FROM tomorrow working parents will be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds.

The current universal entitlement for ALL three- and four-years-olds will continue to be 15 hours per week for 38 weeks (570 hours) of free early education but from September 2017 working parents will get an additional 15 hours.

Who is eligible for the free childcare?

The additional hours will be available to families where both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone parent family), and

· each parent earns on average, a weekly minimum equivalent to 16 hours at National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW)

· earns less than £ 100,000 per year (when one parent in a household has an income of £ 100,000 or more, that family will not be eligible to take up the extra free hours).

'Working' means both employed and self-employed persons may be eligible.

Families where one parent/neither parent works will usually not be eligible for these additional hours.

How do I sign up to get the extra 15 free hours?

Parents will be notified by HMRC if they are entitled to a 30 hour place.

Parents will be given a DERN number (Department for Education Reference Number) which they will need to pass on to their child's nursery along with their National Insurance number.

Which nurseries in Barrow are taking part in the scheme?

Barrow Island Primary School;

Bram Longstaffe Nursery;

Bright Horizons (in the grounds of FGH);

Cambridge Primary School;

Chapel Street Infants and Nursery School;

Cheeky Monkeys;

Chetwynde Kindergarten;

College House Day Nursery;

Dane Ghyll Pre-school;

Furness Childcare;

St George's Primary School;

Happy Tots;

Hindpool Nursery School;

Hollingarth Day Nursery;

Lindal Pre-School;

Little Stars Pre-School at Yarlside Primary School;

Lynwood Day Nursery;

The Old Vicarage;

Parkside GGI Nursery;

Quarry Brow Nursery;

Ramsden Robins;

Roose Nursery;

Sacred Heart Pre-School;

Victoria Infant and Nursery School;

Walney Central Pre-School;

Yarlside Academy.

If you work at a nursery which is not listed here but is offering the 30 hours free childcare provision email amy.fenton@nwemail.co.uk to be added to the list.