Early Learning and Childcare Frequently Asked Questions

Families can apply for a funded Early Learning and Childcare place through a range of providers across Dundee. This includes all Local Authority nurseries, Funded Providers and Registered Childminders who are working in partnership (Funded Provider) with Dundee City Council to deliver funded Early Learning and Childcare.

If you choose a Local Authority nursery, you can apply online (available soon), you can request an application form directly from any Local Authority nursery or download a form online. Please email or hand in the completed application form, along with any required supporting documentation, to your first choice nursery.

Families wishing to apply to nurseries or childminders working in partnership (Funded Provider) with Dundee City Council should contact these providers directly, as they manage their own registration processes.

This information can be accessed through the Dundee Childcare Information Service map, which provides details of Early Learning and Childcare provision across Dundee City. 

• Find Childcare provision in your area

Local Authority  

• School term time only (up to 30 hours per week)
• 49 weeks of the year (up to 23 hours and 20 minutes per week) 

Funded Provider

Please contact your preferred Funded Provider for detailed information about the placements they offer, as these vary across providers. Families who have already submitted an application will be contacted directly by their chosen provider.

In all Local Authority Nurseries, families have the opportunity to top up these funded hours with hours they pay for themselves. For further information, please discuss this directly with the nursery.

Places will be allocated at the following points in the year:

• Mid-May for children who are eligible to begin receiving their ELC in August. Applications should be submitted before the Spring Break.
• Mid-November for children who are eligible to begin receiving their ELC in January. Applications should be submitted before the October Break.
• Mid-February for children who are eligible to begin receiving their ELC in April. Applications should be submitted before the Christmas Break.

If an application is submitted later in the year, it will still be considered; however, there may be fewer places available in your preferred nursery.

The start date depends on the child’s birthday. Families can begin claiming their funded hours from the relevant periods after their child turns 3—or earlier if the child is eligible for funded provision as a two-year-old.

• Nursery Provision Information

There are several options.

1. Download a paper application and submit this to your first choice nursery.
2. Ask for a paper application from any Local Authority Nursery.
3. Online applications will be available soon.
4. If your choice is a Funded Provider Nursery, please contact them directly.

Typical supporting documents based on standard Local Authority requirements include:

• Proof of your child’s date of birth (e.g., birth certificate).
• Proof of address for the parent/carer making the application (address must be within 2 months).
• Any documentation relating to eligibility criteria, such as:  
  • Eligibility for a funded 2-year-old place (if applying under 2-year-old criteria).
  • Looked After status or other relevant circumstances where applicable

No, the hours are an entitlement, not a requirement, so families can choose to take all or some of their funded hours available.

Yes. Funded entitlement hours can be split between two providers, as long as both deliver funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC). These hours may also be shared across two local authorities. The Local Authority will check the allocation to ensure that the total number of hours does not exceed the eligible entitlement and that sufficient hours remain available.

All Local Authority nurseries offer families the option to purchase additional hours at the beginning and end of the core funded provision. Parents can request an Additional Services application form directly from their Local Authority nursery. Families attending a Funded Provider should discuss any additional hours with the provider, as the availability and pattern of hours may vary between settings.

You can find more information around deferring a child's entry to Primary School, from our Deferral to Primary 1 webpage.

You can find a map of childcare provisions across the city online.