Parent/Carer Declaration Form

You must use the Parent/Carer Declaration Form when delivering funded places. The declaration formalises the take-up of the early years entitlements at a setting.

You can view and download the document.

How to use the document

• You must complete a declaration form for all children receiving any early education funded hours at your setting. 
• The form collects the relevant information, data permissions and consent to ensure you're compliant with the provider agreement. 
• A copy of each child's form will be required when your setting is audited. No other versions of the form will be accepted.
• A new form should be signed and completed should a child's circumstances change. For example, a change of hours.

Funding type

It's important to know what type of funding a child will access. Parents/carers will confirm this on the form.

• 2-year-olds who meet the criteria for Early Learning for 2 Year Olds  (EL2) and Working Parent Entitlement are eligible for 30 hours. This should be recorded as accessing 15 hours of EL2 funding and 15 hours of Working Parent Entitlement.
• 3 and 4-year-olds eligible for 30 hours should be recorded as accessing 15 hours Universal Entitlement and 15 hours Working Parent Entitlement.

Eligibility and data permissions

The form captures the relevant information and data permissions required from parents/carers to check eligibility for early years entitlements. 

Working Parent Entitlement and Early Years Pupil Premium checks must not be completed without signed parental consent. 

Attendance 

The child's attendance pattern is collected on the form. This includes:

• The total number of hours attended per day/week
• The total number of early education funded hours accessed per week
• The total number of private hours per week.

You must ensure parents/carers are aware of the total number of early education hours a child will access per week and how they will be delivered.

Children attending other providers

Parents/carers must provide details for all the early years providers their child is attending, including those in a different local authority. The form collects the total number of early education funded hours accessed at other providers per day/week. Children cannot exceed more than 15 or 30 hours per week.

When children move to a new provider in their eligibility year, you must confirm the total hours left available to claim for the child and the previous claim type. Children cannot exceed 570 or 1140 hours per 12-month period following their eligibility start date.

Additional charges

You must complete this section if you apply optional chargeable extras to funded hours. You must state how charges are applied (hourly or daily basis) and their cost. 

Itemised details of food charges, non-food consumables and extra optional activities should also be provided on the form.

To avoid duplication, you can link or signpost to information and policy already published and available to parents or carers.

Publishing charges in your policy

If you have chargeable extras connected to your setting, you must have an appropriate published policy. This should include the following as a minimum:

• Refundable deposits attached to early years entitlement hours
• Additional optional costs attached to the early years' entitlements, broken down into: food charges, non-food consumables, and extras charges and activities charges
• Reasonable alternatives to chargeable extras that allow parents to access their entitlement for free
• Pattern of delivery of early years entitlement hours

Parents and carers are required to sign and confirm if they want to take up the chargeable extras. You can use your own documents to obtain this information; these must collect the appropriate consent as per our model form.

You should retain a copy of the form. If there are any changes in circumstances (for example, a fee increase or change in hours), parents and carers should sign an updated declaration form.