Free Early Education for 3 to 4 year olds
Funding Overview Guide
Synergy Provider Portal
Please use the link below to access the provider portal:
Summer Estimate
Summer Headcount
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)
- Kent Provider Agreement Addendum - November 2024
- Kent Provider Agreement Addendum - April 2025 (PDF, 148.5 KB)
Parental Declaration Form
- Parental declaration form for 9 month, 2, 3 and 4 year olds from September 2024
(PDF, 224.2 KB) - Parental declaration form for 9 month, 2, 3 and 4 year olds from September 2024 - Word Version (DOCX, 116.8 KB)
- Parental declaration form guidance notes (PDF, 251.4 KB)
- Ethnicity list (PDF, 190.1 KB)
Determining eligibility for free early education
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
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.
Funding Calendar and Payment Schedules
The funding calendar contains school term dates, submission windows, information about payment schedules and a birth calculator.
Year 2024/25
- Funding Calendar 2024/25 for childminders (PDF, 275.2 KB)
- Funding Calendar 2024/25 for settings (PDF, 274.3 KB)
Year 2025/26
- Funding Calendar 2025/26 for childminders (PDF, 276.6 KB)
- Funding Calendar 2025/26 for settings (PDF, 276.0 KB)
Please use these sample calendars to assist when choosing term dates and claiming funding:
Year 2024/25
Year 2025/26
DOB Range
| Term | 3 Year Olds | 4 Year Olds | Whole DOB Range |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring 25 | 01/01/21 to 31/12/21 | 01/01/20 to 31/12/20 | 01/01/20 to 31/12/21 |
Summer 25 | 01/04/21 to 31/03/22 | 01/04/20 to 31/03/21 | 01/04/20 to 31/03/22 |
Autumn 25 | 01/09/21 to 31/08/22 | 01/09/20 to 31/08/21 | 0109/20 to 31/08/22 |
Spring 26 | 01/01/22 to 31/12/22 | 01/01/2021 to 31/12/21 | 01/01/21 to 31/12/22 |
Summer 26 | 01/04/22 to 31/03/23 | 01/04/21 to 31/03/22 | 01/04/21 to 31/03/23 |
Autumn 26 | 01/09/22 to 31/08/23 | 01/09/21 to 31/08/22 | 01/09/21 to 31/08/23 |
Stretched funding and funding calculator
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 |
Deprivation Calculator
The calculation and allocation of the deprivation supplement has been changed from April 2024. The hourly supplement will be targeted towards all children with home postcodes in the most deprived areas. You can use the calculator below to calculate the deprivation funding for your setting.
Early Years Deprivation Calculator (XLSM, 4.4 MB)
More information, including contact details for the school funding team is avaliable here
Deadline dates for Missed Headcount Submissions 2024/25
Management Information have set out deadlines for providers to notify Management Information that they have missed their headcount submission and now require a late submission.
Below, you will find the deadline dates for missed headcount submissions.
- Autumn 2024 - Friday 18 October 2024
- Spring 2025 - Friday 7 Feburary 2025
- Summer 2025 - Friday 23 May 2025
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 2024/25
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:
- Autumn 2024 - 13 December 2024
- Spring 2025 - 28 March 2025
- Summer 2025 - 15 August 2025
Any adjustment claims for the previous term received after the deadline dates stated above will not be processed nor paid.
Fees for funding errors
Changes to Bank details
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
Data protection
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)
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
Visit the Claiming EYPP and DAF page for full details or email any queries to miearlyyears@kent.gov.uk.
Contact us
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.