Welcome to the Nursery Milk Scheme

The Nursery Milk Scheme enables:

  • Children under 5 to receive free of charge 189 ml (1/3 pint) of milk for each day they attend approved day care facilities for 2 hours or more.
  • Babies aged under 12 months may instead receive dried baby milk made up to 189ml (1/3 pint).

Day care providers who have been approved to supply milk under the scheme can be reimbursed the cost of the milk they supply.

YOU CAN NOW CLAIM MONTHLY ONLINE. CHOOSE MANAGE/MAKE CLAIMS ON THE MENU TO GO TO THE CORRECT PAGE FOR THIS

Who can apply for approval

  • A registered childminder
  • A registered day care provider
  • A local authority which provides day care
  • Those providing day care to children under 5 in schools or establishments that are exempt from registration
  • Those providing day care in a nursery or creche for the children (under 5 years old) of management and staff of certain establishments (eg children's homes, voluntary or community homes, NHS hospitals which are exempt from registration)

* Note: Day care provided for less than two hours in a day does not qualify for approval under the scheme. Parents and relatives of the child and privately employed nannies are also not eligible under the scheme.

Important information about Scotts Distribution Ltd and Milk For Free Ltd

The NMRU has suspended claims for Nursery Milk from Scotts Distribution Ltd and Milk For Free Ltd until further notice.
If you have a current contract with either company you should have received an email or letter explaining your options.

If you have not received this communication then please contact the NMRU on 0844 991 4444

The Department of Health has launched a GB-wide public consultation on the future operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme. The main aim of the consultation is to explore options for modernising and simplifying the operation of the Nursery Milk Scheme and improving its value for money, while ensuring that all children under five attending a childcare setting for more than two hours a day continue to receive free milk.

Nursery Milk is a universal benefit, meaning that childcare settings can claim the cost of milk provided to any child, regardless of the child’s home circumstances. All the options explored in the consultation ensure that the scheme will continue as a universal benefit. None of the options in the consultation involve a change in the amount of milk provided or to the age, or number of children eligible to receive it.

The consultation will run until the 23rd of October 2012. The Department of Health is keen to hear your views on the proposed options and specific questions. You can access the consultation paper, the impact assessment and equality analysis on the DH website via the link below:

http://consultations.dh.gov.uk/nurserymilk/nextsteps

In parallel with the public consultation, the Department of Health is asking all childcare providers currently registered with the scheme to complete a simple survey about how the scheme works for them now, and how potential changes might affect them and the children they care for. This survey will close on Sunday the 30th of September. The survey address is:

http://consultations.dh.gov.uk/nurserymilk/childcare-settings-survey

Any decision on the future operation of the scheme will be taken after full consideration is given to the consultation and survey responses and other relevant information.

Please send any general queries about the scheme or the consultation to: nurserymilk@dh.gsi.gov.uk