Funding and Government Support

There are lots of funding streams available to support both working and non-working families, many of which can be used in conjunction with one another. We strongly recommend taking some time to explore the different options available to you. If you have any questions, please contact a member of our team who will be able to assist and answer any questions you will have.

Free Childcare

To join tax-free childcare (TFC), parents must set up a joint online childcare account. Parents make a quarterly assessment of their childcare costs per child and deposit these monies into their JOCA. This is topped up HMRC at a rate of 20%, such that the maximum childcare costs that can be covered per year per child are £8,000 form the parents and £2,000 from HMRC (double this amount is available to parents of disabled children.
• Can be used for all children from 0-11 years.
• For working families, including the self-employed, in the UK.
• Earning under £100k and at least £139 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage)
• Who aren't receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers
• For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.

Funding for 2 Year Olds

The Early Years Group is approved for the 2 Year Old Early Years Education scheme. Eligible 2 year old children receive a government grant for a place for a maximum of 570 hours per year. This can provide 15 hours a week for the 38 weeks during school term, or on the "Stretched" offer this can be taken as 11 hours a week over 49 weeks.

Each setting's manager has the ability to run a check on eligibility for you, please do ask for further information. If eligible your child can use this funding to cover the cost of childcare from the term after their 2nd birthday.

Funding for 3 and 4 Year Old's

Early Years Education (EYE) is a government grant which funds all children aged 3 & 4 years old to have free education before they start school. We often refer to it as universal funding hours. The government grant provides for a place for a maximum of 570 hours per year. This can provide 15 hours a week for the 38 weeks during school term, or on the "Stretched" offer this can be taken as 11 hours a week over 51 weeks.

30 hours Funding

Working parents of 3 and 4 year old's who work more than 16 hours per week and earn at least £120 per week for parents aged over 25 years or £112.80 for parents aged between 21 and 24 years old, may also have access to an additional 570 hours per year of free Early Years Education. We refer to this as extended hours and can cater for those children wanting to attend term time only or all year round, "stretched."

Childcare Vouchers

Each of our settings accept childcare vouchers that employers may use or operate. If your employer operates a childcare voucher scheme, you can save National Insurance and Income Tax by using this service. By registering for your employer's scheme, up to £55 a week (for basic rate taxpayers) can be deducted from your salary and used to provide childcare vouchers for the same amount. This amount which is deducted from your gross salary, is then exempt from National Insurance and Income Tax. Childcare Vouchers are being phased out, so we would encourage you to contact your employer directly.

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)

If you child is 3 or 4 years old and receiving free early years education, then their childcare provider could claim an additional £302 per year for each child. Parents are encouraged to apply for EYPP if they are in receipt of certain benefits (Income Support, Income based Jobseekers Allowance, Income related Employment and Support Allowance, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit) or if your child has been looked after by the Local Authority, been adopted from care or is subject to a Child Arrangements Order. The premium will then be spent on supporting the development, learning and care needs of your individual child.

Fee paying parents

Parents can use many of the government support and voucher schemes found above to pay for their child's care at nursery. For any hours over and above these funding hours then an hourly payment is due. Details on fees and session times can be found on each of the centre individual pages. Each of our Centre's are unique and cater for differing age ranges of children and have individual set ups. It is therefore better to contact them directly for further information.

Working together

We understand that the costs of childcare can be a significant amount of your monthly budget. We encourage parents to talk to us if they are in financial difficulties to see what help we can provide. Generally speaking, our fees are due prior to the start of the month, but arrangements can be made to work with your individual working patterns.

Further information about the different schemes can be found by accessing the following website:

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk