Has anyone not claimed the 15 free hours of early years provision?

[aliceelizaloves]

I'm just filling in my entitlement form for September. My son has been attending a pre school since the beginning of the year but only doing 2 mornings a week (6 hours) which we have been paying so far. I'm looking to increase it slightly but not sure I want to send him for 15 hours. He doesn't settle well there and although I know it is important in terms of socialising and preparing for school I can't imagine dragging him there 3 days a week. I want to maybe keep it at 1 and a half so 7/8 hours. I'm currently not working and have a small baby but would like to return to work when he starts school. I think I will find it hard when he's at school full time and would like to enjoy the last year of having him at home. Everyone I say this to though says I'm crazy for not at least using the 15 free hours so now I'm having doubts. Did anyone not claim these? Thanks

Take the place for 15 hours. It’s not compulsory to send him in. If he’s not there the nursery still gets the funding. And if you do need more childcare and yes settling better then you can send him in.

Not 15 hours but 30 hours and we only use 20 hours as otherwise he gets very tired and overwhelmed. He still naps at 3.4 years so finds it works well for him as he leaves after lunch. He’s a fussy eater so sometimes he only grazes there and eats lunch at home. He then have a 2 hours nap. It’s a good balance for him at the moment.

If he’s not there the nursery still gets the funding.

Not strictly true. Whilst the odd absence of fine, if it’s too high the LA can force the nursery to repay the funding.

My 2 both went for 5 mornings from age 3.

Our unused hours get carried over during the holiday so we don’t end up paying too much

DD did 2 days 9-3, and one day 12-3. It was a good balance for us (DD2 was there 2 mornings as well, one the same, the other different).

DD2 went to a school preschool that was 3 hours everyday and I didn't like that.

Not a full answer but, I noticed with both my dcs, the other children that only day half days at preschool, not doing one full day, really struggled when school went from mornings to full days.

If you dont use your full hours, I certainly would try to get one full "long day" for at least the last term before summer.

Also worth noting that once they get to preschool age, all the other children their age aren't at toddler groups/classes anymore in the day, so entertaining a 4 year old gets tough in bad weather. (Dc1 did 3 full days then 2 week days at home, those 2 days ended up being expensive doing things like play ball and there being no little friends to play with)

We didn’t use it all until child was just over 4yrs old. Now does 2.5 days. It’s a lot less than most children as lots of my friends want to get their children ‘school ready’. I prefer to be a bit more laid back about it all.

Same as you op, my ds did 2 mornings of pre school a week (6 hours) from being 2 and we only increased them for the term before school when we added in a full day, so he did 12 hours for those last few months.