Thousands of parents can claim FREE childcare at holiday clubs this summer – are you eligible?

THOUSANDS of families across England qualify for free childcare during the summer holidays. Eligible parents can sign their children up for up to four days a week until school starts back up. Children participating in the HAF programme enjoy a mix of creative, physical, and social activities (stock image) Credit: Getty – Contributor The programme runs during school breaks, including summer, Easter, and over Christmas (stock image) Credit: Getty The holiday activities and food (HAF) programme provides enriching activities and free childcare places, as well as meals, for low-income families in England. Designed to benefit a child’s health, wellbeing, and learning, the programme has helped millions of children since it was officially launched in 2021. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Eligible families receive fully funded, supervised care for their children during major school breaks, including over winter and Easter, as well as summer. Each child can attend the programme for a maximum of 16 days over the summer, four days over Easter, and four days over Christmas. HAF operates as a drop-off service, allowing parents to work their children attend up to four hours each day for up to four days a week. Some clubs even offer extended hours to better accommodate standard working parents, though exact schedules vary depending on the location. The Department for Education (DfE) has set out specific criteria to ensure these clubs double as high-quality childcare environments, including an “enrichment” curriculum. Instead of just basic supervision, clubs must offer a mix of physical activities, aiming for at least 60 minutes a day, creative tasks like arts and crafts, and social development. Most read in Money Each session also includes at least one healthy, hot meal that meets School Food Standards, and children also take part in fun, informal sessions to learn about healthy eating. The programme is primarily aimed at children in receipt of benefits related free school meals (FSM), however, it is not exclusive to this group. Local authorities have systems in place to ensure that the programme is supporting the children and families that it is intended to support. In some cases, a booking system may be used to automatically check eligibility based on FSM status. A voucher or code system is also used to issue a unique code to each eligible household, allowing them to book places on the programme. Families can also be directly referred to the programme by their child’s school. A referral can also occur from another trusted public body, agency, or from elsewhere within the local authority. Direct cross checking with the Eligibility Checking System is also carried out. Households that do not meet the income thresholds for benefits-related school meals but are still facing hardship, can still apply under the 15% local discretion rule. To use this route, parents should speak directly with their child’s headteacher, a school pastoral lead, or a family support worker, who can make a direct referral to the council on their behalf. Or to request a discretionary booking code, you can also visit your local authority website, look up their specific “HAF Programme” page, and contact their dedicated HAF team, explaining your situation. The HAF programme is open to school-aged children from Reception to Year 11. Comment now