Early Years and Childcare Special Newsletter
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Tuesday 3 March 2026
This special newsletter includes:
- Provider Declaration 2026/27 is now available - action required
- Renaming of the 15-hour entitlement for families receiving additional forms of support (Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement)
- Changes to requesting funding after headcount process - from summer term 2026
- Important action for existing Early Years Funded Entitlement providers only
- Action for providers wishing to offer Early Years Funded Entitlement for the first time, or make changes to their EYFE offer
The new Early Years Funded Entitlement (EYFE) Provider Declaration (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) is now available. Please ensure that you read and understand the latest version.
Although it will be published shortly on our Providing Early Years Funded Entitlement web page, we are sharing this information in advance so that you have early access to the updated requirements.
Please note the below process change and see Appendix N for a summary of all the significant changes.
As shared in our special newsletter published on Thursday 26 February, please refer to that edition for full details on the new Parent Declaration form and the increase in the number of term time only weeks claimable for summer 2026.
Please note that the new Parent Declaration should be given to all parents with new children starting in summer 2026, and to parents of children whose EYFE access has changed.
Following research and feedback which indicated that the current and previous names for 2 year old Local Authority Issued Early Years Funded Entitlement (LA Issued EYFE) created stigma and unnecessary confusion for families, the Department for Education have advised that this entitlement moving forward will be known as ‘Early Learning for 2 year olds (LA Issued)’.
West Sussex County Council will also move forward with renaming this entitlement as consistent use will align national and local messaging and help parents navigate information about the entitlements with more confidence. This change is reflected in the updated EYFE Provider Declaration 2026-27 and we will gradually update references to this entitlement in local guidance and information over time. Changes in online and digital resources will take place sooner and any printed materials will be updated when current stock runs low.
The Department for Education (DfE) have introduced a termly census (previously completed annually in the spring term). West Sussex County Council (WSCC) must now submit a return to the DfE of all funded children in attendance during census week each term.
As WSCC will now be funded on a termly basis we have implemented the process below for requesting funding after the WSCC headcount dates.
- All children in attendance during the WSCC headcount must be claimed for as part of the providers actuals claim. WSCC will fund all children in attendance during the WSCC headcount days for the full term.
- Providers can claim for any eligible child who starts between the WSCC headcount and the DfE census date for the relevant term through an adjustment process. These claims will be paid based on the weeks the child has attended, not the full term, and will be paid at a later date. See point 1.13 of the Provider Declaration for further information and termly dates.
- Children eligible for the 9 Months Plus EYFE for Working Families and Early Learning for 2 year olds (Local Authority Issued EYFE) can start at any point in the term, as long as they have a valid eligibility code.
- For all other EYFE age groups, claims after the DfE census day will only be accepted in exceptional circumstances.
All existing EYFE providers must complete and return their signed Provider Declaration form via the Online Provider Portal (OPP) by 20 March 2026 in order to continue delivering EYFE from April 2026.
To complete your annual EYFE Provider Declaration form, sign into the OPP and complete your ‘EYFE Provider Declaration’ signature form electronically.
Failure to return this form by the 20 March deadline will delay your summer term estimate payment.
We are pleased to announce that we are running ‘Online Provider Portal Training: Completing your Annual Provider Declarations’ webinars. These are now open for booking:
We strongly encourage all providers to attend the training webinar and to view the updated Completing the online EYFE Provider Declaration form guidance video. Providers who are unable to attend must ensure they view the guidance video.
If you are a provider wishing to register to deliver EYFE for the first time, amend your current EYFE delivery model, or add a new EYFE age group to your provision, please contact EYFE@westsussex.gov.uk to request the appropriate form. Please do not complete the EYFE Provider Declaration form on the Online Provider Portal in these circumstances.
For further information about what you need to know before signing up to offer EYFE, please visit our Apply to offer EYFE web page.
Please note that the sign up process can take up to 6 weeks to complete. As a result, we are unable to guarantee that applications submitted at this stage will be finalised in time for EYFE funding to be claimed for the summer term.
You are still welcome to start the process, and we will do our best to complete your registration as quickly as possible.
As shared in our special newsletter published on Thursday 26 February, please refer to that edition for full details on the new Parent Declaration form and the increase in the number of term time only weeks claimable for summer 2026.
Please note that the new Parent Declaration should be given to all parents with new children starting in summer 2026, and to parents of children whose EYFE access has changed.
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