How many of you really get 12.5 hours FREE nursery time for your 3 1/2 year old?

[mommycat]

How many of you really get 12.5 hours FREE nursery time for your 3 1/2 year old?

I lost my job when my daughter turned 3 1/2. Even though she goes to nursery only 10.5 hours a week, we have to pay £30 for that. I know that is a low price but when a family of 3 is expected to live (and pay a mortgage) on £78 a week it's not that easy.

Also the government claim that ?Every three and four year old in England is entitled to 12.5 hours of free early learning per week, in nurseries, playgroups, pre-schools or at their childminders for 38 weeks of the year.?

Where I live these free places are few and far between. Our nursery does not offer ANY free time at all, and the state nurseries are full - I guess we should have got on the waiting list before she was born rather than when she was 2.

I'm not talked about 'reduced fees'. I'm asking how many of you actually get FREE 12,5 hours a week?

Thanks

[bosch]

I'm sure we have done in the past (ds's are 6, 4 and 18mths). We're in Sheffield - I'm guessing you're somewhere south of us...

[mum2jakeyroo]

I do. Where do you live? My ds 3.5 went to a private nursery till I lost my job too But he still got 12.5 hoyrs free. We just had to pay for lunch hours. He is now in a state nursery as we have moved house and goes 5 mornings per week.

[Meeely2]

er, not sure if this applies to me cos of your last statement, but i get 10 sessions (2 kids) a week 'free'. A session is 2 and half hours as you say and the government have worked out that that equates to £9 a session. As such I get £90 OFF my full time bill of £234 a week. So yes, I guess i get the full 12.5 hours free.

[Pablop]

mommycat, if I were you, I'd write to my local MP and ask why you are not getting this entitlement. Seems grossly unfair that some get it and you don't.

[Kewcumber]

no our council fund up to 5 sessions a week at about £6 a session. Can't find a nursery round here charging less than £10.

[sweetkitty]

We get 12.5 hours free for DD1 a week have done since she was 3, everyone I know gets the same.

[Kewcumber]

unless I can get DS into the ONLY state funded nursery for the whole borough but only for 1 year prior to school - when it is free.

[Meeely2]

obviously that is only during term time, so thats 38 weeks a year. I also found out that if your child was at nursery for say 2 full days (so over 12.5 hours really) you would get that totally free, you would only get 4 sessions free, so 10 hours, as they count a session as a morning or an afternoon - they don't just say 12.5 hours heres your money....

[Meeely2]

wouldN'T get that free, sorry!

[hifi]

only council funded ones near me are free, i still end up paying £640 a term for 2.5 days.

[Ags]

I am the secretary of our local, committee run pre-school. It is a registered charity and each child, from the term after they turn 3, gets 12.5 hours of funding from the government during term time which I think is for 37 weeks.

[Tommy]

both my DSs have had their full entitlement - I don't understand why people don't get theirs?

[scorpio1]

i do

[scorpio1]

15 hrs now btw

[funnypeculiar]

I do (term time only, nursery is part of the local school, so for academic year before school only, not from 3)

There are various voluntary contributions (£2 per half term to cover materials, £7 per term to cover trips/larger events)

Of the 7 primary schools I know locally, 3 have free state nurseries (2 of which have intakes smaller than than the school itself) so clearly not blanket coverage

In Surrey/London outskirts.

[choosyfloosy]

ds has got free sessions from the preschool at the local primary since he was 3. people i know at nurseries do say they get the free sessions as far as I know.

[Fennel]

Both the areas we've lived in (Manchester, Devon) almost everyone I know has found 5 free sessions, without too much problem. Either in a council nursery or a local preschool or as a reduction in fees for a private nursery.

in Manchester we actually got 5 full days a week free - 30 hours - as they had invested a lot in early years funding in our area.

[tortoiseSHELL]

Yep we did for ds1 and dd.

[scorpio1]

we live in Cornwall and there are loads of places round here that do the entitlement.

[VictorianSqualor]

They aren't free sessions as such, they are government funded sessions. You should be able to claim the government payment for those session.

[VictorianSqualor]

Look here, contact your local surestart they can tell you where/if you are entitled.

[TheBlonde]

I would get it free if we had applied to the local state school nursery

[nervousal]

we got it free - daughter going to school nursery