How much does a childminder get for funded hours?

[Mrschristmasqueen]

Can anyone please tell me how much a childminder gets per hours when they claim for the government funded places. Does it vary on area or is it a set amount? My childminder charges £4.50 an hour but is asking us for more money as she says the funding we get for my daughter doesn't cover her hourly rate. If she really is struggling I don't mind paying her more as she is brilliant and our daughter loves her. But I don't want to be taken for a ride if the funding does cover her hourly rate. She isn't putting the hourly rate up for everyone else, my daughter is the only child using free hours (we use half at school nursery then half with the childminder) so she is the only one she is asking for more money for. Thanks in advance.

The funding rates are often well below the normal rates childminders and nurseries charge which has a huge impact on resources and opportunities available to the children.

I have a few children who receive the funding and instead of charging a top up which is a no no I've increased my hourly rate for all new starters and when it's been time to renew contracts for existing children all of my funded children do more hours than just the funded 15 too.

In 12 years I'd never increased my rate but this year I've been left with no option but to increase it or close. It's worth remembering too that the demands on providers to be flexible and the massive underfunding then throw in the pandemic has had a huge effect on childcare and lots have closed or are still struggling to recover the impact.

@Piggyk2

It doesn't make sense to put the hourly rate up from on parent alone

You have jumped the gun who said OP is leaving her CM.. why are you assuming that. OP asked a question and rightly so because it's odd that the rates increase only for OP

But the rates haven't been raised for just the OP, instead the childminder is asking for her to make up the deficit on the usual hourly rate, not to pay over and above! There's no raise in price involved 🤷🏼‍♀️

The main issue is the 30 hours isn't free, as advertised by the government, it is funded. What would have been better is if they gave people childcare vouchers towards care, the parents would then need to pay any extra according to the rates of the setting they choose. Instead, settings are having to scrabble trying to make up the money that essentially subsidises the parents who are using their services. Some parents expect the setting to offer the hours completely free (not saying OP is) and are of the kind that it's the settings problem, not theirs, that the funding just isn't enough. We are heading onwards a major childcare crisis, too many places have already closed their doors.

They're not allowed to charge you more. They can ask for a voluntary contribution and then charge for extras like food,crafts etc.
She shouldn't put the pressure on you to do it. It's voluntary.

If she isn't happy about the funded hours, she can choose not to accept them. That takes away unrealistic expectations.

@Danikm151

If she isn't happy about the funded hours, she can choose not to accept them. That takes away unrealistic expectations.

And if every setting chose not to accept the funding, no one would be able to use the 30 funded hours 🤷🏼‍♀️

@katerurn I understand but some places will always chose to accept the funded hours. Some funding is better than no funding.
Childminders who work on their own need to decide whether the loss from funded hours has too much of an impact on their bottom line.
Especially in OP's case as only one child is on funded hours.

The councils need to increase the amount they pay, I agree that but providers shouldn't put the financial pressure on parents.

[quote Danikm151]@katerurn I understand but some places will always chose to accept the funded hours. Some funding is better than no funding.
Childminders who work on their own need to decide whether the loss from funded hours has too much of an impact on their bottom line.
Especially in OP's case as only one child is on funded hours.

The councils need to increase the amount they pay, I agree that but providers shouldn't put the financial pressure on parents.[/quote]
It's a no win situation. Even one funded place can have a very negative effect on a childminders earnings as they can only care for so many children at any one time. Not offering funding would severely narrow their potential business. Some childminders also have their own young children that have to be incorporated into their ratios meaning they can take in even less children.

The rules LA's and government have put on accepting payment towards the funded hours have meant that a horrendous number of childminders, preschools and nurseries have closed permanently.

Yes, settings shouldn't put pressure on parents but at the same time, parents shouldn't expect a setting to essentially semi fund their childcare costs. Neither is at fault, they are both victims of a poorly thought out government initiative.

To be honest, everyone should be aware that childcare costs throughout are going to be put up due to the raise of NMW and the soaring costs of living.

In our area I think funding is £4.15 an hour for 3/4 year olds. I charge £4.50 an hour. My ratio is 1:3. So I can get £13.50 An hour. Take away expenses - food, Meals, snacks, drinks, groups, activities, Petrol to get there, gas and electric to keep the house warm, toys and resources, cleaning products. Courses I have to do because they are a requirement and courses I do to improve my setting, insurance.

Although I’m often told that childminders must be ‘raking it in’, we are definitely not!

Funding rates do not go up in line with everything else either. I think it went up by 6p an hour. I have no idea how government thinks early years work!

