If your child has a special educational need or disability (SEND) and is accessing funded early education, your childcare provider may be able to get extra funding through the Disability Access Fund (DAF).
The fund can provide £910 per year for every child who meets its eligibility criteria.
What can the funding be used for?
The funding is to help your childcare provider make reasonable adjustments at their setting to improve your child's access to funded early education and childcare. It will be paid directly to your childcare provider, and they will be able to decide how it should be spent. The funding cannot be used towards your childcare fees.
Who is eligible for DAF?
Your child will be eligible if they:
Your child does not need to be using all their funded hours for your childcare provider to be able to receive the full funding.
Four-year-olds in primary school reception classes are not eligible for DAF funding.
How can I apply?
To apply for the funding:
- Complete the relevant section of the Funded Early Education Declaration Form 2023 to 2024 (DOC).
- Give the form to your childcare provider along with a copy of your child's DLA eligibility letter.
The childcare provider must email or post your application to the address on the form.
If your child is using their funded hours at more than one childcare provider, you need to choose which one you want to receive the funding.
What if my child moves to another childcare provider part way through the year?
If your child is receiving DAF and moves from one setting to another, the new setting cannot receive the funding until the anniversary of the first payment has passed. DAF funding received by the original setting will not be recouped.
