Childcare and Early Years options
There are a number of choices for childcare and Early Years care, including nurseries, nannies or au pairs and childminders:
Help finding childcare
Provision close to base
A HiVE will often have information on local providers – especially those on base. There are a number of providers that deliver nursery provision across RAF units and wider defence, including charitable providers such RAFA Kidz, Spring nurseries and others. Many RAF stations have information on childcare and early education provision on station on the facilities sections of the their webpage which can be accessed via: RAF Stations (mod.uk). Local authority websites are also a good starting point to find out about childcare and early education providers in your area. If you are encountering challenges accessing childcare that meets your needs, please contact us.
Finding providers further afield
Support for Families
Best Start in Life
The Best Start in Life website provides information and support from pregnancy through your child’s early years and beyond. This includes a childcare support eligibility checker; guidance on school readiness; and a link to search for family support in your local area.
Government childcare schemes
Do you know what help you are entitled to with childcare? Whether you have a toddler or teen you could get help with childcare costs from the Government.
Best Start in Life Website
There are a number of schemes to assist working families with the costs of childcare. Visit Best Start in Life for information on Government help with the cost of childcare for parents/carers to help you consider which scheme best suits your circumstances. The Best Start in Life website also has advice and support for your child’s development including information on pregnancy and childcare right through to starting school.
Funded Early Learning and Childcare
Government funded Early Years support is available across the UK. The following sites will explain what is on offer and any eligibility criteria:
UK Nursery Authority
From September 2026, a new Defence childcare scheme will be rolled out across the UK to transform support for Armed Forces families. The UK Nursery Authority (UKNA) will be delivered through the MOD’s existing Early Years childcare reimbursement scheme and will ensure that eligible working UK Armed Forces families receive the same Government funded childcare support as forces families in England.
Prior to registering for UKNA, Service personnel need to make sure that their children are recorded and verified on JPA. Eligible working parents who are in paid employment must have an active Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) account for each child that they want to claim a reimbursement of their childcare costs for through the UKNA. All UKNA claims must have been paid to the provider via the active TFC account prior to being submitted.
Further information on the UKNA, including eligibility, available support, how to apply and claim, and a Frequently Asked Questions guide, is available on the Discover My Benefits – RAF website. Service personnel can access detailed policy information by searching UK Nursery Authority at DINs Search (defnet) or Group: Defence Instruction Notices – DIN’s | Defence Connect.
See also: News on Defence childcare schemes for September 2026 < RAF Families Federation
Tax-Free Childcare scheme
Tax-Free Childcare(TFC) replaced the Childcare Voucher Scheme in April 2018 (unless you opted to remain in the voucher scheme).
For eligible families, TFC offers to cover 20% of childcare costs (up to £2,000 per child, per year), for children up to the age of 12.
TFC eligibility
The scheme is open to almost two million families in the UK and is delivered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). As well as full-time employees working for an employer, for the first time, it will cover you if you are:
- Self employed
- Working part time
- On maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- Starting your own business
The scheme is available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Coram Family and Childcare Childcare Survey 2024 provides a useful table comparing childcare support schemes across the UK (pages 12-13).
TFC Overseas
Whilst overseas, TFC can only be used at nurseries or childminders that are MOD provided (regulated and inspected).
If you are eligible for TFC and you are assigned to an overseas location within the European Economic Area (and Switzerland) where there is no access to MOD provided schools and nurseries, you will be able to claim the TFC top-up using a manual process.
Armed Forces Families and Safeguarding (AFFS) worked with HMRC to allow for an application to be made with data then being transferred securely to HMRC for eligibility checking and processing of refunds.
2022DIN01-102 Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) Scheme for eligible working parents (Service personnel) has now been published, this includes the application form for the manual process.
Personnel without internal SharePoint access should contact [email protected] to request a copy of the application form.
Wraparound childcare (WAC)
The WAC scheme will help eligible Service families with children aged 4 to 11 years old who are in school or being home schooled in the UK and in eligible overseas locations. Families can claim for up to 20 hours per week of funding for each child attending before and after school care during term time.
Overseas childcare
For families overseas or considering an overseas assignment it is important to understand your childcare options. We have a dedicated page on Overseas Childcare which includes information on overseas provision, Wraparound Childcare Overseas, Primary School Aged Childcare Overseas and government funded childcare schemes.
Alternatively, the MOD have information on Childcare for Service families within the UK and Overseas on the GOV.UK website.
