Surestart Free Childcare Places - Is there such thing??

Chazpots

Hi there,

My apologies if I've posted on the wrong board... I have a query/concern about the free childcare places for 3 & 4 year olds.

My daughter will receive her 12.5 hours funding from next month. Since February this year (when she was 2yr 9mnths) she has been attending 1 session per week that I have paid for. From Sept the pre school is changing their sessions to 3 hours long and are charging an extra £1.60 per session for an extra half an hour. I have put her in for 3 sessions a week costing an extra £4.80 a wk. I've just received a bill for £40 for the first half term! I does state that you are entitled to send your child for the free session only. Looking at their new timetable, that would mean me picking her up halfway through the physical play session. Additionally, one of the days is a rising fives session linked to the main school, so I would ned to drag her out of that too. So basically, I pay the extra or have my daughter miss out. I might as well have a sign on my head saying "skint parent"!! I just don't have the extra £20 a month to spend on this. I feel like as parents, we're often seen as an easy target for cash. I guess to many others, the extra is nothing...to me it's a big deal.

I know I shouldn't stress about how things look to others but when it comes to my kids, I do! I'm not sure what I should do next!

Chaz

poohzee

If you are only using 9 hrs of your 12 1/2 hr sessions a week I wouldn't have thought that they would charge you...I could be wrong

Chazpots

As far as I can make out, Grant = 5 x 2.5 hour sessions per week. 2.5 hours beiing the max per session. My daughters pre school sessions are 3 hours, hence the £1.60 extra. I can't find any information to say that you can use the 12.5 hours lumped together. It would certainly make life easier.

choccymoose

Hi you can't lump the 12.5 hours together at the moment and to make a full day you need to pay for wrap around care, which would be 'before' the session, 'an hour for lunch and 'after' the session. However you should be able to just access your 2'5 hour entitlement with no problems, it appears the nursery is set up for children who can attend full time. Which is what is causing the issue.

I would be interested in how this nursery is going to meet the individual children s needs as set out in the new early years foundation stage that comes into effect in september with what appears to be quite a structured routine.

It may be worth contacting your local authority early years department and ask to speak to the person who controls the nursery education grant funding and explain the situation to

tsstss7

Your best option might be to find another provider. If LO is adaptable it will not bother her in the slightest and another provider might be more aware of the needs of cash strapped parents!

DaisyFlower

Different nurseries and pre-schools offer different hours, its only the 2.5 hours at the moment that are free and you cant add the hours together - they can only be claimed 1 per session.

Most pre-schools are set up for the 2.5 hours as they dont open as long as nurseries so might be something to look into.

Its actually not meant to be childcare though, the free hours are there to give every child the option of early years education.

Loopy_Lobes

I would just pick up her after the 2.5 hours if I didn't want to pay the extra, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest what other people thought!

icklejulez

My daughter has been at her nursery since Easter last year and starts primary school this september she does 3 full days 9am till 3.15 am mon-wed. I only pay for the wednesday afternoon session which many parents dont do. Is this an option for you? If it helps my daughter is in a nursery school joined to a primary school and in Blackpool we get 15 hours a week free as some kind of trial. But other nurserys may be more flexible with the hours you do.

Violetta_2

Are you entitled to help with childcare costs from tax credits? You could claim the remaining costs from them.

Chazpots

DaisyFlower wrote: »

Its actually not meant to be childcare though, the free hours are there to give every child the option of early years education.

Sorry - It's the way I worded it. I understand that its the Early Years Education. That's actually my concern. I'm not working (have a baby boy) so I'm not reliant on it for childcare in that respect. I want her to go to pre school for her development, to prepare her for school in Sept 09 and because it would be good for her. I'm just a bit miffed that there doesn't seem to be that free provision by the time you include their top ups. They don't open in the afternoons but an extra half an hour in the morning, then a lunch club. If I wanted her to stay for lunch it would cost an extra £4.80 a day!

Loopy Lobes - I think you're right, I should just pick her up at the end of the 2.5 hours regardless, but we're in a really small village and there's only about 6 kids of her age! I just think we shouldn't be put in that position. I guess I'm gong to have to get over it!

I've decided to look elsewhere. Maybe put her in there one session a week to keep the link to the school.

Chaz

onlyroz

I'm a bit perplexed about why you think the nursery should pay for the extra provision from your child, or provide her with a free lunch. They'll get money from the government to cover the basic free sessions and anything on top of this has to be funded from somewhere. If you don't want to pay extra then just take her home earlier, or, as others have suggested, look into whether you can claim tax credits etc to cover the extra cost.