Who should complete the census
All private, voluntary and independent (PVI) providers and childminders, offering Funded Early Education places to children aged 9 months to 4 years – as at 31 December 2025 – must complete the January 2026 Early Years Census.
Information collected through the census
The Early Years Census requires the collection of information on:
- all children taking up a funded early education place in a setting during census week
- the provider and their staff
Details of non-funded children should not be included in the census return.
Age ranges
Details of all children aged 9 months, 1, 2, 3 and 4-years-old accessing funded early education places must be recorded.
For the purposes of this collection, we define these ages as:
- a child eligible after reaching 9 months old has a date of birth between 1 January 2025 and 31 March 2025
- a 1-year-old has a date of birth between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024
- a 2-year-old has a date of birth between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023
- a 3-year-old has a date of birth between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2022
- a 4-year-old has a date of birth between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021
When 2026 census takes place
The spring term census will take place from the week beginning Monday12 January 2026. Data collected during this week will include all children taking up a funded early years entitlement place. The official spring term census day is Thursday 15 January 2026.
Changes to the census in 2026
From January 2026, the Early Years Census will change from annual to termly collections. This is aimed at improving the accuracy of data provided to DfE to support more accurate funding allocations to local authorities.
Why the census is important
Census data is used by the Department of Education (DfE) and the Education Funding Agency (EFA) to determine how much funding Haringey is allocated for early years education. Without this information, or if this information is incomplete, the amount of funding available to meet the needs of our young children will be greatly reduced.
To ensure Haringey receives the maximum allocation of early years education funding, it is imperative that all Early Years providers participate in the census in a timely manner. Providers failing to submit their census return by the given deadline risk having their funding delayed for the term.
Key dates to remember
Spring term 2026:
- 9 January 2026: deadline for submission of estimated headcount information
- 15 January 2026: Early Years Census Day – submission must reflect all children on roll week beginning 12 January 2026
- 30 January 2026: deadline for all PVI providers and childminders submitting the census form
- 13 February 2026: deadline for submission of actual headcount information
Summer term 2026:
- 13 April 2026: deadline for submission of estimated headcount information
- 21 May 2026: Early Years Census Day – submission must reflect all children on roll week beginning 18 May 2026
- 22 May 2026: deadline for all PVI providers and childminders submitting the census form
- 22 May 2026: deadline for submission of actual headcount information
Complete the census
To complete the census, you'll need to log in Haringey’s childcare provider portal:
If you need help completing the census, please see the Early Years Census completion guidance document.
Further support and guidance
See the DfE website for more information on completing the census.
Contact us if you have any census or funding queries.