Data is collected from local authorities covering state-funded schools (including nurseries), via the spring school census (opens in a new tab) and from private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers (including childminders) via the early years census (opens in a new tab). In addition, general hospital schools data is collected via the school-level annual school census (opens in a new tab).
Children’s age for each reporting year is defined as how old they were on the preceding 31 December. For example, 4-year-olds for the 2025 reporting year were aged 4 on 31 December 2024.
The following table indicates when the series started for each entitlement. This corresponds with when figures were first collected or when comparable figures first became available.
Year | Entitlement type |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Universal: 3 and 4-year olds |
| 2015 | FRAS (with the full eligibility criteria): 2-year-olds (formerly known as the disadvantaged entitlement) |
| 2018 | Working parent: 3 and 4-year olds |
| 2025 | Working parent: children aged 9 months to 2 years |
Families receiving additional support entitlement for eligible 2-year-olds
Since 2015, eligible 2-year-olds whose families are receiving additional support (FRAS) (formerly known as the disadvantaged entitlement) are entitled to receive 570 hours of government-funded early years provision a year. This is taken as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year but it is also possible to take fewer hours over more weeks.
2-year-olds are eligible for the FRAS entitlement if their parents (or the sole parent in a lone parent household) are in receipt of certain income-related benefits or have no recourse to public funds. 2-year-olds are also eligible for non-economic reasons including if they have an Education Health and Care (EHC) plan, receive disability living allowance, are looked after by a local authority, or have left care under an adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangements order.
The number of 2-year-olds eligible for the FRAS entitlement is estimated using the number of households with 2-year-olds that are in receipt of income-related benefits or have a child receiving disability living allowance but does not take into account children eligible for the other reasons listed above. Therefore, the true number of 2-year-olds eligible is under-estimated. In turn, the percentage of eligible 2-years registered for the FRAS entitlement is over-estimated. However, the size of this over-estimate is expected to be small given that 2-year-olds in households that claim universal credit make up the majority of eligible children.
Universal entitlement for all 3 and 4-year-olds
All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to receive 570 hours of government-funded early years provision a year. This can be taken as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year but it is also possible to take fewer hours over more weeks.
The universal entitlement for all 3 and 4-year-olds aims to support child development and school readiness. Children (mainly 4-year-olds) in a state-funded reception class are considered to be registered for the universal entitlement (379,300 children or a third of all 3 and 4-year-olds registered for the universal entitlement); these children are not entitled to receive additional hours of early years provision as the universal (and working parent) entitlement is considered to be met through the reception class provision.
Working parent entitlement for eligible children aged 9 months to 4 years
Children aged 9 months to 4 years are eligible if their parents (or the sole parent in a lone parent household) work the equivalent of at least 16 hours a week at national minimum wage or living wage, but earn under £100,000 per year (adjusted net income). These children may be eligible, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria, until they start reception year or the start of the term after they turn 5.
Eligible children aged 9 months to 2 years
Since April 2024, 2-year-olds with eligible working parents and since September 2024, children aged 9 to 23 months with eligible working parents have been entitled to receive 570 hours of government-funded early years provision a year. This can be taken as 15 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year but it is also possible to take fewer hours over more weeks.
Eligible 3 and 4-year olds
Since 2018 (specifically September 2017 onwards), 3 and 4-year-olds with eligible working parents have been entitled to an additional 570 hours, on top of already being entitled to 570 hours via the universal entitlement, taking their total entitlement to 1,140 hours a year. This can be taken as 30 hours a week over 38 weeks of the year though it is also possible to take fewer hours over more weeks. All 3 and 4-year-olds registered for the working parent entitlement are also included in the counts of 3 and 4-year-olds registered for the universal entitlement.
The working parent entitlement for eligible 3 and 4-year-olds is commonly referred to as ‘30 hours free childcare’.
Estimated number of children eligible and estimated percentage of eligible children registered
The number of children eligible for the working parent entitlement is estimated from various sources including the Family Resources Survey (FRS), the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI), Households Below Average Income (HBAI) data, the Schools Census, the Early Years Census and population estimates derived from ONS estimates and projections.
The estimated number of children eligible for the working parent entitlements should be treated with caution due to the reliability of the survey-based data underpinning the calculations, particularly for 2025, which DfE plans to revise in next year’s publication (when more timely data becomes available). In turn, the estimated percentages of eligible children registered for the working parent entitlements, which are included in this release for the first time, are suitable to assess trends over time but should be treated with caution. For more information, see the data quality section of the methodology page.
Support for disadvantaged children
3 and 4-year-olds registered for the universal entitlement (who have not yet entered reception), and from September 2024, children aged 9 months to 2 years who are registered for the working parent entitlement and 2-year-olds who are registered for the FRAS entitlement are eligible for early years pupil premium (EYPP) (opens in a new tab) funding if their parents are in receipt of certain income-related benefits, if they are looked after by a local authority, or if they have left care under an adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangements order.
When children join a state-funded reception class, they cease to be eligible for EYPP, so these statistics also identify children who are in reception and eligible for free school meals (opens in a new tab). Children are eligible for free school meals if they are in full-time education in a state-funded school and their parents are in receipt of certain income-related benefits or have no recourse to public funds.