A chara, 

The February Review and Confirm window will open from 1 February to 14February 2026. 

This process enables Core Funding payments to continue by facilitating Partner Services to review their most recent application information.

Partner Services can complete their Review and Confirm with two options available:

1. Review and Confirm with Changes
2. Review and Confirm without Changes

Before completing the Review and Confirm, Partner Services should:

•  Make sure all data captured in the Service Profile is accurate and up to date for the 2025/2026 programme year.
•  Make Sure your Core Funding Application is at status ‘Approved’.  If your application is at ‘Referred back’, you must address the reason for  ‘refer back’ prior to completing the November Review and Confirm process. 

If you have an Update Due Date populated on your most recently ‘Approved’ Core Funding application record, on or before the 14 February, prior to the date you complete the Review and Confirm process, you must action this as part of your Review and Confirm.

To do this, choose ‘Review and Confirm with Changes’ and either: replace the staff member who has left, or reduce your service’s capacity.

Core Funding Payments

After the Review and Confirm window is closed, Core Funding payments will only continue to be processed according to the payment schedule on the Early Years Hive, as long as your February Review and Confirm is at an ‘Approved’ status.  

If your service requires support, additional resources are available under the Core Funding Documents and Help and Support sections on the Early Years Hive. Your local City/County Childcare Committee (CCC) can also help you complete your Core Funding Application Module.  

If you require any further help or clarification on any of the above, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a Service Request.

Regards, 

The Early Years Team