Entitled 2 Year Old Places
Funded Early Learning and Childcare for Eligible 2 Year Olds
Eligibility Criteria for 2 Year Olds
If your child turns 2 between 01 March 2025 and 28 February 2026, they may be eligible for a 2 year old place, from the term after their second birthday, if you receive one or more of the following qualifying benefits:
Eligibility criteria:
- Income Support
- Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
- Any income related element of Employment and Support Allowance
- Incapacity or Severe Disablement Allowance
- State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (CTC), but not Working Tax Credit (Earning threshold applies)
- Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (Earning threshold applies)
- Support under Part V1 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- Universal Credit Statement (Take home pay threshold applies)
OR if your child is; age 2 or over and is or, since they turned 2 has been
- Looked after and accommodated
- Under a kinship care order
- Lives with a Parent Appointed Guardian
- Care experienced or has a parent who is care experienced
- A graduate from the Family Nurse Partnership Programme
For more information on the eligibility criteria, earnings and take home pay thresholds please see information on the right “Other Websites”
HOW / WHEN CAN I APPLY ?
All information on when you can apply and the evidence month that is required can be found; IN DOCUMENT SECTION UNDER – Entitled 2 year old – Application / Allocation / Notification Timeline
- Application forms are available at any ELC local authority establishment, approved childminder or private / voluntary or independent nursery.
- Application forms must be completed and submitted to the first choice provider along with;
- Proof of Residing Address – Either Council Tax Invoice / Gas or Electric bill to confirm your child’s residing address.
- Birth Certificate to confirm your child’s date of birth.
- Proof of qualifying benefit / criteria
We will not accept any application form without the necessary proof of documents
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ENTITLED 2 YEAR OLD INTAKE TIMELINE |
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|---|---|
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BIRTHDATE |
INTAKE TERM |
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1 March - 31st August |
New term in August (must be 2 years old when starting) |
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1 September - 31 December |
January |
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1 January - last day in February |
Apri |
ALLOCATION OF ELC PLACES
All ELC places are allocated in line with Inverclyde Council ELC Admission Policy. (Available in the document section)
We will always try and allocate a place based on your preference(s) from your submitted application form); however, this is not guaranteed. If your preferred option(s) is full, a ballot may be necessary to allocate places alternative provider.
This can occur in the following scenarios:
- Oversubscription of applications for 2-year-olds.
- Oversubscription for certain delivery models.
- Oversubscription for specific establishments or childminder or PVI provider.
If your preferred choices are unavailable, you will be offered a place in an ELC establishment within your ELC Defined Area based on your residing address. Childcare arrangements that are in place are not classed as a residing address.
BLENDED ELC PLACES
A Blended ELC place, is where a child's entitled ELC is divided equally between two different settings, such as a childminder and a nursery, rather than being provided by just one.
In a Local Authority establishment only a Model 1 will match with a blended place.
This approach offers parents flexibility in choosing the care providers that suit their child's needs best, but there are some details to keep in mind:
- Application Process: Parents must apply separately to each setting (e.g., the childminder and the nursery) for the split placement. This means they will need to go through the standard application process for each provider.
- No Guarantee of Availability: There must be availability at each provider.
APPROVED FUNDED PROVIDER CHILDMINDERS
In Inverclyde, some childminders work in partnership with the local authority to offer more flexible early learning and childcare (ELC) options. These options allow parents to choose between Full-time ELC or Blended Childcare, where they can combine hours at a registered childminder with attendance at an early learning centre or a partnership provider.
For Blended Childcare, parents need to apply to both the childminder and their first-choice early learning and childcare provider. This flexibility can help meet the individual needs of families while ensuring children receive a high-quality learning experience.
Partnership Nurseries (Private, Voluntary, or Independent):
Partnership nurseries in Inverclyde work alongside Inverclyde Council to provide early learning and childcare services with increased flexibility for families. These nurseries are part of the council's strategy to ensure that children can access high-quality early education.
Each partnership provider delivers early learning and childcare individually. If you are looking for specific information on how to access these services, you may want to contact local partnership nursery directly to explore available options. Partnership Nurseries are working in partnership with Inverclyde Council:
INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN DOCUMENT SECTION - Approved Funded Provider PVI Contact Detail
CROSS BOUNDARY ELC PLACES - Funded childcare in other local authorities
In line with the Funding Follows the Child approach, Inverclyde residents with an eligible 2-, 3- or 4-year-old child may choose to receive funded hours in an establishment in another local authority. This is known as a Cross Boundary Funding request.
INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN DOCUMENT SECTION - ELC Cross Boundary Parents Leaflet
If you require any further information, or to find out if your child is eligible for a funded Early Learning and Childcare Place please contact Inverclyde Council's Early Years Service on 01475 712850 - select option 3