Activities, services and support for families with children under five

Best Start in Life parent hub

30 hours childcare

For eligible working families in England of children aged 9 months to 4 years.

Eligible working families can apply for 30 hours of childcare to use from the term after their child turns 9 months until they reach school age.

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/15-and-30-hours-support/working-families

Eligibility for 30 hours childcare

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/15-and-30-hours-support/working-families/eligibility

Expanded free hours are available to children from the term after their 9th month birthday

Childs under 2s Birth Month	Childs 9th month birthday falls on	Funding is Eligible from…
Jan	Oct	Jan
Feb	Nov	Jan
Mar	Dec	Jan
Apr	Jan	Apr
May	Feb	Apr
Jun	Mar	Apr
Jul	Apr	Sept
Aug	May	Sept
Sept	Jun	Sept
Oct	Jul	Sept
Nov	Aug	Sept
Dec	Sept	Jan

Expanded free hours are available to children from the term after their 2nd birthday

Childs 2nd Birthday Month	Funding is Eligible from…
Jan	Apr
Feb	Apr
Mar	Apr
Apr	Sept
May	Sept
Jun	Sept
Jul	Sept
Aug	Sept
Sept	Jan
Oct	Jan
Nov	Jan
Dec	Jan

Childcare support checker

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/eligibility-checker

How 30 hours childcare works

Choosing a provider

You can choose your own preferred childcare provider and should contact them as early as possible to secure your place. There is help to find childcare providers in your area on GOV.UK.

Government funding is intended to pay for up to 30 hours a week of high quality, flexible childcare for eligible working parents. The 30 hours must be able to be accessed free of charge to parents.

Government funding does not cover

meals
nappies
additional hours
additional activities, such as trips

So you might be asked to pay for these things. However, these charges must not be mandatory, or a condition of accessing a funded place and you can speak to your provider about what alternative options they may have.

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/15-and-30-hours-support/working-families/how-it-works

Apply for 30 hours childcare

You can apply for your code up to 16 weeks before your baby turns 9 months old.

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/15-and-30-hours-support/working-families/how-to-apply

Combining schemes

You can combine funding with Tax-Free Childcare

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/combining-schemes

For eligible working parents who can get a £2 top-up for every £8 towards the cost of their childcare.

https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/tax-free-childcare

Children and family Centres

Learning and play activities

Children and family centres, provide group activities for children to learn and develop through play and parents to learn about their child. They are a great way to meet other mums, dads, and carers. Play sessions include story time, music and rhymes, sensory experiences, messy play, arts and crafts, and much more.
Informative sessions and courses cover baby massage, building closer relationships, communication and language, food and nutrition, active families, healthy teeth, feeding, sleep support, and much more.

Family Hubs

Chingford Children and Family Centre Hub

5 Oaks Grove
Chingford
E4 6EY
020 8496 1551
Opening times: Monday – Friday 9am-5pm

Walthamstow Children and Family Centre Hub

313 Billet Road
Walthamstow
E17 5PX
020 8496 3511
Opening times: Monday – Friday 9am-5pm

Follow the link below to view details of Waltham Forest Family Hubs

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/families-young-people-and-children/family-hubs/your-family-hub-locations

Support for parents and carers

Lloyd Park Children’s Charity (LPCC)

https://www.tlpcc.org.uk/community-services

They offer the following parent support groups and programmes:

Flourish – a support group for parents with low mood or high anxiety levels
Somewhere to belong – a group for children with special educational needs

Contact: familysupport@lpcc.org

They also provide baby and food banks:

Call: 020 8527 1737

Email: babybank@tlpcc.org.uk

Family Hubs also offer services for all parents and carers of children through the Early Help Service. It offers a wide range of free and easily accessible support, both at the hubs and online.

Follow the website link below to see what services are available

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/families-young-people-and-children/family-hubs/support-parents-and-carers

Best Start in Life: activities for ages 0 to 5

Family Hubs activities for children aged 0 to 5 are part of Best Start in Life, a government-funded programme supporting Waltham Forest's parents and carers with their children’s growth.

You can find Best Start in Life services in all four Family Hubs and other community spaces throughout every neighbourhood in the borough. Many services are run by our partners, specialists in their fields, such as HENRY and Lloyd Park Children's Charity

Services include:

Early Help

The Early Help Service works in partnership with other professionals, parents and carers to intervene early in a child’s life to ensure that children have the best start in life. The aim is to address problems at the earliest opportunity – before they can escalate – and to enable families to support their children to reach their full potential.

https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/families-young-people-and-children/parenting-and-family-support/early-help-and-support-families

Waltham Forest SEND Service

If you would like to find out anymore information about Special Educational Needs, follow the link below

https://thehub-beta.walthamforest.gov.uk/wf-send-service