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<p>The 2024/25 government hourly funding rates for all the early years entitlements
for individual local authorities were announced on 29 November 2023 to reflect the
funding uplifts and the national living wage increase.</p><p> </p><p>The department
is in close communication with local authorities and recognises the need to ensure
childcare providers have early confirmation of their early years funding rates for
2024/25. The department now anticipates that all local authorities will have confirmed
funding rates that come into force from 1 April 2024 no later than the end of February
2024.</p><p> </p><p>As of 31 January 2024, the department can confirm that over 40
local authorities in England have published their final funding rates for providers.
Where local authorities have not yet published the final rates, the vast majority
have provided indicative rates to their providers to support in their business planning.</p><p>On
2 February 2024, the department also took steps to provide greater funding certainty
to nurseries and childcare providers going forwards. Each year, the government sets
out funding rates in the autumn, to take effect in the following financial year. A
window, likely to be 8 weeks, will be introduced, within which local authorities have
to confirm rates, after the point the department announces local authority hourly
rates. The department will work with the sector in the coming weeks to finalise the
approach.</p>
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