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Free Early Education for 3 to 4 year olds

Important Update
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The Synergy Provider portal will no-longer support Internet Explorer as one of its compatible browsers as of July 2022. If you wish to submit an Estimate, Headcount, Adjustment or Census return after this date, you must download an alternative browser.

Recommended Browsers;

  • Microsoft Edge
  • Safari
  • Google Chrome.

Funding Overview Guide

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Synergy Provider Portal
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Please use the link below to access the provider portal:

Spring Estimate:

EY Census 2024
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Kent Provider Agreement
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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.

Parental Declaration Form
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Determining eligibility for free early education
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Due to locally determined school dates, the local authority starting dates for children claiming their free early education for the first time may vary from the nationally prescribed dates in the Department for Education code of practice (page 20).

In Kent, children become eligible to claim their free early education from:

A child born between: 
1 April to 31 August (inclusive)The start of term 1 following their third birthday (after summer holidays) until statutory school age.
1 September to 31 December (inclusive)The start of term 3 following their third birthday (after Christmas and New Year holiday) until statutory school age.
1 January to 31 March (inclusive)The start of term 5 following their third birthday (after April holiday) until statutory school age.

The Working Parents Eligibility Checker
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Submit a working parents eligibility check to validate an 11 digit code and establish eligibility for the entitlement.

Management Information will complete a check and inform you of the result by email.

PVI calendar and sample calendars
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The PVI calendar contains school term dates, headcount weeks, information about payment schedules and a birth calculator.

Please use these sample calendars to assist when choosing term dates and claiming funding:

Year 2023/24

DOB Range

Term

3 Year Olds

4 Year Olds

Whole DOB Range

Spring 24

01/01/20 to 31/12/20

01/01/19 to 31/12/19

01/01/19 to 31/12/20

Summer 24

01/04/20 to 31/03/21

01/04/19 to 31/03/20

01/04/19 to 31/03/21

Autumn 24

01/09/20 to 31/08/21

01/09/19 to 31/08/20

01/09/19 to 31/08/21

Spring 25

01/01/21 to 31/12/21

01/01/20 to 31/12/20

01/01/20 to 31/12/21

Stretched funding and funding calculator
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A stretched funding calculator and child tracker has been developed to help with stretching if you choose to claim term time only through Synergy and stretch the funding yourselves:

A child's funding year is based on when they first become eligible for funding as per table below.

A Child Born Between:

Child First Becomes Eligible for Funding

Funding Year - Terms Included

1 April to 31 August (Inclusive) September (Autumn Term) Autumn, Spring and Summer
1 September to 31 December (Inclusive) January (Spring Term) Spring, Summer and Autumn
1 January to 31 March (Inclusive)April (Summer Term)Summer, Autumn and Spring

Deadline dates for Missed Headcount Submissions 2023/24
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Please be aware that we are changing the appeal process for completely missed headcount claims, due to feedback that has been received across all aspects of the service.

Management Information have now set out deadlines for providers to notify Management Information that they have missed their headcount submission and now require a late submission.

A letter detailing these changes has been sent to all providers.

Below, you will find the deadline dates for missed headcount submissions.

  • Autumn 2023 - Friday 20 October 2023
  • Spring 2024 - Friday 9 February 2024
  • Summer 2024 - Friday 31 May 2024

Any appeal claims received after the deadline dates stated above will not be processed nor paid, as per section 15.2 of the Kent Provider Agreement.

Deadline dates for adjustments and late joiners 2023/24
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Late joiners will now be claimed for as adjustments through the new Synergy FIS provider portal. Please refer to the guidance below for how to claim an adjustment.

To ensure all termly payments (Estimate, Headcount, Overallocations, EYPP, DAF and Adjustments) can be processed and paid in time for each term please see below deadline dates for adjustment claims:

  • Summer 2023 - Thursday 7 September 2023
  • Autumn 2023 - Thursday 11 January 2024
  • Spring 2024 - Thursday 18 April 2024

Any adjustment claims for the previous term received after the deadline dates stated above will not be processed nor paid.

Fees for funding errors
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Changes to Bank details
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If your bank details which receive the free early education funding change please complete the bank account details form (PDF, 179.2 KB) and send:

  • email: miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk
  • by post to: Management Information, Kent County Council, 2nd Floor Invicta House, County Hall, Maidstone, ME14 1XX.

Data protection
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The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will replace the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and represents the biggest change to data protection law for 20 years.

To comply with Article 13 of the GDPR settings must strengthen their privacy notices and must include some additional information. The revised Early Years Settings privacy notice template is GDPR compliant, but there are some sections (in red) where settings are required to provide additional information.

You should ensure all parents and carers of children eligible for free entitlement receive a Privacy Notice.

2 year old funding (FF2)
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Visit the Free For 2 page for full details or email any queries to miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.

Early Years Pupil Premium and Disability Access Fund
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Visit the Claiming EYPP and DAF page for full details or email any queries to miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.

Contact us
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If you would like to join the PVI register to be able to offer the free early education funding to 3 and 4 year olds please contact Management Information on 03000 42 16 12 or for any other queries please email the team miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.

Some of the files on this page may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. See our accessibility statement for information on how to request an alternative format.