Childcare Offer for Wales

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childcarelogo2018 Applications are open for eligible children with a date of birth between 01/09/2018 - 31/08/2019.

What is the offer?

Eligible children could be entitled to up to 20 free hours of government funded childcare during term time in addition to the 10 hours already provided by the Foundation Phase every week.
During up to 9 weeks of school holidays, parents will be able to access up to 30 hours of funded childcare.
Parents are able to choose any registered childcare setting that suits their personal and family circumstance, whether inside or outside of county, in agreement with the provider and the local authority. The childcare does not have to be delivered by the same provider as the Foundation Phase provision.
The Offer starts from the term following the child’s third birthday and continues until the September following their fourth birthday when they begin full time education.

Date of birth	Eligible for the Offer from:	Applications open from:
01/09/2018 to 31/08/2019	As soon as your application is processed	Open
01/09/2019 to 31/12/2019	January 2023	7 November 2022 (anticipated)

Who is eligible?

To be eligible for free child care you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

Your child is aged 3 or 4 years and is able to access part time Foundation Phase Education

You live in Gwynedd, Anglesey or Conwy

All parents, or co-habiting couples, in the household work the equivalent of at least 16 hours at national living wage or national minimum wage.(Parents will not to be eligible if they earn more than £100,000 per annum- this is a per parent limit)
One parent is employed and one parent has substantial caring responsibilities based on specific benefits received for caring;
Both parents are employed but one or both parents are temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity, paternity or adoption leave;
Both parents are employed but one or both parents are temporarily away from the workplace on statutory sick pay;
One parent is employed and one parent is disabled or incapacitated based on receipt of specific benefits (please see below);
Parents in education and training who are enrolled on a Higher Education (HE) undergraduate or postgraduate courses or those enrolled on a course at a Further Educations (FE) institution. In both cases the course has to be at least 10 weeks in length and can also be a course delivered by distance learning;
Foster parents and parents on adoption leave as long as they meet the parental eligibility criteria and providing the childcare is in line with their foster child’s Care Plan / Adoption Support Plan.

Eligible benefits second parent may be in receipt of (parent 1 will need to be working equivalent of 16 hours per week):

Incapacity benefit;
Carers allowance;
Severe disablement allowance;
Long term incapacity benefit;
Employment and support allowance; or National insurance credits on the grounds of incapacity for work or limited capability for work.

The table below shows income based on minimum wage working 16 hours per week. If your income is below the total for your age range you will not be eligible.

	Hourly	Weekly	Monthly	Yearly
23+	£9.50	152.00	£658.67	£7904.00
21-22	£9.18	£146.88	£636.48	£7637.76
18-20	£6.83	£104.96	£454.83	£5682.56
under 18	£4.81	£76.96	£333.49	£4001.92
Apprentice Rate	£4.81	£76.96	£333.49	£4001.92

Please note: Making an application does not guarantee a childcare place. Funding does not commence until after your application is passed and begins on the start date noted on your confirmation letter.

Re-Check Policy

Once applications are passed parents will be contacted every term in order to re submit proof of income. Parents will be contacted by email and failure to provide the necessary documents will result in funding being stopped.

How to apply?

If you meet the eligibility criteria above, please complete the application form:

PDF version

Microsoft Word version

You will need to download the application form above.

You must return the completed application form via e-mail to childcareoffer@gwynedd.llyw.cymru

Please note - failure to submit all required documents with your application will result in a delay in processing. It is not possible at present to send the application form by post

You will be informed of the outcome of your application, by email, within 10 working days of receipt of the application.

Your eligibility for funded childcare will begin after you receive your confirmation letter - no applications will be backdated.

You must show your confirmation letter to your childcare provider to evidence your eligibility for the Offer.

*Please note, depending on your circumstances, claiming the 30 hours may affect some benefits you currently receive, such as:

Childcare element of Working Tax Credit
Universal Credit
Tax Free childcare and Childcare Vouchers
Housing Benefit
Council Tax Reduction

How to apply for the Childcare Offer for Wales for the January 2023 term

If you wish to receive Childcare Offer for Wales funded childcare from January 2023, you will need to apply through the new national digital service. This will be a bilingual, online service that can be accessed via a laptop, mobile phone or tablet. Further details on how to apply will be published on this page when applications for the January 2023 intake open in November 2022.

To help you get prepared for the new digital service, you will need: