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The Department for Education has published guidance for local authorities and early years providers explaining how to record funded early years places for the January 2022 early years census, specifically in light of the impact of Covid-19: 

The early years census is used by the government to determine how much funding is given to different local authorities. The guidance is broadly the same as the January 2021 early years census guidance.You can .

Covid-19-specific guidance:

Guidance for providers who are open during census week

The guidance states that for providers who are currently open, the Department has taken the view that "where a child is reasonably expected to attend Early Years provision, and that provision is made available to them by the provider, their expected hours should be recorded in the Early Years Census. 

"This means children who, were it not for the impact of coronavirus on either their own personal circumstances or on the operation of their Early Years setting, would be attending Early Years provision. This includes children who have previously attended the provision and children who were expected to start attending the provision in January e.g. they had a signed a parental declaration with the setting on planned hours.​"

What happens if a child is temporarily absent during census week?

The guidance states that local authorities and providers should record the expected weekly hours a child usually would have received in situations where the child is:

• self-isolating due to exposure to Covid-19 in census week 
• ill in census week
• temporarily absent due to:
  • the parent/guardian caution (i.e. fear of their child catching Covid-19), only if the provider remains open to the child and the parent/guardian has not altered their parental declaration relating to expected hours with the provider, and expects the child to return to take up their place.
     
  • the parent/guardian choosing to care for child at home, only if the provider remains open to the child and the parent/guardian has not altered their parental declaration relating to expected hours with the provider, and expects the child to return to take up their place.

What happens when the number of hours a child takes up is expected to change?

If a parent/guardian has informed a provider that they are reducing their child’s hours (i.e., a change in the parental declaration), local authorities and providers should accurately record the new expected hours for the purposes of the census.

Guidance for providers who are closed or offer reduced places during census week

For providers who are currently closed or offering reduced places, the guidance given depends on the reasons for closure / place reduction.

What happens if we have been forced to temporarily close or limit places during census week?

A census return for 2022, recording the contracted/expected hours provided, should be made in situations where the provider has attempted to remain open but has closed for a period of time, or has had to temporarily restrict access for some children, for reasons such as:

• staff shortages due to illness.
• staff shortages due to self-isolation.
• staff shortages due to caring for their own child or other dependent who is ill or needs to self-isolate.
• being advised to do so by local public health authorities due to an outbreak at the provider

What happens if we have chosen to temporarily close or limit places during census week?

A census return for 2022 should not be made in situations where a setting has chosen to close and not provide the early entitlements due to:  

• limited anticipated attendance
• staff caution

Where a setting has chosen to restrict the attendance of some children for any reason that isn't listed in the DfE census guidance, no return should be made for any child that is not being offered the early entitlement as a result.