Funding handbook for Coventry Childcare Providers: Early Education Entitlement Funding

This guidance has been created by Coventry’s Business, Sufficiency and Funding Team to support childcare providers in meeting the terms and conditions of Early Education Entitlement Funding delivery, as set out in the following Government and Local Authority documentation:

• Early education and childcare: Statutory guidance for local authorities
• Early years entitlements: operational guidance: For local authorities and providers
• Coventry Annual Provider Funding Agreement

Please note the following:

• throughout this document we will use the term ‘provider’ when referring to ‘an Ofsted registered childcare provider who has entered into an agreement with Coventry City Council to deliver any or all of the government funding entitlement places.
• the term parent is used throughout this guidance to refer to the person who has parental responsibility for a child.

Admissions policy

All parents should have the same rights to access a funded entitlement place regardless of whether they choose to pay for additional hours, food consumables, non-food consumables and activities.

Providers should publish admissions information, which is clear and can be easily understood by parents. This is to support parents to make an informed decision about where they wish to use their child’s funded entitlement.

The admissions information should clearly identify which hours/sessions can be taken as funded provision.

Termly headcount

All children in receipt of early education entitlement funding must be registered and attending, no later than the termly headcount date. These dates are included on the early years Funded Week and Payment Schedule which is published on the Council website.

There are some occasions when the local authority will authorise a child to begin a funded place after the termly headcount has closed. To see if the child meets the criteria for funding via the exceptional circumstances route, providers should visit the Early Years Website pages.