learned from the Two Year Old Childcare Pilot Funding Evaluation [1Mb] (opens in a new window). This includes details on how some of the children's speech and language improved significantly resulting in specialist services not being required and how it helped parents manage their day to day lives.

Additional Support for the Family

A Family Information Service Outreach Officer can help find details about other services the family could benefit from, for instance look up activities for older siblings, or find out more information on local parenting programmes. For more information, visit Outreach Team and Brokerage Service

• Two year old Funding Co-ordinator
  Name: Andrew Bone
  Email: a.bone@dorsetcc.gov.uk
  Tel: 01305 228422
  Fax: 01305 228442
  Full details for Andrew Bone