CJ’s Little Pickles
Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) Policy
Date: January 2024
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CJ’s Little Pickles is pleased to offer the Free Early Educational Entitlement (FEEE) to eligible families; from April 2024 this will be:
15 free childcare for 2 year olds
15 hours for 3 & 4 year olds
30 hours funded childcare for eligible families.
From September 2024 the Free Early Education Entitlement will also children aged 9 months to eligible families. More information about funded childcare can be found at
2 Year-Old Funding:
To be able to take up 15 hours of free childcare for your two-year-old you or your child must meet the eligibility criteria. Please visit for further information.
A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare provider.
Families can usually get 15 hours of funded childcare for 38 weeks of the year if the following apply:
your child is 2 years old or will turn 2 years old before 1 April 2024
you earn at least £8,670 a year and less than £100,000 a year adjusted net income, which is your income after some tax reliefs and deductions
Your 2-year-old can also get free childcare if you live in England and get one of the following benefits:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Universal Credit and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
tax credits and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying
for Working Tax Credit)
3 and 4-year-old funding:
15 hours’ universal free childcare for 3 and 4-year-old
For all families in England
With 3 and 4-year-old children
15 hours of free childcare or early education for 38 weeks
A total of 570 hours per year, that you can use flexibly with one or more childcare
Provider
3 and 4-year-olds for working families in England:
You may be eligible for 30 hours of free childcare if your circumstances are as follows:
Both parents are earning or expect to earn the equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum or Living Wage over the coming three months
This equates to £120 a week (around £6,240 per year) for each parent over 25 years old or £112.80 (around £5,800 per year) for each parent between 21 and 24 years old
This applies whether you are in paid employment, self-employed or on a zero hours contract
The parent (and their partner where applicable) should be seeking the free childcare to enable them to work
Where one or both parents are on maternity, paternity, shared parental or adoption leave, or if they are on statutory sick leave
Where one parent meets the income criteria and the other is unable to work because they are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have been assessed as having limited capability to work
Where a parent is in a ‘start-up period’ (i.e. they are newly self-employed) they do not need to demonstrate that they meet the income criteria for 12 months.
If a non-EEA national, the parent must have recourse to public funds.
How to apply for Free Early Educational Entitlement:
Please visit to create a government gateway account and submit your details to see if you’re eligible to claim the funded childcare.
When parents receive confirmation of their eligibility from HMRC, they will receive a code to give to us, we are required within Thurrock to carry put an eligibility check for the validation of your code. We will require the full names of the parents on the application and National Insurance numbers too, without this information the codes cannot be validated.
To continue receiving the 30 hours’ free childcare parents every 3 months must reconfirm your details with HMRC and will receive reconfirmation email.
Where parents no longer meet the eligibility criteria for Extended Funded Childcare, there is a limited period of time in which local authorities will continue to fund a place for the child. This period of time is known as the “grace period”. Once the grace period ends, the child will no longer receive the Extended Funded Childcare. A child may not start a new Extended Funded Childcare place at a childcare provider during a grace period. The child will still be eligible to receive Universal Funded Childcare.
Funding regulations require CJ’s Little Pickles to ensure all families complete and sign a parental declaration form which will then be stored in your child’s file.
Charges for funded hours:
Funding is intended to cover the delivery of childcare only. It does not cover the cost of meals, consumables, outings, and extra activities. To cover costs not included during the Funded Childcare, we will be charging a voluntary fee for these costs during the Funded Childcare.
Please see below a chart outlining the ages in which childcare can be applied
This policy will updated in 6 months times to include the FEEE for children aged 9 month.