That means the majority of children in Guernsey can all get at least the same amount of preschool education per week, term time only, during the year before they start primary school. This entitlement is for parents/carers who have a joint income under the threshold of £150,000 per year.

Those children whose birthday falls between 1 September 2015 and 31 August 2016 will be able to access the preschool education funding from September 2019, before starting school the following year.

Parents and carers can use that funding in a flexible way, with a maximum of eight hours able to be taken in one day, and the 15 hours can be split across two Early Years Providers if necessary.

In order to take up the funding, parents and carers need to contact their chosen preschool or day nursery and complete a Parent Declaration Form confirming how many hours they would like their child to attend each week. The completed form is returned and signed alongwith either their child’s birth certificate or passport to confirm their identification. The Parent Declaration Forms are available online at gov.gg/SEYT or directly from the Provider. The Providers will claim the Pre-School Education Funding directly from the States of Guernsey.

Children are able to change Providers throughout the year, but in order to ensure that the Pre-School Education Funding can follow the child, a six weeks’ notice is required. Therefore parental declaration forms need to be given to providers by Friday 7 June 2019.

Please contact your chosen provider as soon as possible, to ensure you are able to access your child’s 15 hours Free Pre-School Education Funding in the Autumn Term 2019.

Further information, an FAQ and a list of all the current Early Years Providers offering the preschool Education Funding can be found online at gov.gg/seyt.