Early Learning and Childcare for three and four year olds in Forest Kindergarten

Eligibility for funded hours starts the term after a child’s third birthday and the number of funded hours a child receives depends on the start date of their eligibility.

For session 2023-24 the number of funded hours will be as follows

View early years 1140 hours video with audio description

Nursery places in our Forest Kindergartens are only available during school term time dates and are open Monday – Thursday with no provision on a Friday.  Across all forest kindergarten settings the option of 2 or 4 days is available.

Applying for a place 

To apply for a place at one of our forest kindergartens please submit one application and send it along with copies of the documents noted below to earlyyears@edinburgh.gov.uk  

Please note, some downloads may not be accessible.  For help, call 0131 200 2000.

• apply for nursery form (PDF)
• child's birth certificate - or, if informed by the nursery, their passport
• proof of your address, such as a Council Tax letter or utility bill.

Please note we cannot guarantee your first choice of setting therefore, when completing the application form, you must provide a second and third choice and these can be either another forest kindergarten or from the settings listed in the following links:

Applications received that do not include second and third choices will be returned to you for completion.

Search for a nursery in your area

Find a childminder

Download a print-friendly list of council and partner provide centres - PDF

Find Forest Kindergartens