Government Funded Hours
Information about funded childcare hours, eligibility, term allocations, and how funded hours affect fees at Butterflies Childcare.
What funding is available to me?
Working Parent 15-hour entitlement: Working parents of 1- and 2-year-olds can access 570 hours of entitlement funded by the Government if they meet certain eligibility criteria. At Butterflies, as we are open all year round, this is stretched to cover longer periods than standard Government school hours based on 38 weeks’ attendance. For more information and to apply for your eligibility code, please see the Childcare Choices website.
15 hours Universal entitlement: All 3- and 4-year-old children can access 570 hours of entitlement funded by the Government. This is divided into 3 terms and based on 51 weeks’ attendance.
30 hour Working Parent Entitlement (15 additional hours): Working parents of 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds can obtain an additional 15 hours of funded childcare per week, giving 30 hours in total, if they meet certain eligibility criteria. This is a total of 1,140 hours per year.
The provision of the 15 and 30 hours of funded childcare by Butterflies Childcare is set out in the sections below. As a childcare provider, signing up to provide the additional 15 hours is voluntary. We always strive to provide the best childcare we can at affordable rates for parents, so are happy to offer this.
Early education funding is available for:
- Eligible children aged 9 months to 3 years old from working families, for 15 hours a week for 38 weeks (570 hours per year), increasing to 30 hours a week from September 2025.
- All 3- and 4-year-old children, for 15 hours a week for 38 weeks (570 hours per year). This is called the Universal Entitlement.
- Eligible 3- and 4-year-old children from working families, for an additional 15 hours a week, adding up to 30 hours per week / 1,140 hours per year, including the Universal Entitlement.
- Eligible 2-year-old children whose families are receiving additional forms of Government support, for 15 hours a week for 38 weeks (570 hours per year).
When your child is eligible for 15- or 30-hour funding
Eligibility depends on your child’s age and, for some entitlements, your family circumstances and Government criteria.
Policy and provision
Butterflies Childcare is registered on the London Borough of Merton and Merton Directory of Providers. We offer our funding on a term-to-term basis, split into 3 periods: Period 1 is the Summer Term, Period 2 is the Autumn Term, and Period 3 is the Spring Term.
15 hours Universal entitlement: We offer the 15 Government-funded entitlement hours as part of our full day care, applied over 3 terms: Summer, Autumn and Spring. We offer up to 570 hours per year.
Summer Term
Period 1
1st April to 31st August
Autumn Term
Period 2
1st September to 31st December
Spring Term
Period 3
1st January to 31st March
Funding by term
Summer Term - Period 1
| Full day sessions | Universal 15 hours | Extended 30 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Govt Funding Term length | 13 weeks | 13 weeks |
| Butterflies Term length (1st April to 31st August) | 22 weeks | 22 weeks |
| 15 hours funding total hours per term | 195 hours | 390 hours |
| Number of hours stretched over 22 weeks | 9 hrs of funded hrs/week | 18 hrs of funded hrs/week |
| Monthly Funded Hours | 39 hours | 78 hours |
Autumn Term - Period 2
| Full day sessions | Universal 15 hours | Extended 30 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Govt Funding Term length | 14 weeks | 14 weeks |
| Butterflies Term length (1st September to 31st December) | 17 weeks 2 days | 17 weeks and 2 days |
| 15 hours funding total hours per term | 210 | 420 hrs |
| 210 hours stretched over 17 weeks | 12 hrs per week | 24 hours per week |
| Monthly Funded Hours | 52.5 | 105 hours |
Spring Term - Period 3
| Full day sessions | Universal 15 hours | Extended 30 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Govt Funding Term length | 12 weeks | 12 weeks |
| Butterflies Term length (1st January to 31st March) | 13 weeks | 13 weeks |
| Number of hours funding total hours per term | 180 hrs | 360 hrs |
| Number of hours stretched over 13 weeks | 14 hrs/week | 28 hrs/week |
| Monthly Funded Hours | 60 | 120 hrs |
How do the funded hours affect my nursery fees?
Your Universal 15 and 30 hour entitlement will be provided free at the point of delivery. As per our policy, Butterflies Childcare does, however, charge for meals, consumables and an Enhanced Provision Rate to cover items not funded by the Government, which are provided outside the entitlement hours funded by the Government.
What is an Enhanced Provision Rate (EPR)?
Due to the curriculum we offer at Butterflies Childcare, we need to charge an Enhanced Provision Rate to cover many things that the Government does not fund, such as our 1 to 4 staffing ratio, specialised equipment including forest school equipment, bespoke staff training, home cooked food on site with child-friendly menus, as well as other standard consumables.