Achieving Excellence Together

We appreciate that childcare can put a strain on parents’ and carers’ bank balances which is why we try and help you as much as we can. From our caring qualified staff through to the best stimulating resources we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality childcare and are happy to advise you on Government and Employer initiatives available to make Marlborough Day Nursery an affordable option for all parents and carers. We would also suggest visiting https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

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Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE)

• FEEE is a national government scheme, which allows parents and carers access to free early education entitlement for their 2, 3 and 4 years olds. This initiative aims to support families by offering access to high-quality early learning experiences, helping children develop essential skills and prepare for school.

•  Funding is provided by the government for 38 weeks of the year this is made up of 3 terms/periods of an academic year (Autumn, Spring and Summer). 

• If a child’s birthday is between 1st April and 31st August, they will be eligible for a funded place from Autum term starting from September.

• If a child’s birthday is between 1st September and 31st December, they will be eligible for a funded place from Spring term starting from January.

• If a child’s birthday is between 1st January and 31st March, they will be eligible for a funded place from Summer term starting from April.

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What Funding is my Child Entitled to?

• 15 and 30 hours childcare for working families

  • Up to 15 hours over 38 weeks of the year for

  • Up to 30 hours over 38 weeks of the year for

  • Up to 15 hours over 38 weeks of the year for children between 9 and 23 months old (from September 2024 onwards)

  • Up to 30 hours over 38 weeks of the year for children from 9 months up to school age (from September 2025 onwards)

•  15 hours childcare for all families

  • Up to 15 hours over 38 weeks of the year for all

•  15 hours for families receiving some form of government support

  • Up to 15 hours over 38 weeks of the year for

•  Working families can apply for their funding through www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and approved applications will receive an 11-digit code to share with their provider. Parents with Tax-Free Childcare may automatically receive their code.

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Accessing Your Funding

• Government funding is intended to cover high quality childcare, it is not intended to cover the cost of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services. Government guidance states that:

• “Providers…can charge for meals and snacks as part of free entitlement places and they can also charge for consumables, such as nappies and suncream and for services such as trips and professional tuition…”

• Funding can be accessed by using up to two different childcare providers, however, no more than 10 hours can be used in one day. Funding is paid directly to the childcare provider who will ensure that invoices are clear, transparent, and itemised allowing parents to see their child’s entitlement.

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How Funding Works at Marlborough Day Nursery

• Funded places are offered to two, three and four year olds. These places will be offered upon completion of the Nursery’s admissions procedure and confirmation of the child’s eligibility.

• The nursery will ask you to provide:

  • Child’s birth certificate

  • Child’s eligibility code and Parent/carer National Insurance Number

  • A completed copy of the Parent Statement of Undertaking form (PSOU)

  • Proof of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) if applicable

•  Marlborough Day Nursery is open all year around closing only for bank holidays, Easter and the Christmas period. We therefore stretch your funding, giving you consistency for your child and no big bills in the holidays. If you start in September, this means a maximum of 570 hours for 15 hours funding or 1140 hours for 30 hours funding spread across the full academic year (September - August). The maximum funding hours will of course differ for children starting from January and April. Our funding administrator will be able to give exact details and calculate the total weekly averages.

•  The fee breakdown below, shows how your childcare is covered depending on the number of funded hours, and explains what you’ll need to pay.

  • Funded Hours - These are the hours that are paid for by the government to cover childcare - free of charge to the parent/carer. Parent/carers will have up to 3 hours of funding allocated to each session. The government stipulate that children must be in attendance for the hours they claim.

  • Sustainability Fee - This fee is applied for each hour of government funding. The hourly charge is set to cover the consumables and extras that are not funded by the government’s contribution. This is £1.50 per hour for under 3’s and £2.50 per hour for the over 3’s.

  •  Non-Funded Hourly Fee - This is the charge for hours outside of the funding allocation which make up a full nursery session. Ordinary nursery fees apply at £7.00 per hour. As these hours are paid for by the parent/carers, there is no expectation to be in attendance, giving the option of collection earlier or dropping later.

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What Does This Look Like for Me?

• We have worked out some clear and transparent examples for our parents:

  • Full Day - 7.30am – 6.00pm (10.5 hours) - Funding will be applied to 6 hours of this day, leaving a remainder of 4.5 hours to pay. The total cost to the parent of a 2 year old would be £40.50 (6 hours at £1.50 and 4.5 hours at £7.00). The total cost to the parent of a 3/4 year old would be £46.50 (6 hours at £2.50 and 4.5 hours at £7.00).

  •  Morning – 7.30am – 1.00pm (5.5 hours) - Funding will be applied to 3 hours of this session, leaving a remainder of 2.5 hours to pay. The total cost to the parent of a 2 year old would be £22.00 (3 hours at £1.50 and 2.5 hours at £7.00). The total cost to the parent of a 3/4 year old would be £25 (3 hours at £2.50 and 2.5 hours at £7.00).

  •  Afternoon – 1.00pm – 6.00pm (5 hours) - Funding will be applied to 3 hours of this session, leaving a remainder of 2 hours to pay. The total cost to the parent of a 2 year old would be £18.50 (3 hours at £1.50 and 2 hours at £7.00). The total cost to the parent of a 3/4 year old would be £21.50 (3 hours at £2.50 and 2 hours at £7.00).

• Please note, actual weekly hours able to be claimed will be less than 15 or 30 due to them being stretched across each term/period. The funding administrator will provide you with a clear and transparent breakdown.

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Do You Offer Term Time Only Places?

• Best practice and guidance suggest that young children need stability and continuity of care i.e. all year around care. We therefore do not offer term time based in our Baby 1, Baby 2, Toddler 1 and Toddler 2 Rooms. Whilst based on experience we would also suggest the same all year around care for our 3 and 4 year olds, particularly as it gives us the chance to get them fully prepared for school, a term time only place may be available at our discretion in our Foundation Lower Room for children who are attending for full and half day care which follows the same funding model described above.

• In addition, we do have a unique group room that runs similar to a pre-school provision; only operating between 9.30am and 2.30pm, during term time. Our Foundation Upper room caters for children aged 2, 3 and 4 years who are just claiming 15 hours of funding, however places are strictly first come first served. A different funding model applies to this group room as shown below:

  • School Day – 9.30am – 2.30 pm (5 hours) - Funding will be applied to the full 5 hours of this session. The total cost to a parent of a child who is offered a place in this room would be £10.00 (5 hours at £2.00).

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Tax-Free Childcare

• Asides from FEEE, if you're a working parent, you can open an online account to pay for registered childcare. The government will top-up the money you pay into the account. For every £8 you pay in, the government will add an extra £2. You can receive up to £2,000 per child, or £4,000 if disabled.

• You, and any partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £167 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage). If you, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity, or adoption leave, or you're unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities, you could still be eligible. 

• Please note that if either you, or your partner, expect to earn £100,000 or more, you can’t get Tax-Free Childcare. Similarly if you are receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers, you will not be eligible.

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Universal Credit

• If you, and any partner, are working, or you’re due to start work, and you’re claiming Universal Credit, you can claim back up to 85% of your eligible childcare costs for children under 17. You could get up to £1,014.63 a month for one child, or £1,739.37 for two or more.

• Eligible parents claiming Universal Credit are also able to get additional help paying their childcare costs upfront when moving into paid work or increasing their working hours. Parents who need this help should speak to their Universal Credit work coach who can provide more information.

• Please note that if you are receiving Tax Credits, or Tax-Free Childcare, you will not be eligible.

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