This information describes the food voucher process for eligible children that attend private, voluntary and independent early years settings.
If your child attends a primary school, a nursery class in a primary school or a secondary school and qualifies for benefits-related free school meals, they may be eligible for food vouchers during school holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and summer holidays, as well as half-term breaks. To claim the school holiday food voucher, you must contact your child's school directly, as they manage this process.
Overview
During school holidays, our Family Information Service issues food vouchers to eligible children attending the private, voluntary, and independent early years settings in Hackney. The food vouchers are used to purchase food.
The scheme is funded by the Department of Work and Pension through the Household Support Fund.
Eligibility
Children are eligible for the food vouchers if they are:
- Receiving the two-year-old funding and in a low income household
- Eligible for the Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) and their childcare provider is claiming the EYPP for them. EYPP can be claimed for children from 9 months old until they start reception year. Find out more below
Parents can use the vouchers at their chosen supermarkets to buy food.
Children from working families receiving the two-year-old working families fund are not eligible for these food vouchers. Families with no recourse to public funds are not eligible for the food vouchers.
Please speak to your nursery provider to check if your child is eligible for the holiday food vouchers.
Receiving the food vouchers
Families eligible for food vouchers will receive an email from Edenred each school holiday when a voucher is issued to their child. The email will contain instructions on how to claim the voucher.
If you need support with redeeming your child’s food voucher, please visit your local Children’s Centre or Family Hub.
Further information
Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)
Please ask your childcare provider to check your child’s eligibility for Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP).
The EYPP is supplementary government funding paid directly to eligible childcare providers. The funding can be used to purchase extra resources for targeted interventions, essential equipment, and enhanced activities to boost learning, development, and wellbeing. It aims to reduce the attainment gap for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
EYPP eligibility automatically provides food vouchers during school holidays, ensuring continued access to nourishing meals.
Changes to food vouchers
The Government has launched a new support initiative for low-income residents called the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). This replaces the Household Support Fund (HSF).
Councils are changing how they help residents. They are moving away from giving out short-term holiday food vouchers and will use the money to provide long-term help, including:
- Financial assistance - direct money to help with essential costs
- Debt advice - professional guidance to help manage money and debt
- Benefits support - help to ensure you are getting all the financial support you are entitled to
The Summer 2026 school holidays will be the final time that holiday food vouchers are given to eligible families. After this date, all support will switch completely to the new long-term CRF services.
Find out more about the changes to school holiday food vouchers.