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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Is this normal for funded childcare?

46 replies

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:02

My son will get 30 hours free childcare in January, which I am spreading over the full year so will be 23 hours per week. He will do 2.5 days a week which is 25 hours. Nursery have sent me a mock invoice and it’s still going to cost me £200 per month for those two additional hours each week, surely that’s not right? Or am I missing something?
I feel bad questioning this with the nursery manager, accusing her of making a mistake, and if it is worked out right then I don’t want to sound ungrateful.

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spanieleyes · 12/12/2023 16:04

There will be lots of little " charges" that you will now be paying for, food, supplies etc. This is because the funding the nursery receives doesn't actually cover the costs and so most nurseries have to be " creative" about how they fund the shortfall.
£200 a month is actually very reasonable!

MonkeyPuddle · 12/12/2023 16:07

It’s similar to mine, DD will be going 3 days a week, stretched across the year and it’s costing me £200, well, £160 via tax free childcare.

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:08

Ah ok I know that not all nurseries get their full hourly cost back, but I thought nurseries weren’t allowed to charge extra to bridge the gap?

OP posts:

Daisy95 · 12/12/2023 16:08

Yes quite normal.
My daughter goes 21 hours a week and has her hours stretched across the year. It still costs us £323 a month.
Which compared to before the funding she did 16 hours and we got charged £451.

Make sure to check if you are entitled to tax free childcare as the government then pays 20% of your bill.

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:09

@MonkeyPuddle yes having that top up helps! So only £160 a month but we really really need to tighten the purse strings next year, I was really relying on the reduced nursery costs to save us some money

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DappledThings · 12/12/2023 16:10

Mine went 30 hours a week, it still cost us about £350 a month. Which was way better than the £1400 a month it used to be.

Plus with the 20% covered by the childcare account that brings it down further.

fuckssaaaaake · 12/12/2023 16:12

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:08

Ah ok I know that not all nurseries get their full hourly cost back, but I thought nurseries weren’t allowed to charge extra to bridge the gap?

I don't know how it works so can't help but if nurseries can't bridge the gap then do they lose money? It's a business at the end of the day so that would surprise me if they have to lose money when they're doing a favour by accepting the government vouchers? I'm not trying to be goady I promise, Im just not sure how it works either

Notmetoo · 12/12/2023 16:12

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:08

Ah ok I know that not all nurseries get their full hourly cost back, but I thought nurseries weren’t allowed to charge extra to bridge the gap?

They can charge for food, and any extras over and above the basic care for the funded hours. They can charge whatever they want for the non funded hours and are forced to charge higher fees because the funded hours don't cover their costs

CattingAbout · 12/12/2023 16:13

Mine goes full time so I'm not sure how it would work 2.5 days a week, but we pay £15 a day surcharge to cover meals and art/craft supplies for the funded periods.

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:13

@fuckssaaaaake I thought that was the big scandal and why nurseries are suffering, because it’s not beneficial for them. So yes they do need to get money back somehow, I don’t begrudge them that.

OP posts:

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:15

Well I’m glad I checked here before I questioned it, I didn’t want to accuse the nursery manager of working it out wrong if it’s actually normal

OP posts:

fuckssaaaaake · 12/12/2023 16:20

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:13

@fuckssaaaaake I thought that was the big scandal and why nurseries are suffering, because it’s not beneficial for them. So yes they do need to get money back somehow, I don’t begrudge them that.

Ah right, I didn't hear about the scandal, I guess because it's only just starting to affect me now my kids are getting older so I've been a bit blind to it all until now to be honest.

I defo didn't think you wound begrudge them anything, I would be exactly the same as you. it's just crazy isn't it. The government should either pay or don't pay but this middle ground leaves business in danger, businesses that we all bloody need.

JC89 · 12/12/2023 16:22

That sounds pretty normal to be honest...

The government likes to make big claims about childcare in order to get votes, but doesn't like to actually fund it. Nurseries would go out of business / close if they couldn't charge for extras to bridge the gap (or increase the fees for anyone who is not eligible or for the extra hours on top of the free ones).

If you are really going to struggle you might be able to ask whether it can be reduced if you send in food / nappies etc but find out how a reduced fee would impact what your child can do e.g. would that mean they couldn't do crafts because they can't charge you for materials?

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:24

@fuckssaaaaake I know, they are already having to put their prices up yet again at our nursery because it’s getting more expensive to run. I am very grateful for the free hours but at the same time I almost feel guilty

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KateyCuckoo · 12/12/2023 16:39

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:08

Ah ok I know that not all nurseries get their full hourly cost back, but I thought nurseries weren’t allowed to charge extra to bridge the gap?

What do you want them to do then? Just say ah well, never mind, we'll cover the gap for you Mrs LuckyMoonstone.

No the alternative is they don't offer funding at all.

BuffaloCauliflower · 12/12/2023 16:41

Have they not sent a breakdown of the costs? Every nursery I’ve come across details exactly when funding can be used, what any extra costs are, any hours that must be paid at full rate etc

gerteddy · 12/12/2023 16:45

It does seem rather high unless the day rate is over £100 and they charging a lot for food. Possibly charging for other things too as funding is so poor.

When my daughter went for 2.5 days not that long ago, at that age I think it was about £60 per month. The daily cost was £54 at that time. They charged for lunch and snack, it was £3 per day she was only in the afternoon so I didn't pay for the food on the half day.

My other daughter now goes 3 full days and it costs me about £200 per month. Day rate is now £60 or a bit more. Think the lunch/snack is still £3 but it's never clear on the invoice how the charge is made up.

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:46

@KateyCuckoo alright calm down 😐 there always has to be one person with an attitude

OP posts:

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:47

@BuffaloCauliflower no they don’t have a breakdown, I thought about asking for one but it seemed a bit rude. And as the general consensus here is that the costs sound normal, I don’t feel the need to question it with them anymore.

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BuffaloCauliflower · 12/12/2023 16:49

No I don’t think it’s rude to ask, and whilst it’s normal they should provide a breakdown. I wouldn’t just pay without knowing what you’re paying for

Original poster

LuckyMoonstone · 12/12/2023 16:49

@gerteddy yes day rate is going up to £60 now, it doesn’t say what portion is used to cover food costs etc, I just assumed it was all included in the day rate.

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dullandgrey · 12/12/2023 16:51

Yep normal. Ours does the equivalent of 3 days and our bill is £350. It's halved though since the hours kicked in which I'm grateful for!

Alwaysanotherwine · 12/12/2023 16:52

wow years ago when mine had free hours , free meant free

we didn’t have to pay anything

think this is nurseries pulling fast one

fitforflight · 12/12/2023 16:53

Is it something to do with the days you've chosen?
Ours (back when I got the 15 hours free) would only allow you to use them 9-12 x 5 days a week. If you needed 15 hours over 2 days you had to fund anything outside of 9-12.

MaggieFS · 12/12/2023 16:55

Sounds normal. Any food, nappies, wipes, and so on aren't included in the funded hours.

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