Early years education
Free nursery education for three to four year olds.
In Derbyshire all families are entitled to up to 570 hours per year of free 'early education' from the term following their child's third birthday.
Some settings may be able to stretch the funding over 52 weeks but it would be advisable to check with individual providers to find out if they are able to do this
The free nursery education can be provided by:
private, voluntary or independent sector nurseries
nursery schools or nursery units in infant or primary schools
childminders registered to provide nursery education.
To find out more about the nearest free nursery education places Call Derbyshire 08 456 058 058, email contact.centre@derbyshire.gov.uk or search the Families Information Directory (opens in a new window).
When is my child eligible?
| Your child's birthday | First term eligible |
| 1 January and 31 March | Easter (term 5) |
| 1 April and 31 August | September (term 1) |
| 1 September and 31 December | January (term 3) |
How do I apply?
Once you know what there is in your area, make contact with providers to find out what they offer.
When you have chosen a provider they will ask you to complete any necessary forms and then notify us so that we can process the payments.
Remember to contact providers well before your child becomes eligible to check whether there are vacant places.
Related documents
The following documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the PDF software for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)