Childcare Offer for Wales

Description

Up to 30 hours a week of government-funded early education and childcare for 3 and 4 year olds in Wales, for up to 48 weeks a year, including up to 9 weeks in the school holidays. It combines at least 10 hours of nursery education, which every 3 and 4 year old gets, with up to 20 extra hours of funded childcare for families where each parent works, is on statutory leave, or is studying. Each parent's gross income must be £100,000 or less. Foster carers and kinship carers can also qualify.

Eligibility summary

• Available in: Wales.
• Open to individuals — not restricted to businesses.

Notes

Verified Oct 2026 directly on Working Wales's Childcare Offer page (workingwales.gov.wales) and gov.wales's 'Get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds' page. Unused hours in one week can't be carried into another. The nursery education hours are applied for separately through the local authority; the childcare hours go through the national digital service. Once a child is eligible for a full-time school place, the Offer stops in term time but may continue in school holidays. The Welsh Government's July 2026 plan to move towards 20 funded hours a week for all children from 9 months to 4 years isn't in force and isn't reflected here. Not modelled on Profile.ageBand, since eligibility turns on the child's age.

Requirement

You live in Wales; your child is 3 and eligible for early education (usually the term after their third birthday) or 4 and not yet eligible for a full-time school place; each parent's gross income is £100,000 or less a year; and each parent either earns, on average, at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at their relevant minimum wage or Living Wage rate, is on statutory sick, maternity, paternity, adoption or parental bereavement leave, or is enrolled on an undergraduate, postgraduate or further education course of at least 10 weeks.