The new National Childcare Scheme (NCS) programme year opens on 18 August 2025. 

You will need to activate the NCS 2025/2026 funding agreement before the current year’s agreement ends on 17 August 2025. This is to ensure continued participation in the scheme, as claims on NCS CHICKs will be registered across both programme years.  

The funding agreement is available on the All Programme Applications page. You can find a guide on activating an NCS funding agreement in the Help & Support section of the Early Years Hive HERE. 

Please note that failure to submit this funding agreement may result in a loss of funding. 

As noted in the NCS Policy Guidelines funding cannot be backdated, so please submit this application as soon as possible.