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By Rachel Lawler

The Department for Education has published for local authorities and early years providers explaining how to record funded early years places for the January 2022 early years census, 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 and is broadly the same as the January 2021 early years census guidance.

аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± who are open during census week will be able to record children who would be attending their provision if it wasn’t for the impact of coronavirus. This would include, for example, if a child is self-isolating due to exposure to Covid-19 during census week.

аÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø¿ª½± who are closed or have been forced to temporarily limit spaces during census week can record their expected hours if the closure was caused by:

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

Find out more
You can read the guidance in full .

We have also summarised the census guidance here.