Free Early Education places for 2 year olds
Up to fifteen hours free childcare for some 2-year-olds
Provision of free early education places for 2-year-olds is known in Kent as the Free for 2 or 'FF2' scheme.
We have a duty to provide eligible 2-year-olds up to 570 hours of free early education a year over 38 weeks of the year term time or up to 48 weeks stretched funding.
Eligibility
If a family is in receipt of certain benefits (listed below), they may be able to get up to 15 hours over 38 weeks a year or 12 hours over 48 weeks a year (stretched) free childcare for their two-year-old.
A child is entitled to a funded place if the family is in receipt of:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit, and the household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
- Child Tax Credits, and the household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment when they stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit).
2-year-olds can also get a place if:
- they’re looked after by a local council;
- they have a current statement of special education needs (SEN) or an education health and care plan;
- they get Disability Living Allowance; or
- they’ve left care under a special guardianship order, adoption order, child arrangements order or residence order.
If the family are a non-UK citizen who cannot claim benefits
If their immigration status says they have ‘no recourse to public funds’, they may still get free childcare for your 2-year-old. They must live in England and their household income must be no more than:
- £26,500 for families outside of London with one child
- £34,500 for families within London with one child
- £30,600 for families outside of London with two or more children
- £38,600 for families within London with two or more children
They cannot have more than £16,000 in savings or investments.
Further information on 2-year-old free childcare eligibility can be found on the GOV.UK website
Eligible children can start claiming in the term after they turn two, depending on when their birthday is.
Child's 2nd birthday | When they can claim from |
1 January to 31 March | the beginning of term on or after 1 April |
1 April to 31 August | the beginning of term on or after 1 September |
1 September to 31 December | the beginning of term on or after 1 January |
Kent County Council's website has full information on how to apply for free early education for 2 year olds
To support parents for the non-UK Citizen Criteria who cannot claim benefits; parents will need to use the below application. Please use the guidance to support parent applications under this criteria .
FF2 Non UK Citizen NRPF Application (PDF, 197.8 KB)
NRPF Guidance September 2022 (PDF, 195.0 KB)
Help applying for FF2
FF2 Scheme Guidance
Information for Parents and Carers, Early Years Providers, Eligible Childminders and Children's Centres can be found by following the links below:
- FF2 information sheet for Early Years providers (PDF, 231.2 KB)
- Parents and Carers (PDF, 258.3 KB)
- Children's Centres (PDF, 180.6 KB)
How to submit a FF2 claim
Please log on to the Synergy FIS Provider Portal to submit claims. Please use the guidance below to navigate your way through the portal:
- Actuals - FIS Provider guidance notes for submitting actuals (PDF, 1001.3 KB)
- Actuals - FIS Provider guidance video for submitting actuals
- Adjustments - FIS Provider guidance notes for submitting adjustments (PDF, 1.2 MB)
- Password guidance - Provider portal password guidance (PDF, 410.0 KB)
Parental declaration
- Parental declaration form for 2, 3 and 4 year olds from April 2024 (PDF, 200.7 KB)
- Parental declaration form for 2, 3 and 4 year olds from April 2024 - Word Version (DOCX, 116.0 KB)
- Parental declaration form guidance notes (PDF, 222.1 KB)
Funding Calendar and Payment Schedule
2024/25
- 2024/25 Payment Schedule for childminders (PDF, 276.4 KB)
- 2024/25 Payment schedule for settings (PDF, 276.0 KB)
Kent Provider Agreement
The first few years of a child's life is crucially important to their development. Kent County Council are working with providers across the county to make Free Early Education and Childcare for 9 months to 4 year olds easily accessible. The Kent Provider Agreement provides a framework which outlines the mutual commitments on delivering the entitlements.
We have updated our Kent Provider Agreement to reflect the changes in the statutory guidance published by the Department of Education. Please log in to your FIS Provider Portal to sign the latest version of the agreement.
Please note, you must sign the Kent Provider Agreement to claim Free Early Education and Childcare funding from summer terms 2024 onwards.
- Kent Provider Agreement from 1 April 2024
(PDF, 527.2 KB) - Kent Provider Agreement Guidance Notes (PDF, 271.3 KB)
2 Year old Working Parents Entitlement funding
Visit The Working Parents Entitlement page for full details and to validate codes
3 and 4 year old funding
Visit the 3 and 4 year old funding page for full details or email any queries to miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.
Statutory Guidance
The Department for Education's Early Education document (PDF, 538.9 KB) contains statutory guidance from the Department for Education for English local authorities on their duties under sections 6, 7, 7A, 9A, 12 and 13 of the Childcare Act 2006. Local authorities must have regard to this guidance when seeking to discharge those duties.
Contact us
Contact a member of Management Information which manages the FF2 Scheme in Kent by email at miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.
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