Fee's and funding

Registration fee - I do not charge a registration fee to cover paperwork and initial information sharing.

Hourly fee - £10 hour excluding food
Mealtimes are not included in the hourly fee.

Notice period required for holidays: 2 weeks
Outings, petrol, parking to be paid for by parent/s

Provider holiday: No charge
Provider illness: No charge
Provider training days: No charge

Bank Holidays: Full charge

Child/family holiday: Full charge

Child/family illness: Full charge

Parent occasional days off: Full charge

Overnight care: Single child hourly nanny rate whilst awake, half price single child hourly nanny rate whilst asleep.

Early arrival/late collection: Normal charge

Booked overtime; Normal charge

Non booked overtime: Normal charge

Holding fee if child attends another setting: Half charge

Wrap around care: Full charge while child attends nursery or pre-school until child starts full time.

Parents, please supply: bottles, baby milk, sun cream, spare clothes, nappies, baby wipes.

Normal working hours are 8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday. If you require hours before, after or at weekends single child hourly nanny rate of 16 per hour is charged.

New contracts: there is a 2 week trial / settling in period, during which time the contract can be cancelled by either me or parents with immediate effect. Please note this period can be extended if your baby / child is struggling to settle.

Contract termination

All fees must be paid in full before the contract is terminated. Contract termination must normally be given in writing giving a minimum of 8 weeks’ notice by either party.

The termination period does not include holiday days / weeks.

The termination period is chargeable at the normal rate. If any fees are outstanding, including any fees in lieu of notice, you will be acting in breach of contract. In such an instance I reserve the right to seek legal advice.

Please remember that the hours charged are the hours held by you for your child’s sole use. Contracted hours are payable regardless of late arrivals, early collections, your or your child’s illness, occasional days off and holidays.

Payment options – I accept Bank transfer (BACS).

Government Childcare Funding

The Government currently provides funded places for some children from the term after they turn 9 months. All 3 and 4 year olds can all access up to 15 hours per week, with eligible working parents being able to access up to 30 hours per week as per the schedule below:

From April 2024, eligible 2 year olds are entitled for up to 15 hours per week
From September 2024, eligible children aged 9 months to 2 years are entitled for up to 15 hours per week
From September 2025, eligible children over the age of 9 months will be entitled for up to 30 hours per week

Parents can see whether they are eligible for government childcare funding by checking the Childcare Choices website. https://www.gov.uk/childcare-calculator.

Funded hours may be taken during school term time or ‘stretched’ to up to 52 weeks of the year, but with less hours per week being funded.

To be eligible, each parent must earn the equivalent of 16 hours per week at minimum wage, up to £100,000.

The government initially called these hours ‘free childcare’, but thanks to the sector expressing their views about it not being ‘free’, they have now revised this wording to ‘funded’.

Accessibility

There are currently shortages of childcare places, so not all parents who are eligible will be able to be guaranteed a funded place for their child. There is no legal requirement for any childminder, nursery, or pre-school to offer government funded places. In certain circumstances the funding does not cover the cost of the childcare place, which can create difficulties for the childminder to cover costs and offer a quality and sustainable childminding service.

Ways early years settings can be sustainable

Limit the number of hours in a day that can attract government funding, with parents paying for the additional hours.
Limit the number of funded children present during the day.
Request parents pay a voluntary contribution, usually a small hourly charge, for a specific set of personal consumables and activities.
Only offer private places.

In my setting Nurturing Natalie:

I offer funded places during term time only which is 38 weeks per year.
I have chosen not to offer set times/days when funded places can be claimed, and offer up to the full 10 hours per day so that parents can use the most from the available funding.

I request a voluntary charge for consumables that includes nappy bags, wipes.

The government rate that is paid to settings does not cover the cost of the high quality of care, teaching, environment and experiences that is offered at Nurturing Natalie. In order for this to be provided there is an additional voluntary enhancement fee. This enables your child has the highest standard of Early Years Education and care.

Enhancement fee includes:

Different, daily outings into the community.
Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, sound baths, music and singing classes.
Beach school, forest school, bug spotting and nature walks.
Cooking and baking using organic, healthy ingredients adhering to all food intolerances and preferences.
A qualified Sleep Consultant and Baby and Child Specialist with a published book.
Advice for families on sleep, weaning, nutrition, breastfeeding, moving from breast to bottle, transitioning from cot to bed, potty training etc.
Collection and drop off service.

Children aged 9 months to 2 years £0 per hour
Children aged 2-3 years £1.20 per hour
Children aged 3 and 4 year £4.67 per hour

I reserve the right to only provide private childcare places.
I have no set limit of funded childcare places per day and also offer private places during the day.
A 4 week notice period must be given to cancel any funding.

On top of the government funding, I also accept Tax-Free Childcare. Tax-Free Childcare is a government scheme designed to help parents with the cost of childcare. You can get up to £2,000 a year (£500 every 3 months) for each of your children. This increases to £4,000 a year, £1000 every 3 months, if a child is disabled. Here are the key points: