So confused about 30 free hours

[Spanckd]

I'm sending my child to nursery for 30 hours a week, he's only 10 months and starting when he's 1. The nursery I'm sending him to states that 'wraparound care' (food and snacks) etc is £34 per session. So it's not 30 hours free, it's £34 per day, instead of £58 per day. So I'll be paying just over £400 a month still.

Had no idea and am now sending my son here knowing I will end up taking him out at 3.

Is this normal? Surely food and snacks for him don't really come to £34 a day?

Anyone happy to share what they pay under the 30 hours funded scheme?

Apologies. I have re-read the later posts and think I understand!

The main issue OP is that these are not free hours. They are only funded a certain amount by the government and if that amount is less than what the nursery normally charges, they have to survive somehow. £400 per month is still an absolute bargain for childcare.

My LO is starting her 30 free hours this week. We get 3 days 8-6 paid for, I will need to pay £2 to drop her off at 7.30 and £2 if I got over 6pm. (Closes at 6pm, still working out trains as I have a new job) and then £3 per funded day for food. So that's £7 per day + £43 for an extra day (she will go 4 days a week). It seems cheaper for me but I'm also only using the hours during term time so get the full 30 hours. Though I didn't realise that the 30 hours didn't include food as the 15 free hours when she turned 2 included food. So I was slightly confused.

My dd nursery gives you 3 of 5hr morning session funded and 6 of 10hr whole day funded from 3. They don't get enough money from the gov.

It makes a difference, doesn't need to be fully free, its still a big discount

Means we can up dd from 5 mornings to 2 mornings and 3 days (ish) at the same we pay now

So mine allow you to do a max of 6 funded hours each day so if you do 3 days a week, you’d only get a max of 18 hours funded. Food, activities etc are all on top. 30 free hours is basically a con. Nurseries aren’t sustainable if they don’t have top-up funding. I’d rather pay extra and have a nicer experience but it can be a bit of a shock if you’re expecting free provision.

As other have said, it's because the funded hours are for term time only. So they spread the difference across the year to cover your hours that aren't funded

Our LA allow providers to decide how to deliver the 30 hours funding, if they choose to take up the extended offer, so long as it’s within the LA guidelines. We cannot claim earlier than 8am in the morning so any child attending from 7.30 have to pay for the 30mins even though the nursery is open for 10 hours (7.30-5.30). The nursery has to be clear to parents how the funding is allocated eg 6 hours per day between 9-12 & 1-4 then hours outside to be charged at £x etc. They could decide to only offer 2 x 30 hours funded spaces but they must clarify how the places are allocated. So long as the hours the funding covers are free to parents the provider is allowed to charge for ‘extras’ to ensure it is still a viable business with the ability to pay for valuable staff etc.

To be honest I wouldn’t expect it to still be going by the time your lo turns 3. I am not counting on it for mine. It’s only stayed as it is as it was part of their manifesto. It will probably end up going or being significantly means tested.

It has never been FREE sessions. The government has lied about this for decades. If you think of it as a contribution towards childcare costs - that will help you cope with the anger at the lie. (Well it did me anyway). It may not help you cope with the anger towards govt that I have knowing that this ridiculous charade has put nurseries out of business. They cannot run a business on the paltry hourly cost they receive from govt for these "free" places. Particularly in the South East.

I was going to say the same thing another poster, I wouldn't be banking on free childcare continuing with the government in the mess that it currently is.

Many nurseries can't afford to offer it, if prices of everything else continue to rise and the funding paid to nurseries doesn't increase accordingly you will be lucky to find a nursery offering it in years to come.

Dd’s Nursery was £370 with the 30 hours free. This was as others have said the cost of additional nursery, plus if not being term time only, plus food. I have just pulled her out and sent her to school nursery which is free (I only need term time childcare)