All current childcare funding works the same way, funded hours can be claimed from the term after your child turns the qualifying age. So, as a December baby doesn’t turn 9 months until after the September term has already started, the next term begins in Jan.
Apparently it also depends on when you go back to work…so if your back to work between September and December then yes you would get the funding in January
Our kids only qualify from January unfortunately... They needed to be 9 months old by the start of the term