9 November update: next application round opens in January

Denbighshire’s November round has closed. The council’s application guidance, checked on 9 November, now says applications will reopen on 4 January 2027 for children born between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. The application page also displays this future reopening date; the next round is not open yet. This is the date to apply, not a confirmed childcare start date; wait for the council to confirm a place and its start date.

If you missed the 8 November deadline or need childcare around a move before January, use the council’s funded childcare enquiry form to ask whether a place is still available. Asking does not guarantee a place.

Applications go through the council where you live. If you are moving between council areas, give the childcare teams your expected move date and ask which council should handle the application and any gap in provision. The original advice below explains the earlier November round and practical steps for arranging a move.

Original advisory published on 5 November

If your family already lives in Denbighshire and your child was born between 1 January and 31 December 2024, the council’s current application round for funded childcare closes on Sunday 8 November 2026. Apply through the council where you live. If you miss Sunday’s deadline, contact Denbighshire to ask whether places are still available. Denbighshire application guidance

Choose two settings before applying

Submit one form per child. Denbighshire asks for two preferred childcare settings on each form. Check which registered providers you could reach from your home, including the return journey at pick-up time. You can indicate whether mornings, afternoons or either would work. If both choices are full, the council says it will contact you to choose another. Application form and list of providers

The local scheme offers up to 12.5 hours a week during school term time, usually across five weekday sessions. Children can start from the school term following their second birthday. Individual settings decide which sessions they can offer. Wait for confirmation of a place and session times before counting the hours in your childcare budget. How Denbighshire’s funded sessions work

If you are crossing a council boundary

If you are moving to Denbighshire after the deadline, contact the council with your expected move date and ask when you can apply. Its current form is for people living in the county. Ask your existing childcare team how to report the move and confirm when support at the old address ends.

For example, families receiving Flying Start childcare in Carmarthenshire who leave for another council area must tell Carmarthenshire about the change of address, either themselves or through their provider, and make a fresh application to the new council. Keep both replies with your move paperwork. Carmarthenshire’s guidance for families moving home

The Welsh Government reported on 4 November that it expects 19 of Wales’s 22 councils to offer funded childcare to all two-year-olds in their area by the end of November. Each council manages its own applications. Families moving elsewhere in Wales should check the dates for their new address. Welsh Government rollout update

For the week of your move, set aside time for the childcare handover and arrange cover for any gap between the old place and the new one. Moving home with children · Family moving planner