Universal childcare entitlement

Official government guidance | Legislation

Program description

Overview

A universal program providing free childcare for all 3-4 year olds in England. Each eligible child receives 570 hours of free childcare annually, typically delivered as 15 hours per week across 38 weeks of the year. Parents may arrange different hour distributions if their provider offers flexibility.

Key features

Provider requirements

The free childcare must be delivered through an approved childcare provider.

Regional scope

This program applies to England only. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland operate their own distinct childcare support schemes.

Implementation

The universal childcare entitlement program is implemented through a combination of parameter definitions and variable calculations:

1. Parameter Definition

Located in parameters/gov/dfe/universal_childcare_entitlement/, key parameters include:

• Program eligibility:

  • min_age.yaml: Defines the minimum eligible age (3 years)

  • compulsory_school_age.yaml: Sets the upper age limit

  • hours.yaml: Specifies the 15 hours per week entitlement

• Funding parameters:

  • childcare_funding_rate.yaml: Defines the hourly funding rates

2. Eligibility Determination

Implemented in universal_childcare_entitlement_eligible.py, which checks:

• Geographic eligibility:

  • Verifies residence in England using country variable

  • Based on Childcare Regulations 2016 (part 33)

• Age requirements:

  • Checks child meets minimum age requirement

  • Ensures child is below compulsory school age

  • Referenced in Section 7 of Childcare Act 2006

Example table:

Child age	Is under compulsory school age	Meets minimum age	Is age eligible
2	True	False	False
3	True	True	True
4	True	True	True
5	False	True	False

3. Entitlement Calculation

Handled by universal_childcare_entitlement.py:

• Defined at the person level (entity = Person)

• Only calculated for eligible individuals (defined_for = "universal_childcare_entitlement_eligible")

• Uses parameters to:

  • Get weekly hours entitlement

  • Apply appropriate funding rate based on age

  • Calculate total annual value

Example table:

Child age	Is eligible	Weekly hours	Funding rate	Number of weeks	Annual entitlement
2	False	0	£11.22	38	£0
3	True	15	£5.88	38	£3,351.6
4	True	15	£5.88	38	£3,351.6
5	False	0	£5.88	38	£0