DfE offers childminder start-up grants for 30 hours
Friday, February 24, 2017
Newly registered childminders and childminder agencies can apply for grants of up to £1,000, if they are planning to offer the Government’s funded 30-hour childcare places.
The Department for Education has re-launched its Childcare Business Grant Scheme, which is designed to help new childminders and childminder agencies to enter the childcare market.
To be eligible, new providers must be planning to offer the 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds, or be in partnership with a childcare provider that does.
If they are a childminder agency, they must be directly encouraging and supporting the registered childminders on their books to offer the 30 hours, either themselves or working with others.
Grants are only open to childminders in England that have been registered with Ofsted on the early years register, or a childminding agency (CMA), within the last 12 months, and have started trading, or are due to start within the next six months.
From 1 May, a newly registered business will be considered one that has been registered with Ofsted or childminder agency within the last three months. There are three types of grants available:
- a £500 grant for an early years childminder or childcare provider on domestic premises;
- a £1,000 grant for an early years childminder or childcare provider on domestic premises of children with special educational needs and disability (SEND);
- a £1,000 grant for a Childminder Agency (CMA).
The Childcare Business Grants Scheme is funded by the Department for Education. There is a fixed amount of funding available. The scheme is due to end by 31 March 2018, or earlier if all the funding has been awarded.
Businesses must also be able to provide a copy of their registration certificate with Ofsted or a CMA to prove when they were registered.
The business grant must be used for costs directly related to setting up the childminding business, and childminders must retain proof of how they have spent the grant.
Businesses cannot apply if they have previously been awarded funding as part of the previous Childcare Business Grants scheme, unless they are now applying as a CMA.
Businesses cannot be a private nursery, after school club or other type of provider.
- Further information about the scheme is available here