[quote Danikm151]@katerurn I understand but some places will always chose to accept the funded hours. Some funding is better than no funding.
Childminders who work on their own need to decide whether the loss from funded hours has too much of an impact on their bottom line.
Especially in OP's case as only one child is on funded hours.

The councils need to increase the amount they pay, I agree that but providers shouldn't put the financial pressure on parents.[/quote]
The council are 'funding free places' expecting the childcare providers to take the hit.
You can't expect as a parent for the financial pressure of looking after your child to be on the childcare provider especially where the rates are so low.
These 'free hours' are a bonus for parents the financial obligation is on parents, financial pressure should be on parents, they are your kids!

I say that as a Mum of four, kids cost a fortune it's how it is, childcare providers are poorly paid.

The published area rates quoted in a previous post are the amounts paid to the councils. The councils have to deduct their costs from this for administering the scheme so the full amount is not passed on. There is then a funding formula generally if a provider has a child from a deprived area they get a higher rate. In my area funding 8s £1.50 less than the going rate.

We pay extra to our childminder to top up the free hour funding to her rate of £5 an hour. Doesn't bother me in the slightest

I used to get £3.65 per hour from the funding where I charged £4.50 privately . Some parents were happy to Pay for extras, others were not as they were told it was free so that’s what they wanted. Sadly I gave up childminding April this year as I could no longer afford to keep open . The funding was going up a whole 8p next April . Locally we have lost lots of childminders and a handful of preschools due to the funding rate which is really sad and then reduces the spaces for the families needing childcare.

"The councils need to increase the amount they pay, I agree that but providers shouldn't put the financial pressure on parents."

Parents should be putting pressure on the Government that falsely promised 30 hours free childcare, not complaining that providers are swindling them (how offensive!).

@Danikm151
So up to the erm after the child's 3rd birthday you pay the full cost of childcare the childcare has that money to keep them open then your child gets funding but you think the burden of paying the shortfall should be met by the business you use not yourself......why? Every child turns 3 how do you expect childcare to stay in business whilst subsidising your household bills. Your now £4 or so better off an hour the business is worse off becouse not only is there a shortfall in funding but all the employees are now entitled to a higher wage. Do you want the childcare,? If you do lobby government pay more in tax and get adequate funding rates. Personally ally I never had any help with my childcare that I paid in full from 12 weeks to 5 years I would have been happy to have a years maternity then pay for 2 years rather than the 4.5 years bill I had

It’s unlawful to charge a top up fee for funded places.

www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/local-government-watchdog-warns-nurseries-over-top-up-fees-for-free-entitlement

@Thehop
It's unlawful to charge a top up but you can ask for voluntary contributions, charge for consumables and food....as long as parents can bring their own, set sessions like 9 to 12 and 1 to 3 and charge around those hours...as long as parents can choose to pull them out for non funded times.
Other suggestions put forward by sustainability group paid for by government were :-.increase fees for non funded and babies to make up full amount lost to funding, pay all staff from juniors to senior management the minimum wage (great for employee retention and motivation) ask parents to volunteer and do office work ( confidentiality and the fact non of you work then) take in ironing ( who's working with the children) increase the ratios ( great for children). The government were advised of the amount funding would cost and chose not to fund to the level of their advisors. They know settings will have no choice but to take funding or others will and they have no business, so settings have no choice but to make a loss and try to struggle through with the extra some parents pay. This is why so many are closing....then the government will open schools to even younger children and allow a much higher ratio

@jannier you’re preaching to the converted, I’m in early years and these joke “free” NOT FREE BUT FUNDED hours are cancer to private settings.

We charged a top up and got into a lot of trouble, it should be clearer what we can call it. We now charge for everything, including tapestry, toilet roll, paper of parents want art work to go home, everything. It’s sad.

I should say “we” isn’t accurate. I left PVI this summer.

Can anyone help so the childminder I had picked has turned out to be doing childminding for over a year with no registration totally lied to us about everything to make us believe she was genuine , feel sick at the full situation putting my child in her care - I asked numerous times for registration number ect anyways am I within my right to ask for every bit of money I have payed her back ?

You would need to get legal advice....some home insurance offers this or CAB .....
Have you reported the to Ofsted?

You would be better starting a new thread. This is a zombie thread about a different subject

@Becca2022
please start a new thread as resurrecting an old thread will not be effective, especially thread that is not related to your problem.

In answer to your question, no, you will not be entitled to claim any money back that you have paid this woman. There is no recourse for you as you have suffered no financial loss.

It was down to you to do your due diligence and check this woman’s credentials before you left your child in her care.
The only thing you can do now is report her to Ofsted, the local authority and possibly make a police report online.