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Early Years and Childcare Service

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Early Years & Childcare Service

News🗞️

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Published 10 June 2026

Inclusive Early Years Fund (IEYF) 2026/27

Gloucestershire County Council is introducing the Inclusive Early Years Fund (IEYF) for the 2026/27 academic year.  This funding supports setting-wide inclusive practice and is allocated automatically—no application is required and it is not linked to individual children.

Key points

  • Eligible providers will be contacted directly with their allocation
  • Funding will be paid automatically at the start of the academic year
  • No action is required to receive this funding

Please see the IEYF | Early Years Service guidance for full details.

For queries, contact: EYSadviceline@gloucestershire.gov.uk

Childminders

Pages for existing and potential childminders looking to work in the sector.
Childminders

Early years business support

Childcare Sufficiency Duty Report, Self Update Provider Portal (SUPP), the Business Support Toolkit, Sufficiency Grants, and Wraparound.
Early Years Business Support

Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop well, are kept healthy and safe and provides the right foundation for good future progress through school and life.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Early Years Funding

Disability Access Fund, Help with Childcare Costs, Nursery Education Funding (NEF) and Self Update Provider Portal (SUPP) pages
Early Years Funding

Newsletters and bulletins

All Childminder, Provider and Business Bulletins that have been published can be found in this section.
Newsletters and Bulletins

Resources to support your practice

Practitioner pages including Provider Forum, Practitioner Referral Forms, Safeguarding and Training.
Resources to Support Your Practice

Training and networking

The Early Years Service offers a range of free and purchasable training courses. These courses are designed to support implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage and are delivered by the Local Authority Early Years Service team and colleagues.
Training and Networking

Additional Funding For Early Years Providers

Additional Funding For Early Years Providers
Additional Funding For Early Years Providers