This article is brought to you by Slough Borough Council's Early Years team, on behalf of Foundation Years for the attention of all Early Years Providers.
DfE are conducting research to gather feedback on early years professional's experiences of delivering the following entitlements:
- the working parent (9 month - 4 years)
- universal 15 hours (3 - 4-year-olds)
- the 2-year-old disadvantaged entitlement
We’d like to hear about your experiences and needs for delivering entitlements to understand how to improve the experience in the future. We are looking to speak to early years professional's involved in the process of childcare entitlements, those who process finances relating to these entitlements and support parents with understanding entitlements.
We would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on how you deliver entitlements in your setting(s) in a 60-minute session:
- When: 2nd - 18th February 2026
- Format: Online session, or potential options for in-person or a phone call
- Incentive: £40
Sessions will include a one-off discussion with a researcher about aspects such as what you do to deliver entitlements to parents, what that experience is like, who is involved, what systems you use etc. Your insights will play a key role in improving the experience of delivering entitlements across the country.
If you have any questions, please email gabrielle.mitchem-evans@education.gov.uk