Early years providers are eligible to receive DAF where a two-, three- or four-year-old child is taking up some part of the free early years entitlement with them and the child is in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA).

Four-year-olds in primary and infant school reception classes are NOT eligible for DAF funding.

Entitlement

Providers taking two-, three- or four-year-olds who are eligible for the DAF will be entitled to receive a one-off payment of £910 per academic year. DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional entitlement.

Where children are accessing their early years entitlement at more than one provider it is for the parents to decide which provider can apply for the funding. The grant cannot be split between more than one provider.

If a child receiving DAF moves from one provider to another, the new provider is not eligible to receive DAF for this child within the same academic year. The new provider will need to wait until the following academic year to be able to apply for funding for the child.