Free childcare in Wales | Eligibility

In Wales, children aged three and four can get up to 30 hours of free childcare per week if they are eligible, with a guaranteed 10 hours per week for all three and four-year-olds, as part of the Foundation Phase.

Free childcare for three and four-year-olds is also known as ‘the childcare offer for Wales’. Some two-year-olds in Wales can also get free education, up to 12.5 hours a week, as part of the Flying Start scheme.

What is Foundation Phase Nursery?

Foundation Phase Nursery is a term used by the Welsh government to emphasise the importance of the period in which children are three and four years old, where they lay the building blocks for their future learning.

It is sometimes referred to as ‘early education entitlement’ and ‘funded early education’.

The Foundation Phase is part of the curriculum and allows children to learn through play, develop positive attitudes to learning and support them to get ready for school.

Because of this, each child aged three and four in Wales is entitled to a minimum of 10 hours per week of government-funded education for 48 weeks of the year, approved by your local authority or a school.

The 48 weeks entitlement can help parents cover parts of the school holidays as well.

This can take place in nurseries, with childminders and more, and parents/guardians are free to choose their own provider. The childcare offer is available whether parents want to access English, Welsh or bilingual childcare.

Children in Wales can start Foundation Phase Nursery from the term following their third birthday.

30 hours free childcare in Wales for 3 and 4-year-olds

Some three and four-year-old children in Wales are eligible for an additional 20 hours of free childcare per week on top of the 10 hours of early education offered as part of the Foundation Phase, aimed at working parents.

This means that you could get up to 30 hours per week of free childcare and early education for 48 weeks per year. This means you can use some of the hours during the school holidays.

You can choose your own provider to ensure your child’s needs are met, and you do not have to use all of the 30 hours if you do not want to.

There are some household income requirements. It also depends on how much early education your local authority offers.

Eligibility criteria

Parents/guardians must be working to be able to take full advantage of the childcare offer in Wales.

Your child must be aged three or four years old and you must fulfil the following requirements:

Single parents:

• You must be working
• You must earn at least the national minimum wage for 16 hours per week on average
• You must earn less than £100,000 a year
• Single parents who are self-employed or on zero hours contracts must prove their status and provide relevant documents

These rules do not apply if you are off work and receive Statutory Sick Pay or on maternity/paternity leave. Additionally, foster carers and kinship carers may be eligible despite not meeting the above requirements.

Newly self-employed parents can access the childcare offer even if they do not meet the eligibility criteria.

Parents living with a partner:

• Both partners must be working and earn at least the national minimum wage for 16 hours per week on average, or:
   
•  One partner is working and earns at least the minimum national wage for 16 hour per week on average and the other is claiming Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance, or:
   
• One or both partners is on temporary maternity/paternity/adoption leave or receive Statutory Sick Pay but would fulfil the income requirements if working.

Neither of you can earn more than £100,000 per year each to be eligible.

Free childcare for 2-year-olds in Wales

Some two-year-olds in Wales can get 12.5 hours a week of free early education as part of the Flying Start scheme. Not all areas in Wales are able to provide this, so contact your local Family Information Service to find out more.

What is the Flying Start scheme?

The Flying Start scheme is a Welsh government programme that aims to help families in disadvantaged areas.

Where it is available, parents of children under the age four can access:

• free, part-time childcare for 2 to 3 year-olds;
• an intensive health visiting service;
• parenting support; and
• support for speech, language and communication development

How to apply 

To apply and claim the funded hours, get in touch with your local Family Information Service. They will help you find a suitable childcare setting for your child.

If you are not eligible, you may be able to receive other childcare support.

Visit our nursery fees advice section for more information on how to get help with the cost of nursery and other childcare options.