How does Flying Start childcare funding work for a nursery?
Flying Start is the Welsh Government's early years programme for families with children under 4. Part of it is funded childcare for 2-year-olds. If you take Flying Start children, here is how the funding works and what it means for your billing.
The funded hours
- 2.5 hours a day, five days a week. That's up to 12.5 funded hours a week.
- 39 weeks a year, usually during term time.
- From the term after a child's 2nd birthday.
- Unused hours are lost. They can't be carried over to another week or used in the school holidays.
Some councils let working families use two sessions in one day (5 hours) if the family and the setting both agree. Pembrokeshire, for example, says the setting must be registered for full day care and include it in its Statement of Purpose, and that sessions shouldn't include sleep, lunch or wraparound care. Check your own council's rules before offering it.
What parents can be charged
The funded hours are paid for. Parents can pay for extra hours beyond the 12.5 a week at their own expense, so a child who stays longer than the funded session can still be invoiced for the rest of the day.
Who pays you, and how much
Flying Start childcare is run by each local authority. Your council's Flying Start team decides which settings deliver it, which children are eligible and what you are paid, so ask them for the current rate and how to claim.
It's growing beyond Flying Start areas
Flying Start began in particular areas. The Welsh Government has said it is committed to reaching all two-year-olds across Wales, and councils are bringing it in at different times. If you're not sure whether it has reached your area yet, ask your council.
Getting the billing right
The tricky part is invoices. In a typical month you have to work out:
- which sessions are funded, up to 12.5 hours a week and no more than the daily limit;
- which weeks are term time, because holidays aren't funded;
- when each child's eligibility starts, from the term after they turn 2;
- what the parent owes for any hours on top.
Get one of those wrong and either the parent is overcharged or you lose money.
How Wootzoo helps
Wootzoo has a Flying Start wizard under Settings, Funding. It takes you through it one step at a time:
- funded hours and the rate per hour;
- which sessions are Flying Start;
- each child's eligible dates;
- your term breaks;
- how parents pay for the rest.
Monthly invoices then stop the funding in the holidays and outside each child's eligible dates, and bill parents only for the hours that aren't funded. You can also spread fees as the same amount every month, with Flying Start shared over the months it covers.
Sources
- Welsh Government written statement, 11 December 2024 (2.5 hours a day, five days a week, 39 weeks, commitment to all two-year-olds): https://www.gov.wales/node/65486
- Pembrokeshire County Council, Flying Start FAQ (12.5 hours, 39 weeks, term after 2nd birthday, unused hours lost, two sessions for working families, extra hours at parents' expense): https://cms.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/flying-start/flying-start-faq
