3 - 5 Year Old Places
Applying for 3-5 Year Old Early Learning and Childcare Places (ELC) NEW SESSION 2025 / 2026
All 3 and 4 year olds, and eligible 2 year olds, in Scotland have a statutory entitlement of up to 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare the term after their 2nd or 3rd birthday.
If your child turns 3 between 01 March 2025 and 28 February 2026 you should be applying within the following application windows.
ANNUAL ADMISSIONS
- Application window to be presented at the Annual Admissions Panel for 3 - 5 years is;
- ELC Application window opens: 6th January
- ELC Application window closes: 17th January
ELC ALLOCATIONS RELEASED TO PARENTS ON 19 MARCH 2025
Applications received after 17th January will be considered as a late application and will be presented at the post admissions panel.
POST ADMISSIONS
Application window to be presented at the Post Admissions Panel
- ELC Application window opens: 18 January 2025
- ELC Application window closes: 4 April 2025
ELC ALLOCATIONS RELEASED TO PARENTS ON 22 May 2025
Any applications received after 4 April 2025 will receive their ELC allocation as soon as possible after the Post Admissions Panel is concluded.
HOW DO I APPLY ?
- 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.
We will not accept any application form without the necessary proof of documents
FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND IN DOCUMENT SECTION - ELC Completing application guidance 2025 / 2026
| BIRTHDATE | INTAKE TERM |
| 1 March - 31st August |
New term in August (must be 3 years old when starting) |
| 1 September - 31 December | January |
| 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 willl 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 3-5-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.
Please note:
Having a sibling in the associated primary school does not provide any extra priority for ELC admission. ELC places and School places have no association.
Gaelic Medium Education
Whinhill Nursery is the only provider of Gaelic Medium education in Inverclyde. Therefore, your child may attend the nursery and then go into P1 Gaelic regardless of which ELC defined area you live in. It is not necessary for parents to be Gaelic speakers for their child to go into a Gaelic medium nursery. Children learn through the immersion process, and parents are supported every step of the way. If you wish to discuss Gaelic medium, please telephone Whinhill Primary School, and make an appointment with the Head Teacher.
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