Can someone explain the 30 hours childcare and school holidays to me

[ikeabeer]

I’m a single parent and get 30 hours funded childcare, I use 18 hours a week at Pre school and 10.5 a week with childminder term time. I presume the odd hour and half just get lost.

Got some confusion over school holidays obviously during holiday my child with be with childminder 21.5 hours

As the 30 hours only covers 38 weeks a year do I need to pay for school holidays? Childminder seems to think as a single parent I don’t

You are only entitled to the 30 hours for 38 weeks, as you say. Does the child minder l ow that you get hours at the pre school? She might be thinking that as you only have 10hours a week with her, you could "stretch' the 30 hours to cover all the year.

*know

Maybe she means you can claim working tax credits towards the majority of the "paid" element - which is the non term time CM time.

I think you are allowed to “stretch” the hours, if you use under the 30 hours per week. But 1.5 hours a week wouldn’t be enough to cover the holidays I don’t think? But I’m not really sure!

If you ask the hours can be stretched across 50 weeks if you prefer. There is a box to tick saying stretched. I use a nursery term time only then a childminder both term time then extra in school holidays. I think stretched it works out about 19 hours weekly across both settings which works better for us.

Thank you just found this so yes can stretch it, just struggling to figure out what I should be paying childminder to cover difference

Obviously they is weeks she's closed and weeks I'm on holiday etc

You can only claim stretched if the setting you are going to offers that. If you haven't claimed it at the start of term, I doubt you can back date it.