Help with childcare costs
There is a range of schemes available to help support families with childcare costs. These include Tax-Free Childcare – where eligible families can receive 20% of childcare costs from the government by topping up the money paid into a Tax-Free Childcare account. The government is reminding families that Tax-Free Childcare can be used to help pay for childcare costs over school holidays.
Check what schemes are available to you on our paying for childcare page
Help with food for families with children
Free school meals
All children in reception, year 1 and year 2 at state schools in England automatically get free school meals. However, if eligible, parents and guardians should apply for free school meals when they enrol or once their child is in school, as this can help their child’s school attract additional funding to support their child’s learning. You can apply at any stage.
From year 3 onwards, you may continue to qualify for free school meals for your child. You can check eligibility and apply on our free school meals page. The free school meals scheme is a national programme and is not part of the Household Support Fund.
Holiday food vouchers
Families of children that are eligible and who receive benefits-related free school meals will receive a voucher to the value of £15 per child per week for six weeks of the school holidays for Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Aldi, Iceland, M&S Food or Waitrose to help pay for groceries over the break.
Children in reception, year 1 and year 2 receive free school meals as standard, but to qualify for holiday food vouchers you must be eligible and you must apply for free school meals, as described above. Nearly 20,000 children in Devon were eligible for free school meal vouchers during the last summer holidays.
The vouchers were distributed to families before the October half-term (1 week) and will be distributed before the Christmas break (2 weeks), February half-term (1 week) and the Easter break (2 weeks). This is being funded by the Household Support Fund and run by Devon County Council. Find out more and claim your vouchers
Holiday Activities and Food programme
The Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme aims to support children to eat more healthily and be more active over the school holidays.
Healthy Start – get help to buy food and milk
If you’re more than 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under 4, you may be entitled to get help to buy healthy food and milk. Find out more about Healthy Start and how to apply if you are eligible