30 hours for 1.5 year olds and over expected tomorroe

[QforCucumber]

As per the attached! This would help people so much

No one has said the nurseries are missing out. I think you’re presuming they won’t. Some nurseries won’t entertain this to avoid closing down / allowing standards to slip. Hopefully mine will be one of them. Other nurseries might feel pressure to offer this scheme and they will struggle to stay afloat. Fairly sure the proposed ratio change will go ahead too which will be a disaster

Are you kidding?

The average nursery brings in about the same as a small corner shop but has to employ 10 x the number of staff. Pension, NI and employer’s contribution adds 25% onto the monthly bill. Utilities are in the region of 15k a year at my nursery, which only takes 30 kids. My rent is 40k, business rates 10k, VAT on everything about 5-6k per year.

My nursery is full with a waiting list, but it barely breaks even. I doubt whether any nursery makes a profit - it’s not possible.

When would this start?

Nurseries are not allowed to charge top ups (if you think the surplus currently charged are top ups, they’re not, it’s the wraparound care, consumeables, training and maintenance etc), and whilst none of us have seen the finer details it’s unlikely they’ll charge top ups with this new scheme too. Childcare workers and managers must be cacking it tonight. Most will end up leaving the sector.

Anotjer great idea on paper, but this is extremely Ill thought through and is going to be an utter disaster

It is being reported that both parents (if two) or the parent will need to be earning over a certain threshold to qualify or be in full time employment. They aren't going to be paying if you don't work do no extra places needed, just help for existing. Devil will be in the details

This has made me so cross. It's going to force many nurseries to put up their fees to help cover the costs and I am sure that many independents are not going to survive.

Pregnant Then Screwed who have led so successfully in campaigning for this said this week that an additional £1.75bn was needed to adequately fund the childcare schemes that were already in place.

The Guardian reported that there would be £4bn to extend the scheme which is fucking fantastic. They also reported ratios changing from 1:4 to 1:5 for 2yos which is crap but not as bad as it could have been.

No, it's not going to solve everything for everyone but I can only see that parents and the childcare sector will benefit from this much needed cash injection. And I'm NOT a Tory.

But that isn't how the system is allowed to work. Nurseries cannot charge you the difference as it has to be ‘free at source’. They can charge for consumables only.

Settings do not have to offer the free hours at all and may choose not to.

www.pacey.org.uk/working-in-childcare/spotlight-on/30-hours-funding/information-for-practitioners/

If this is funded properly, including increasing the shortfall already in place, I could cry with relief. My nursery bill is £400 a week and not worth me working, but I want to keep my career.
I'm interested to see what pregnant then screwed have to say as they've worked so hard to bring childcare to the forefront.

If you don’t offer funded places, you don’t get kids. Most parents are not reasonable - they want FREE. It’s their RIGHT and they expect it. Even when they agree to pay for food, etc, they say they can’t afford it when you send out the bill.

This will likely be the end of my business, it’s soul destroying

I'm so sorry. I suspect you won't be alone if this is as reported, it will be the end for many providers.

When does it come in sorry?

This would cure my crushing financial anxiety

Appalled at the £9.50 salary. No wonder you’re feeling the way you do. What are the management staff on? Is there a huge gap in salary between you?

I have seen how some of the parents treat the staff. As you say, it’s like their child is the only child there. Pure entitlement.

I don’t get it why people complain. I would be glad with any helps in nursery fees at the moment. Do we all already know the “30 hours free childcare “ isn’t really free, unless you are so naive and don’t ask about nursery fees before joining?
so if you are currently pay £1700 a month. Government pays £500 to the nursery. You need to top up £1200. That’s what our nursery does for the 3 years old. If you can’t pay the fees then just find somewhere else. 🙄
we currently pay £1700 a month for one child nursery so would be glad to pay £1200 a month instead. I don’t expect any less.

how are they going to get experience?

A complete mess again.

We have a ‘two tier’ system. Some nurseries that do not offer any funded places, as they do not want/need/are unable to afford to the only children that can attend are thise who's families can afford to pay full fees. This has removed a significant number of options for parents who cannot afford to pay.

We also have many struggling nurseries who do offer the places, so that families have childcare and are doing their best to remain financially viable.

Not easy now. The government extending the offer will only increase the pressure on providers with more either opting out of the free places or closing due to lack of viability.

minimum wage is currently £9.50 ph - going up to £10.42 ph from April.

Why is this? Seems strange not to have supported childcare even over 3. Was it a decision from Stormont?

I hope they pay the providers directly and cut out the LA completely. Ours creams off about 25% and spends it on rubbish like toilet training classes for parents. It’s an utter joke.

Oh, and not only that, but the courses are all offered by people who used to work for the council, but have gone private to work as training providers. A complete outrage.

I'm sure you could just donate the extra to the nursery each month if that's your preference!

If this injection of cash doesn’t work, what does it take to improve the situation? I understood the increase in ratios was following a similar structure to some of the European/Scandinavian countries - I have never read or heard that they have terrible quality of care or dangerous childcare settings. We have two children in nursery full time, one will soon get 15 hours after turning 3. Combined costs of £3,200 a month (before the 15 hours are applied), nearly £40k a year! I personally welcome the changes, if we can actually benefit from them.

They need to (1) pay the providers directly and via the LAs, who currently set the funding rates (2) cap rents on D1 buildings (3) make nurseries exempt from paying business rates and VAT that they are not allowed to charge.

That would turn things round for the sector, in my opinion.

Sorry, NOT via the LA’s.