free 15 hr childcare pw rules......

[estherina37]

hi there,i read on here the following...
'Its worth remembering that if you choose a day nursery you will be billed for 52 weeks of the year and the funding only runs for 38 so there will be an additional cost'

i just wondered is it possible to avoid the extra charge by using this free childcare time elsewhaere at all?

thank you for any help!

 

[ellie27]

Are they open 52wks per year???

LO's nursery is closed 4 wks per year and closed on 4 bank holiday mondays - both of which we are not billed for.

I guess everywhere is different?

Maybe different rules in Scotland/England too??

 

[happy_bunny]

My son's nursery is open 52 weeks of the year but they don't bill you for bank holidays.

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

What's the alternative to a day nursery though? I don't understand, and we wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the 12 extra weeks...hmm.

 

[_Vicky_]

The boys are going to go to a pre school attached to their primary school which is Only open when the school is (i think) I am a few years away fro that so not checked it all out but will check now and correct my post if I am wrong xx

 

[Tor]

What's the alternative to a day nursery though? I don't understand, and we wouldn't be able to afford to pay for the 12 extra weeks...hmm.

You can send your LO to a nursery which is attached to the primary school you want them to go to then because its term time only you wont have to pay any extra costs i dont think, they just go for a few hours a day

Its normally a morning or an afternoon for 3 hours monday - friday

 

[_Vicky_]

Yes I just checked they are open 9-12 term time only which is fab as they won't miss anything by just going half days x

 

[smelly07]

Pre-schools are only open 3 hours a day 5 days a week term time only and nurseries attached to schools are also term time only.
so if your LO will be going to a day nursery they are open all year round (as generally these are for working parents) which means you have to pay for all the extra weeks i think it works out about 12 weeks in total, even if your child doesnt attend. I think that works out around £600 approx x


There are definitely NO EXTRA COST for children attending pre-schools a term after their 3rd birthday its completely free x

 

[Laura2919]

You can get the 15hrs free if you choose a private nursery place but will have to pay the additional cost and there will be an additional cost or you can send your child to a school nursery which will only be open in term time.

 

[keepontrying]

Hi, That comment was from me. Day nurseries are there to predominantly cater for parents requiring longer childcare (for when they go out to work etc) So generally speaking they are open 52 weeks per year and only shut on bank holidays and possible the days between xmas and new year.

The EEE (early years entitlement) funding is calculated as 15 hours per week x 38 weeks of the year. SOme day nurseries offer a 'stretched offer' and reduce your weekly hours by offering a lower amount over 52 weeks.

Other options are to attend a sessional preschool. These are sometime attached to the school itself but also lots are private organisations.

Your best point of contact to get information relevant to you is to either visit yoru local council website to access information or to call them and ask to be put through to either their early years department or their family information service department.

You can get a list of providers in you area and some information on the rules and limitations around claiming this funding. If you ask for the 'models of delivery' for each setting you should get info on how you can attend eg 5 days x 3 hours, 3 days x 5 hours etc.

Good luck , if you have any other questions give me a shout as i may be able to help you with them x

 

[fairy1984]

one thing to watch is that day nurseries dont necessarily accept the full 15 hours per week (x 38 weeks per year)

i.e our nursery say that the government funding equates to 10 hours per week of their time because they're more expensive than a pre school. so you would pay full nursery prices for the rest of the time your child went there above and beyond the 10 hours.

however, as my nursery also doesnt accept children unless they're at the nursery for at least 15 hours per week, this means that it forces parents to pay 5 hours per week at least for sending their child there for 3 mornings

Just a heads up so that you can be prepared with the right questions to ask when choosing

 

[keepontrying]

one thing to watch is that day nurseries dont necessarily accept the full 15 hours per week (x 38 weeks per year)

i.e our nursery say that the government funding equates to 10 hours per week of their time because they're more expensive than a pre school. so you would pay full nursery prices for the rest of the time your child went there above and beyond the 10 hours.

however, as my nursery also doesnt accept children unless they're at the nursery for at least 15 hours per week, this means that it forces parents to pay 5 hours per week at least for sending their child there for 3 mornings

Just a heads up so that you can be prepared with the right questions to ask when choosing

Which area is your nursery in??? this is against any rules I have heard - infact it is common place for private nurseries to make a loss on their hourly rate for funded places but you can recoup money as you are allowed to charge extra for meals etc.

 

[Blah11]

i dont see the point in sending them to a private nursery if you dont require childcare? Plus I doubt any nursery would let you register for only 15hrs of 'free' preschool time. Our nursery just gives lump sums each term time so you get the hours free that way but your monthly bill is just the same.

 

[RachA]

The playschool my son went to was government funded for up to 15 hours a week. There is a maximum that the government will pay. Our sessions cost £10.50 each (3 hours) and an extra £3.50 if he had lunch. This amount was covered by the government funding. Had the sessions been £18 (a few that we looked at were that price) then we would of had to of paid a top up of around £7 per session.

 

[special_kala]

Our local nursey takes the full 15 hours buts a surestart one which might be why

 

[smelly07]

Our local nursey takes the full 15 hours buts a surestart one which might be why

surestart still charge the extra weeks as its an all year round nursery but may be cheaper then other nurseries xxx

(unless you can opt for term time only with surestart........i'm not 100% sure how they work)

 

[ellie27]

I am in Scotland and LO goes to a private nursery - 1.5 days a week at the moment.

Her free '15 hours' kick in the day after she turns 3.

However she will not get free 15 hours - they are funded £2.50 per hour so 15 x £2.50 = £37.50 which is actually just 1 days fees - so they will take £37.50 off our weekly fees and we will pay the difference.

 

[Blah11]

£2.50?! What nursery is £2.50ph omg

 

[Maman]

we pay for the extra with childcare vouchers. we only pay for 50 weeks though as they are closed a week in summer and a week at christmas.

you can choose to only send your child term time, but my son does 2 full days (so we only get 13 hours free) and he does his french lessons there, so i dont want him to miss out.

 

[lesleyann]

Kyles just re-started nursery/pre-school We have him booked in for 3 sessions its £3 per hour and term time only as its attached to a school, We put him in now due to the fact he was used to nursery and was getting bored at home and wanted him to have somewhere away from baby... But once he turns 3 the 15hours will cover what he is already there for plus some extra, but we have to privde our own food, and he starts at 8:45am and the latest pick up is 2:45pm..

You just need to look around or pay the extra