Wraparound Childcare Inclusion Grant Fund

What is Wraparound Childcare?

Wraparound childcare refers to before and after-school provision for primary school-aged children. Childcare can be run directly by the school or by a private, voluntary or independent provider, including childminders and early years settings and can operate on or off the school site. Provision must not require parents to pick up or drop off their children between the school day and wraparound.

Childcare providers play a vital role in supporting families by offering safe, reliable and engaging care beyond the school day.

Wraparound childcare should be inclusive and accessible to all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). Providers should take appropriate steps to remove barriers to participation and ensure families can access suitable childcare.

The County Council is committed to supporting high-quality, sustainable and inclusive wraparound childcare. To support our statutory duty to secure sufficient childcare for families, information gathered through the grant application and evaluation process will help us better understand local supply and demand, identify gaps in provision, and ensure services remain accessible to all children, including those with SEND.

About the grant

Following the successful delivery of the National Wraparound Childcare Programme, which created more than 4,100 new childcare places across Hampshire, a proportion of programme underspend has been allocated to support providers to strengthen setting-wide inclusive practice through improvements to their Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP). This may include staff training, additional resources and other measures that improve inclusion for children with SEND.

The fund is open to all Ofsted-registered providers delivering before and/or after-school wraparound childcare to primary-aged children within the Hampshire County Council local authority area, regardless of whether they previously received funding through the Wraparound Childcare Programme.

To be eligible for the grant, provision should operate for at least 30 minutes before school and 90 minutes after school, be available on a minimum of three days per week, and work towards offering childcare from 8am to 6pm (or the equivalent) five days a week.

As this fund is derived from the National Wraparound Childcare Programme, funding must not be used to subsidise the ongoing cost of childcare places for families. Wraparound childcare places should be funded through parental fees and delivered through a sustainable business model.

The total fund available is £200,000. Once all applications have been assessed and eligibility confirmed, funding will be allocated to successful applicants.

Initial modelling, based on the estimated number of eligible settings and the available funding, suggests grant awards are likely to range between £130 and £600 per setting.

Funding will be paid in two instalments:

• 80% on receipt of a signed grant agreement.
• 20% following satisfactory completion of the grant assurance and evaluation requirements.

This is a one-off grant fund intended to help wraparound childcare providers to embed inclusive practice into their ordinarily available provision. It is not linked to individual children or intended to supplement the cost of higher adult to child ratios for children with additional support needs.

When and how to apply

The Wraparound Childcare Inclusion Fund is open from 1 October to 30 November 2026. All applications must be submitted by 5pm on Monday 30 November.

Providers who do not apply within the application window will not be eligible for funding.

The application form includes questions about the supply and demand for wraparound childcare places. This information will help the County Council better understand the local wraparound childcare market and support statutory reporting requirements, including the annual Childcare Sufficiency Assessment. See further information on the Hampshire childcare market and sufficiency assessment.

Applicants will be required to complete a self-assessment of their current Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP), including their readiness to deliver setting-wide inclusive practice. Applicants will also be asked to identify how the funding will be used to strengthen their current OAP. The self-assessment will be repeated as part of the grant assurance and evaluation process to demonstrate progress and impact.

Before applying, make sure you read application guidance. To apply, please complete the application form and submit it, before the deadline.

Decision-making

Eligible applications will be reviewed by a grant panel, with final approval provided through an Officer Decision Record (ODR) in accordance with the County Council's Scheme of Authorisation.

Successful applicants will be required to enter into a formal grant agreement and provide monitoring information in the required format, including:

• A Grant Assurance Form, detailing how the funding has been used.
• An Evaluation Form, including sufficiency data and information about how inclusive practice has been strengthened through the setting's Ordinarily Available Provision (OAP).

View the full grant agreement.

Further support

Providers who require further support can submit a request via the Services for Young Children General Enquiry Form.