Understanding Your Free Childcare Hours in Buckinghamshire

Free childcare funding is one of those topics that comes up constantly in our nursery. Parents ask about it at show-arounds, during settling-in sessions, and often at the gate on an ordinary Tuesday morning. It's not always clear from official communications exactly what you're entitled to, when it kicks in, or how it works in practice at a nursery like ours. So I wanted to write something honest and straightforward that families across Marlow, Hazlemere and High Wycombe can actually use.

The universal 15 hours: what every family gets

Every child aged 3 or 4 is entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week during term time, or the equivalent stretched across the year. This is universal. It doesn't matter whether you work, what you earn, or how many children you have. If your child is 3 or 4, you qualify.

In practice, 15 hours works out to around 570 hours per year. At our nurseries, we spread this across the full year rather than limiting it to school term weeks, which gives families much more flexibility. This is worth asking about when you're comparing providers, as not all nurseries offer a stretched model.

The 15 hours covers the core childcare but doesn't include meals, consumables or any additional hours beyond your funded allocation. We're always transparent about what's included and what isn't, so there are no surprises on your invoice.

The 30 hours: for eligible working families

On top of the universal 15 hours, eligible working families can access up to 30 hours per week. This is where it gets a little more involved, but it's genuinely worth understanding.

Since September 2025, the 30 hours entitlement is available from when a child is 9 months old, all the way through to school age. This is the full 30 hours from 9 months, not a stepped increase. If your child is under 3 and you haven't looked into this yet, it's worth doing so now.

To be eligible, each parent (or the sole parent in a single-parent household) generally needs to be working at least the equivalent of 16 hours per week at the National Living Wage, and neither parent can individually earn more than £100,000 adjusted net income. The earnings threshold is tied to the National Living Wage, which changes each April, so I'd always recommend checking your current eligibility directly through Childcare Choices rather than relying on any fixed figure.

One thing I see cause confusion regularly: the 30 hours is not automatic. You need to apply through the government's Childcare Choices website, receive an eligibility code, and share that code with your nursery before the relevant term starts. If you miss the deadline, you may have to wait until the following term. We always remind families about this in advance, but it's good to have it on your radar.

How funding works at our nurseries

At The House That Jack Built, we accept both 15 and 30 hours funding across our settings in Marlow Bottom and Hazlemere. Our fees and funding page has more detail on how we apply the funded hours to your child's sessions.

A few things we find are worth knowing:

• Funding follows the term. In Buckinghamshire, funded hours are delivered across three terms per year. The exact number of funded weeks can vary slightly by term, so we always work through this with families individually.
• You can use funding alongside paid hours. Many families use their funded hours as part of a longer day, topping up with additional paid hours around them. We're happy to help you work out a session pattern that suits your family.
• Meals and consumables are charged separately. Funded hours cover childcare time. Our freshly prepared meals, which are cooked on site by our chefs to a seasonal menu, are charged in addition. We think the food is genuinely excellent, and it's one of the things parents comment on most, but it's important to factor into your planning.
• You'll need your eligibility code before the term starts. For 30 hours, please don't leave this to the last minute. We need your code confirmed in advance, and there are cut-off dates we have to work to.

A note for families with younger children

If you have a baby or young toddler, it's still worth looking at your eligibility now. The expansion of funded hours to children from 9 months old is a significant change, and families across Hazlemere and Marlow have been coming to us with questions about it since it came into effect. We're always happy to talk through how it might work with your child's current or planned sessions.

Getting the most from your funded hours

Funding doesn't have to be complicated. The key things are: know what you're entitled to, apply in good time for the 30 hours if you're eligible, and have an open conversation with your nursery about how the hours apply to your child's pattern.

If you'd like to see how it all works in practice, I'd encourage you to book a show-around at our Marlow Bottom or Hazlemere setting. You'll get a proper look around, meet the team, and we can talk through the funding in the context of your child's age and the sessions you're considering.