Treehouse Pre-School offers places for eligible 2 year old's.

 

Here at Treehouse we are passionate about providing plenty of spaces for Two Year Old's.

You can receive up to 570 hours per year completely free (15 hours per week)

 

Who is eligible ?

  • Families in receipt of income support, income based Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) or income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

  • Families in receipt of Universal Credit – if your annual household income is low (this usually means a combined income of less than £15,400 a year after tax)

  • Families in receipt of tax credit and you have an annual income of under £16,190 before tax
  • Families in receipt of the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for working tax credits)
  • Families in receipt of the guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Children receiving Disability Living Allowance
  • Children with a statement of SEN or an Education, Health and Care Plan
  • Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • Children looked after by the local authority or left care through a special guardianship, child arrangements order or adoption order

When can my child start ?

 

2nd Birthday Between Eligible from
1st Apr and 31st Aug Start of Autumn term (September)
1st Sept and 31st Dec Start of Spring Term (January)
1st Jan and 31st Mar Start of Summer Term (after Easter

 

30 Hour Funding

The Government's 30-hours funded childcare places for working parents of three- and four-year-olds has thrown up quite a few questions and how it differs from the current 15 hours childcare offer. 

 

Below we address some of those questions including how to sign up for the 30 hours offer.

 

Is my family eligible for 30 hours funding?

You will be eligible for the 30-hour funded childcare offer if:

  • You earn more than the equivalent of 16 hours at the national living wage or minimum wage per week: for example, £120 per week if you are 25 or older.

 

There is no requirement to work a certain amount of hours per week – it is all about how much you earn. This means if you only work 10 hours a week but earn £12 per hour, you will meet the minimum earning threshold. Apprentices are also eligible as long as they earn the equivalent to 16 hours at the apprentice minimum wage and earning less than 100k a year.

This applies if you are self-employed or on a zero-hours contract and expect to meet the earning criteria on average over the three months after you have applied for the 30-hours. HMRC will look at data such as your previous earnings to consider whether you are likely to meet the criteria and may contact you for further information if they are unsure. 

 

 

If you are starting up your own business, you will not be expected to meet the minimum earning criteria in your first year of trading. 

 

If you are not working but you expect to take up paid work within 14 days, you can still apply for 30 hours, as long as you expect to meet the income criteria over the coming three months.

 

If you are a single parent and meet the above criteria, you will be eligible for the 30 hours. If you live with a partner, you both must meet the above criteria. This still applies if one of you is not the child’s parent – for example, if you have remarried or have started living with a new partner. If you are separated/divorced from your child’s parent, the eligibility rules will only apply to the parent that the child normally lives with (and their new partner if they are part of the same household).

 

What if I am sick or caring for someone?

You will not have to meet the minimum earnings criteria if:

 

You and your partner are employed but one or both of you is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity or paternity, adoption leave, or on statutory sick pay

 

You are employed but your partner either has substantial caring responsibilities, or is disabled or incapacitated, or vice versa (i.e. your partner is employed but you have caring responsibilities or are disabled or incapacitated). This is dependent on you or your partner being entitled to specific disability or caring benefits.

 


How do I sign up for the 30 hours?

 

You can apply for both the 30-hour offer and tax-free childcare via a single application on the  Childcare Choices website .

 

To complete the application, you provide your name, address and national insurance number, as well as whether you expect to meet the income requirements over the next three months and whether you are in receipt of any benefits. 

 

If you live with a partner, you will need to provide the same information for them as well. This will enable HMRC to decide whether your child is eligible for the 30 hours (as well as tax-free childcare).

 

If you are eligible, you will be given an 11-digit code that you will need to take to your childcare provider along with your national insurance number and your child’s birth certificate.

 

Your provider will then use the Government’s eligibility checking system to check the code is valid. If it is, they will be able to book your child’s place. At Treehouse we currently offer 27 hours a week funding.

 

You will need to reconfirm your eligibility every three months and will receive a reminder text message or email from the Government before the deadline.