To be delighted with thirty free hours child care!!!

[Lookingforabetteryear]

I have a three year old , I'm a single mum and work full time . On average I pay £700 pm for nursery fees . From sept I'll be paying £285!!! Bloody wonderful move in childcare policy. Am I missing something with this ?! Seems too good to be true.

[Lostinaseaofbubbles]

Our nursery used to just knock off the subsidy they were given by the local authority till someone pointed out that they couldn't do that.

The subsidy was £4.04 and the fee they charge is £5 (all per hour)

[Skittykitty]

Same here Helendee, the rate being offered by the L.A. is £1 less than my hourly rate. It sounds like nothing, doesn't It? But if I have two mindees for 30hrs a week each on funded hours then I'll be earning £60 a week less than my going rate.

[Lostinaseaofbubbles]

Leia - £400 per week is loads for a 3yo. Even full time. Do you really mean £400pw? Where do you live?

[workaholicsinglemom]

Op I am in the same position as you.
Dd nursery won't offer the full 30 just the 15 but I have a childminder who will. Her childcare is split equally between the two.

I have worked out for my remaining costs (approx £200 per month) I can also claim tax free childcare and save £40 per month

[Lookingforabetteryear]

What's tax free childcare ? How do you get it ?

[Lostinaseaofbubbles]

It's the new childcare voucher replacement scheme. Google it.

[PinkHeart5911]

I do worry for the providers though, how are they going to afford these 30 hours of free care?

I know it's good for people that need to childcare but I can't help but feel for the providers

[HainaultViaNewburyPark]

I assume tax free childcare = childcare vouchers.

[Lostinaseaofbubbles]

Most of them are putting up other prices to cover it. Prices for babies and younger toddlers seem to be rocketing up. Upwards of 10% increases every year seem to be the norm around here.

[NatureIsAWhore]

My local primary school is offering it. I do wonder if the school will suffer if they do?

[Muddlingalongalone]

My nursery upped their fees a year in advance so I will pay the same for dd2 with 30hrs free as I did for dd1 for 15 hours free and I've been paying more in the interim, so I'm not such a great fan but great result for you.
Was hoping the school nursery/pre-school would offer it so that she could go into school nursery and have childminder for wraparound but apparently they are not obliged by la so are choosing not to. Not a surprise with school funding cuts/impact on mechanics of current nursery set up but a shame.

[Penhacked]

For all Italy's faults, I pay 90 euros a month for nursery childcare for my 3 year old which runs 8am-5pm. And that includes an organic two course lunch, mid morning and mid afternoon snack.

[beachdream]

I am delighted about it. The school nursery class that my Dd attends will be offering it in time for my DS to go there for 30 hours free 9-3. I will pay for a childminder to pick him and Dd up and it will actually be worth my going to work for the first time in years

[WannaBeAWarhol]

I'm not thrilled about it. DS2 will be 3 in October so will get his free hours in Jan only he won't be able to start at the school nursery we want him in because most of the September starters are doing 30 hours meaning there won't be enough room for any January starters. He'll be going to that school so I would like him in that nursery but will have to look at somewhere else until next September it seems.

[TooStressyForMyOwnGood]

WannaBe, that is a huge problem with the scheme yes.

[NapQueen]

OP are you entitled to any help from the government towards your childcare bill? As a lone parent I believe the limit on what you earn is quite high.

Similarly you can ask for childcare vouchers through work in most places which will save you the tax on what you pay up to (I beleive) around 200pcm.

[workaholicsinglemom]

Tax free child care is an alternative to child care vouchers. You can register for it on gov.uk you set up an online account and pay your providers from it Every £8 you put in the government automatically top it up with £2. You then pay ofsted registered childminders from the account. I think they have to do some kind of registration to receive the payment but there's no loss for the providers as its effectively paying their invoice. From what I understand they get their payment quickly.

If you claim tax free child childcare you cannot also claim the childcare element of tax credits.

But you can combine the 30 hours with the tax free.

[threesocksmorgan]

Brilliant op
So glad you are raking it in
You are now a benefit claimer

[BearFoxBear]

Don't get too excited. The current 15 free hours amounted to a saving of £1 a day for us, and we're paying almost a grand a month. I could have wept.

[Skittykitty]

You alright there, threesocksmorgan....?

[Lookingforabetteryear]

A benefit claimer? Ok that's fine with me . Raking it in wouldn't be the term
I'd use , rather making ends meat for the full
Time work
I do but ok...

[Lookingforabetteryear]

Bear/ I found the same !

[AllFurCoatNoKnockers]

Very happy about it and hope it's still around when DS turns 3, he's currently 18 months.

After reading threads on here about not being able to cover their costs and some nurseries not offering the scheme I'd wondered if ours were taking it up and they confirmed in their last monthly newsletter that they were.

Spoke to the nursery manager to say I was surprised who had said that basically because of the area we live in, most of the parents of children earn above the threshold so they'd have minimal children taking the scheme up so are definitely offering to those eligible.

[Lesley1980]

In August the two closest council nurseries to us are changing to provide 30hrs of free childcare . Instead of accepting 20-25 morning & afternoon children they are only accepting 20 children 9-3. That's atleast 40 places lost in an area with only 3 council nurseries. Both nurseries have also stopped accepting 2 year olds.

I'm a SAHM & don't qualify for the free childcare so our daughter is going to have to go to a private nursery which will cost us £6000 a year but we will only be refunded around £2400 as the council don't pay for school holidays but the nursery insist you pay to keep your place. In all honesty we probably can't afford to send her to nursery.

So basically I gave up an income to look after my kids & now we have to pay for nursery too because the council just don't have enough places. Parents who work receive an income, nursery vouchers & now 30 hours free childcare.

[TooStressyForMyOwnGood]

It is hugely unfair on many levels as your post illustrates Lesley .