The Early Years Provider Portal is an online web portal for childcare providers to access a secure website to submit details of children and any information to claim funding for free early education entitlement for eligible 2, 3 and 4 year from the local authority. The Portal also allows childcare providers to use the online directory to market their provision to parents/carers searching for childcare places.
Latest update: Early Years census for summer will take place on Thursday 21 May 2026.
The way that the Department for Education (DfE) allocate Early Years Dedicated Grant Funding (EYDSG) to the Local Authority, which is used to make payments to you for the FEEE places you provide, has changed for financial year 2026/27 (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027). The amount of grant funding the Local Authority receives will now be calculated using data collected across three census points in the year. It is important that all providers submit complete, accurate, and timely information, as any inaccuracies or omissions will have a direct impact on the level of funding received and therefore the funding the Local Authority has available to make payments to you.
The information submitted to the DfE for this Early Years Census will be taken from the information that you input onto your Early Years Provider Portal. No additional work or information is required.
All providers must ensure that full and accurate details are recorded on the Early Years Provider Portal for every child accessing a FEEE place during census week (commencing 18 May 2026) by the 5 June.
Please ensure that:
All providers delivering free early education in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector, including childminders, must submit details of all children accessing funded provision during census week via the Waltham Forest Early Years Provider Portal. This enables the Local Authority to complete its statutory return to the Department for Education (DfE).
From Summer 2026, the DfE’s Early Years Census will be collected termly across the financial year.
Key dates
Further details about the census, including guidance to support completion, will be shared with providers nearer the time by the Early Years Team.
Submission requirements
More information, including DOB ranges for ages.
All child-level and establishment-level data must be submitted via the Waltham Forest Early Years Provider Portal, as directed by the Early Years Team.
Changes
Further details about the census, including guidance to support completion, will be communicated to providers nearer the time.
Contacts
Early Years Team: FEEEprovision@walthamforest.gov.uk
For data collection and validation questions about pupil/child-level, establishment-level, and child aggregate statistics.
Business Intelligence Team: edu.performance@walthamforest.gov.uk
For questions about the Local Authority statutory return to the DfE.
The following videos demonstrate how you can use the Provider Portal.
The following videos demonstrate how you can add a record to Provider Portal and amending start and end dates within terms.
The following videos demonstrate how you can check 30 hour eligibility codes and checking a child's date of birth not eligible for funding.
The next two videos demonstrates how you can delete a child's record on provider portal and grace period end for 30 hour eligibility.
The next two videos shows how you can log onto the system and check 2 year olds assessments.
The next two videos demonstrates how to can submit headcounts and update your provider record on the childcare directory.