Free childcare places for two-year-olds

 Your two-year-old may get free childcare if you are getting support under the Immigration and Asylum Act and have either:

• claimed asylum in the UK and are waiting for a decision (known as ‘part 6’)
• been refused asylum in the UK (under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 - 'the 1999 Act')

 A two-year-old you care for may also get free childcare if your household income is £15400 a year or less after tax, and you have either:

• leave to remain with ‘no recourse to public funds on family or private life grounds
• support from your local council because you have ‘a child in need’, for example, they have a disability or a child protection plan
• the right to live in the UK because you’re the main carer of a British citizen (known as a ‘Zambrano Carer’)
  • The carer must not be a British citizen or an exempt person
  • The child must be a British citizen
  • The carer must be a direct relative or legal guardian of the child (as defined in the Home Office guidance on pages 44-45)
  • They must have primary responsibility for the care of the child (primary care can be shared between two relatives)
  • There are no other members of their family in the UK or EEA who could look after the child
  • Parents who are Zambrano carers or who have leave to remain with NRPF, must also be able to demonstrate that they have a low income.

Children offered a place will be registered with the Early Years Service, and families will be able to benefit from a range of services within their local centres.

Children accessing a two-year-old place will then move automatically onto their three-year-old funded entitlement in either a private and voluntary nursery, childminder or school, available for 15 hours a week. This transition will be carefully planned and managed to meet each child’s individual needs.