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Apply for a free nursery or childcare place

What a free nursery or childcare place is

Children aged 3 and 4 can get up to 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare a year, funded by the Scottish Government.

This is:  

  • around 30 hours per week if you use it during school term time, or  
  • fewer hours spread across more weeks of the year.  

You do not need to pay for these funded hours.

Some 2-year-olds may also be entitled to free early learning and childcare.

You can get free early learning and childcare at nurseries, childminders, or a combination of both.

You can apply to use this at any council-run or council-approved nursery or childminder in Renfrewshire.  

Find out more about:

If you want to send your child to a private nursery or childminder that's not run or approved by us, you will not be able to use your free hours of nursery or childcare and you’ll have to pay for the cost.

Who can get a free nursery or childcare place

When to apply for a free nursery or childcare place

Nursery places for the school year 2026 to 2027 start from August 2026.

When your child starts nursery depends on when their 3rd birthday is during the year.

If your child's 3rd birthday is on or before 28 February 2027, you should apply by 31 January 2026 for a free nursery place or childcare.

If your child is aged 2 and you've already applied for their place for when they are 3 years old, you do not need to apply again.

If your child is already 3 or 4 years old and isn't at nursery or a childminder, you should apply for their free place now.  

Find out more about who can get free nursery or childcare places and when they can start this.

Places for two-year olds

If your child is eligible for free early learning and childcare, you can apply just before they are 2 years old. They can start nursery and childcare in the term after their 2nd birthday.  

Find out more about who can get free nursery or childcare places and when they can start this.

Before you apply

Find out how you can use your free nursery and childcare hours.

Preferences you must provide

You can apply to any council-run or council-approved nursery or childminder in Renfrewshire.

When applying for an early learning and childcare place, you’ll need to select 3 different nurseries or childminders.

If you want a place at a private or voluntary nursery or private childminder that isn't approved by us, you'll need to apply to them directly.

You should check with your preferred nursery or childminder that they can accommodate the hours, days, or arrangements that suit you.

Find contact details for:  

You only need to make one application for your child's place, even if you have several choices or preferences. However, you must choose 3 different settings in your application form.

In your application, you must include:

  • your preferred days and times
  • whether you will use this free nursery or childcare place during school term-time or across the full year
  • your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices for your preferred nursery or childminder.

If we cannot provide your child a place at your 1st choice, we’ll do our best to offer you a place at your 2nd or 3rd choice. 

If you currently have a child at a nursery or childminder and want their sibling to attend the same one, you should state the names and ages of other children in your family on the application form. We’ll take this into consideration when allocating places.

Evidence you must provide

When applying for a free nursery or childcare place at one of our council-run or council-approved nurseries or childminders, you must provide:

  • your name
  • proof of your address, such as a utility or council tax bill
  • your child's original birth certificate.

If you're applying for a 2-year-old who is eligible for free early learning and childcare, because you or someone in your household gets a qualifying benefit, you'll need to provide evidence such as:

  • a confirmation letter of your benefit from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP)
  • a tax credit award letter from HM Revenue and Customs.

You can see what qualifying benefits apply (Scottish Government website).  

You can upload scans or photos of your original documents with your online application. Make sure the image is clear enough to read the text.

You must provide original documents if we ask for them.

How to apply for a free nursery or childcare place

Apply online

You can apply online for a nursery or childcare place at one of our council-run or council-approved nurseries or council-approved childminders: 

Apply online

Other ways to apply

You can download and fill in our free nursery and childcare places application form and return it to your chosen nursery or childminder by post or email:

If you want to email your completed form to your preferred nursery or childminder, you'll need to include photos or scans of your evidence.

If you want to return it by post, you'll need to return the completed application and your documents to the nursery or childminder’s address. We recommend you send your original documents by recorded delivery for added security.

You can also phone your local nursery or childminder and ask them to send you a form.

How we allocate nursery and childcare places 

We have a  nursery, early learning and childcare admissions policy to make sure places are allocated fairly and transparently:

Renfrewshire is divided into 10 admission panel areas of council-run or council-approved nurseries and childminders.

Priority is given to children who:

  • meet certain admissions criteria
  • live in their admission panel area.

In each admission panel area, we allocate nursery places in order of priority, starting with priority 1 to priority 5 children.

If there are more applications than places remaining in that that priority group, we’ll have a ballot to allocate these places.  

For children who do not get a place at their preferred nursery, we’ll try our best to offer a place at their 2nd or 3rd choice stated on the application form.

If you apply by 31 January 2026, we’ll let you know about your child's place by the end of April 2026.

If we receive your application after 31 January 2026, it will be considered at the next area admissions panel.

We hold admission panels approximately every 2 months during the school term to allocate places for applications we receive after the closing date.

Let your preferred nursery or childminder know if there are any changes to your circumstances, as this could affect the placement offered by the admissions panel.

Applications for 2-year-olds are reviewed throughout the year at the area admissions panel.

After you’ve applied

When your child is offered an early learning and childcare place, the council-run or council-approved nursery or childminder will write to you to confirm this.  

They’ll also confirm your child’s start date for early learning and childcare.

If you have any questions about your application or the place your child has been offered, you should discuss this with the head or manager of that nursery or the childminder.

If the matter is not resolved, you can contact our Children's Services by:

Or by post to:

Children's Services 
Council Headquarters 
Renfrewshire House 
Cotton Street 
Paisley PA1 1TZ

There is no appeal process for nursery placements.

A place at a nursery does not guarantee a place at the primary school that the nursery may be part of.

You’ll need to register your child for a primary school in your local catchment area before they are ready to start Primary 1 (P1).

Find out how to register your child for Primary 1 (P1) at school.