Fife Council provides early learning and childcare to eligible 2-year-old children in line with Scottish Government criteria.
Eligibility criteria for 2-year-olds
Your child can also access 1140 hours of funded ELC at the eligible intake date after their 2nd birthday, if you meet one or more of the following criteria set by the Scottish Government:
- Income support
- Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Incapacity Benefit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- State Pension Credit
- Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 (Support for Asylum Seekers)
If you get Universal Credit, your 2-year-old may be able to get funded early learning and childcare.
Your monthly household take-home pay must be £885 or less.
‘Take-home pay’ is how much money you get after these things are taken from your pay:
- tax
- National Insurance
- pension contributions
Your child may also be eligible if they are looked after, under a kinship care or guardianship order. If this applies to you, please contact your Social Worker who will be able to refer you to our LAC Family Support team. This team provides extra support to make sure any placement meets your needs.
Your child may also be eligible if you have been looked after, under a kinship care or guardianship order as you were growing up. Please enquire at your local nursery offering two-year-old places for further details.
If your child has additional support needs or you feel your family needs extra support, then you may also be able to access some Early Learning and Childcare for your two-year-old child. Please discuss this with your Health Visitor, Social Worker, or Educational Home Visitor who supports your family. They will be able to complete a separate referral form with you if they feel an application is appropriate. If spaces are available for your child, these must be accessed a Local Authority nursery provision offering two-year-old places.
If your family is supported by a Family Nurse Practitioner, then you can access space at a Local Authority nursery provision for your child. Please discuss this with your FNP.
What are the benefits of a two-year-old place for my child?
Your child will have lots of opportunities to play indoors and outdoors. This will help support their development and learning.
Your child will have opportunities to interact with others. This will help to build their confidence and independence and help them learn how to share and take turns with others.
Your child will have lots of opportunities to develop their communication skills. This will help them improve their speech and language and support them to make their needs known.
You will have opportunities to be involved in your child’s learning. This will support you to develop further your child’s learning at home.
When can my child start?
Nursery intakes for eligible 2-year-olds happen three times during the academic year.
- If your child is eligible and turns 2 between 1 March and 31 August, they will be eligible to access funded ELC from August of that same year.
- If your child is eligible and turns 2 between 1 September and 31 December, they will be eligible to access funded ELC from January of the following year.
- If your child is eligible and turns 2 between 1 January and the last day of February, they will be eligible to access funded ELC from April of that same year.
Applications for 2-year-old places can be made a maximum of 2 months before a child’s anticipated start date (excluding school holiday periods).
How do I apply?
Application forms are available from any Fife Council nursery or can be printed from the link below.
Application form for eligible 2-year-olds 2025 - 26
Application form for eligible 2-year-olds 2026 - 27
These should be completed fully and handed into a Fife Council nursery offering 2-year-old provision, along with:
- up-to-date evidence of any benefits or tax credits you receive.
- your child’s birth certificate or passport
- proof of your current address
List of Early Learning and Childcare centres for 2-year-olds
Your application will be assessed at the next available Nursery Panel meeting. These meetings take place towards the end of each term to award places for the following term. If you are offered a place for your child in a Fife Council nursery, you will be notified in writing.
Please note that the place you are offered may not be at the nursery closest to your home.
What will be available?
There will be a number of different ways for families to access their 1140 hours entitlement. These will include:
- Term time in a Fife Council nursery
- Across the whole year in a Fife Council nursery
- In a private nursery that is in partnership with Fife Council
- At a playgroup that is in partnership with Fife Council
- With a childminder who is in partnership with Fife Council
It may be possible to share hours between different Early Learning & Childcare providers.
If you need some more support to cope with the ever-rising cost of living, please visit our.fife.scot/gethelp. You'll find information there about Tax Free Childcare and other benefits. To see what else you could be entitled to, check out the Fife Benefits Checker
