Buckinghamshire Council has confirmed that working parents with children aged above nine months can apply for childcare.

Parents and guardians can apply for hours of funded childcare for use in a variety of settings, including nurseries, pre-schools and childminders.

This comes alongside other government childcare support, including Tax-Free Childcare and Universal Credit Childcare.

Parents might be able to use more than one offer together to help with childcare costs.

Those eligible to apply can potentially receive:

  • 15 hours childcare if your child is aged 9 to 36 months
  • 30 hours childcare for your three or four-year-old

Joseph Baum, Buckinghamshire Council’s Deputy Cabinet Member for Education and Children’s Services, said: “Childcare is the cornerstone of a thriving society and helps provide children with the best possible start in life.

 “As we expand access to 15 and 30 hours of childcare for eligible working parents, we recognise the vital role it plays in supporting families and enabling parents to pursue their careers or education.

 “Please visit our Buckinghamshire Family Information Service to see what support you might be eligible for.”

In addition to this, childcare is also expanding for primary-school age children.

From September, parents in England will start to see an expansion in the availability of childcare in their local area before and after school, that runs from 8am until 6pm or later, also known as ‘wraparound childcare’.

Buckinghamshire Council said: “If you are eligible for tax-free childcare or universal credit childcare, you can use the support to pay for your wraparound childcare.

“You will need to apply by August 31, 2024 to use your hours from 1 September 2024.

“To do so, visit GOV.UK to get your code for a place in September and then share it with your childcare provider.

“To continue receiving the Government support, you will need to reconfirm your details every three months on your GOV.UK account.”