What do people do about pre-school funding/the holidays?

[FessaEst]

My DD1 is currently with a brilliant CM, we've got along really well and DD1 settled & happy. DD2 will start with her when I go back to work after mat leave. I am trying to think through how things are going to work in the future when DD1 gets her preschool funding. She is on a list to go to a local, well-regarded PS that isn'y linked to a school but follows their holidays. Obviously, it makes sense to use her funded hours as childcare while I'm at work, rather than her being out of the house on my days off and me paying CM. However, I am going to be stuck in school holidays. What on earth does everyone do?

If you are getting the cm to pick her up she may charge a retainer for the hours you need in the holidays or charge full as she's keeping the place and probably won't be able to fill a couple of hours. If it'll just be preschool you'll need to find a cm willing to have them just in the Hols which may suit some as they may have term time only kids.

Will the pre-school completely stop the need for childcare on those days during term time? Just that if you require a pickup/drop off by the CM then I'd check whether or not you'd be charged as I always charge for this as do most childminders I know. As for the holidays, you may find a CM with spaces for holiday only care and maybe your current one will offer that, you'd have to check. Remember though that as your child is a preschooler, unless she has any term time only preschool children, she may not be able to offer this type of care. If your CM doesn't offer this you can always check out the others locally.

Ideally I would need someone to drop her off & pick her up, and then have her in the holidays. I think our current CM would charge for the whole day which is going to mean I see no financial benefit from the funding and will have to keep working nearly fulltime which I was really hope not to have to do. Think this is going to need some real rethinking. Thank you.

If you are returning to work then you may have chosen the wrong type of childcare. Pre-schools are great but they do tend to follow school holiday patterns.

I'd say that what you actually need is the pre-school section of a daycare provider, so that you can work even in the school holidays.

If a childminder is OFSTED registered are they able to claim the EYFS funding or is it only pre-schools that can do this ?

Your childminder may be able to have your dc in the school holidays if she has other children whose parents only require term time child care.

Some childminders can get the funding so it may be worth asking yours if she can?

If a childminder is OFSTED registered are they able to claim the EYFS funding or is it only pre-schools that can do this ?

Ofsted registered childminders can additionally register with their Local Authority (who are responsible for EYFS funding) to provide qualifying care, but there are additional conditions they have to meet and the funding is capped at a level below most childminders normal rate - and they are not allowed to charge a 'top-up' fee to parents for these hours. Many CMs therefore don't do it.

Note that EYFS funding is for a maximum of 15 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year so you will never find a free year-round place.

Yes, sorry, I would charge for the full day if I was doing pre school drop off and pickup.

I had a parent move from my CM setting to a nursery, so they could get their free 15 hrs and they save £5 a week term time! (Asked to come back, but I had no spaces)

All CMs follow EYFS, the same as nurseries and pre schools, but not all offer the free 15 hrs (and nor do all nurseries or pre schools, but most do).

I completely appreciate why the CM would need to charge from a business POV - it's just going to mean a complete rethink for us.