Funded childcare for three-to-four-year-olds

All three and four-year-old children are entitled to funded early education and childcare for up to 15 hours per week, for a minimum of 38 weeks a year.  Additional hours can be accessed for a fee and will depend on the individual childcare provider.

To give parents and carers choice and flexibility, providers should offer the entitlement within the following parameters:

• No session to be longer than 10 hours
• No minimum session length
• No session before 6am or after 8pm
• A maximum of two childcare providers in a single day.

Parents may also choose to take fewer hours per week over the full year rather than over 38 weeks; however this will depend on the individual setting's opening hours and session availability.

Extended 30-hour entitlement

Some children are also entitled to an additional 15 hours a week of childcare providing their parents meet the qualifying criteria. Find out more about the extended 30-hour entitlement.