Ceredigion County Council

The Childcare Offer provides 30 hours a week of funded Foundation Learning Provision (early education) and childcare for eligible working parents of three- and four-year-olds for up to 48 weeks of the year.

The 30 hours is made up of:

• at least 10 hours of early education a week
• up to 20 hours a week of childcare

The exact split of hours of each element funded will be determined by where you access your Foundation Learning provision.

The Childcare Offer funds Childcare Hours only. You cannot apply for Foundation Learning Provision  through this application.

Further information about the different types of settings are available on our Childcare Page.

Parents do not have to access their early education entitlement in order to access the Childcare Offer. However, their entitlement will include these hours whether they access them or not.

Further details on how to apply for an early education place in Ceredigion can be found at the Nursery Education for 3-4 year olds (Foundation Phase) page.

Find out more about the Childcare Offer for Wales

The Childcare Offer is open to any family living in Wales as long as they meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Your child is 3- 4 years’ old
• Both parents /co-habiting couples must be working or in education or training in a two-parent family, or the sole parent in a lone parent family
• Earn a weekly minimum equivalent of 16 hours at the national minimum wage or national living wage
• OR be in receipt of specific caring benefits, provided the other parent meets the income requirement
• Earn less than the maximum income of £100,000 per annum per parent

If you have a partner who lives with you, they must also meet the criteria.

Some eligibility exceptions apply.

Check if you're eligible for the Childcare Offer for Wales

We cannot confirm if you are eligible until we have received and processed your completed application.

You can apply the term your child turns three for funding to start the following term. Here are the dates for when applications open and eligible start dates for children:

If you choose to access childcare whilst you are waiting for your application to be approved this will be at your own cost. Childcare Offer funding will not be backdated to pay for any childcare used before your application was approved.

Funding will start once your application has been approved and you have set-up a childcare agreement​ with your provider and this agreement has been accepted.​​

Information on how to prepare to make an application can be found here Childcare for 3 and 4 year olds.

Eligible children can receive up to 30 hours of childcare during the school holidays.

Three weeks’ holiday is given to each child per school term which must be accessed in weekly blocks. 

Unused hours cannot be transferred across weeks; however, unused weeks can be carried over to the next term so long as the child remains eligible.

The number of holiday weeks you are awarded in that academic year is dependent on the number of school terms that you receive the Childcare Offer.

There will be 4 holiday weeks NOT funded by the Offer during each academic year.

If you are still eligible for the offer in the new academic year, a new allocation of holiday entitlement will begin. 

A child is eligible for funding during the school holidays until the September after their 4^th birthday.

You must request funding during the school holidays when setting up an agreement.

To apply for the Childcare Offer you will need to complete an online application form. 

Please check which documents you’ll need to apply.

Apply for the Childcare Offer

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your application, please contact us.

By telephone: 03000 628 628
By email: gofalplant@ceredigion.gov.uk