Childminders and free childcare provision

[Ijustworemytrenchcoat]

Hello

Could any childminders help me out here? I know you can get the free 15 ours childcare through nurseries or childminders but when I was looking at some old threads on here I came across some posts saying it wasn't affordable for the childminder. I can't find the thread now but it sounded like the full rate wasn't given.

Does the childminder get less per hour through the free scheme than they would if the parent was paying?

The government pays a set hourly rate. CMs then have to offer the full hour free to the parents in exchange for Govts set rate. Often this is below (and sometimes well below) the CMs standard rate.

I think it is around £3.50 ph. If a CM can fill their spaces without offering the free hours and be paid £4.50/5 ph then why would they offer the free hours?

My CM doesnt offer the free hours. She is always full.

I meant to add - my DD attends PreSchool for her 15 hours free. Every afternoon. The CM drops her and collects her (and is paid for the hours inbetween).

Yes, in some cases much lower. The childminder cannot recoup the loss from the parents. Plus payment can be onerous to receive (think three monthly in arrears) and I understand there is extra paperwork involved. Hence loads do not offer. And who can blame them? I wouldn't volunteer for a cut in my income.

Bucks is currently £4.10 (ish) it depends on the demographic of the children.

And just to be picky it's not free childcare but Early Years Education.

It varies depend what each local authority charge, and what the local childminder's average hourly rate is.

In my area the Early Education places give me a higher hourly wage (as the average going rate for childminders in my area is extremely low), in other areas a childminder ends up paid less per hour. It depends where you live basically.

Yes there is more paperwork too as you have to submit data in to the local authority on things like e-registers, developmental levels, etc. Stuff childminders do for all their mindees, but you then have to submit them to at various point of the year.

And yes payments can be strange in terms of regularity and unreliable.

Thank you for all your replies, no I would not blame childminders for not offering the free provision under those circumstances.

I just received a letter today titled 'free childcare for two year olds' Teddy but I understand if is about the opportunity for the child not free childcare. Sorry if I offended you.

I am meeting with a childminder soon about placing my son with her for one day (through tax credits with me paying 30%) and if we go ahead it will be great for my son I think, for him to be around other children and doing messy activities, gardening, groups etc. which she does. It just got me thinking about whether to possibly combine that and some time at nursery when he is two. I really think it will be great for him and bring him on.

The rate in my area for childminders is around £4.50 per hour, the only nursery I know the price of charges £5.60. I'd definitely rather he be with a childminder, I can afford one day a week but would struggle paying more.

You could utilise your 15 hours free with a Nursery and pay a CM for the remaining days.

Bear in mind, though, that the free hours are term time only. Should you want them spread over 52 weeks of the year you would need to discuss this with the Provider and calculate a new weekly hours total.

My equivalent hourly rate is £6 and the funded payment rate is £3.11.

Oh you didn't offend me. But the letter you got was wrong. It's called the Free Early Education Entitlement. I think 'free childcare' sounds a better offer from a parent's POV.

I am a CM and when I enquired about offering this, I realised that I would have to be paid in arrears, sometimes going weeks without being paid then receiving a lump sum. It's very difficult to manage a self employed income without knowing when the money will come in.

That is a big difference HSMMaCM! I wonder if it is a better deal for nurseries. I am guessing yes.

A lot of Child Minders in my area are very vocal about the government trying to make life difficult for them to operate, that would seem to be the case here.

The nurseries in my area get the same rate, but their ratios are 1:8 or 1:13 and even though I'm a qualified teacher, my ratios are 1:3. And yes, we get paid on week 11 of the term.

Nurseries do sometimes unofficially charge the difference to parents. Whilst legally they have to offer the hour for free, they may tag the difference on as a Meal Cost, or they will say sessions are four hours long and the funding covers three hours, parents then billed £12 for the fourth hour.

Nurseries are also able to fundraise and they are eligible for grants that are often denied to childminders.

One of my local nurseries has a "voluntary" top up fee for the free entitlement, but parents are guilt tripped into paying it.

It wasn't so bad when it was first introduced - think it must have been 10 years ago or thereabouts. It was actually more than my fee and, for the extra work involved, that's fair.
However, it was never raised and then the hours increased from 2.5 to 3, but the funding stayed the same.

Added to that, it's not ring-fenced for provider's fee. Our LA takes a portion of it for "training" us - in reality, they have squandered a good amount on an unnecessary Quality initiative (another one!) that we're expected to gain over 2 years and, like most Quality initiatives, it's a waste of our time (sample question is to explain how you ensure the child's privacy and dignity while changing a nappy!!). And it's nursery-based, so a good half of it is completely irrelevant for a childminder.

I suspect that, if they're re-elected, the present Government will scrap the free entitlement or at least means test it. I'm sad about that. I did believe it was a good thing that all 3 and 4 year olds had access to an education placement. I still do, but they need to go right back to implementing it properly - and the present Government will not do that. I wonder if they're trying to get rid of it by the back door - making it so unworkable that we can't afford to offer it.

Yes Tanith. The government will say they are offering funding, but providers won't administer it.

Just for information: Free Early Education Entitlement is for children aged three and four.

The letter Ijustwore received refers to the free childcare for two year olds scheme www.gov.uk/government/news/number-of-2-year-olds-eligible-for-free-childcare-to-double.