Welcome to the First Steps Pre-School website. 

Our aim is to offer children aged 9 months to 5 years high standards of care and education in a safe, stimulating and exciting environment.

The government has confirmed that:

From September 2025, all eligible working parents of children aged nine months up to three-years-old will able to access funding for 30 hours per week of education and care (please note 30hrs eligibility is for British Nationals).

As with the current offers, all entitlements apply over 38 weeks of the year, though providers have the option of 'stretching' the offers over a longer period of time.

Eligibility Criteria 

The government has confirmed that the new offers are for working families only and that the eligibility criteria will be the same as for the existing 30-hour for three- and four-year-olds.

This means that parents or carers will need to earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours at the minimum or living wage but no more than £100,000. This applies to each parent in dual-parent households, though there are exceptions where one parent is in receipt of Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Limited Capability for Work Benefit or contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance and their partner is working.

Did you know that Parents working between the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum Wage (£195 per week or £10,158 a year from April 2025) and £100,000 adjusted net income may now be eligible for 30 hours of funded childcare for their children aged at least 9 months. Places are funded from the term after your child turns 9 months old.  

If you are not eligible for 30 hours of funded childcare, your child may be eligible for 15 hours instead. All parents of children aged 3 to 4 in England can access a universal offer of 15 hours of government funded early education from the term after their child turns 3. It doesn't matter how much you earn or how many hours you work.   

Parents of 2-year-olds can also access 15 hours a week of funded early education if they receive additional forms of support. This includes support like being on Universal Credit and earning less than £15,400 a year, or if your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan, or has been looked after by a local authority. Places are funded from the term after a child turns 2.  

You may be eligible for funded childcare for your 2-year-old even with a No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition, provided your household income is below a certain threshold and you meet specific immigration and residency requirements. You can apply on the government's website or through your local authority, and you may also qualify if you are receiving asylum support. Please contact the nursery for further details.