early years fund/grant - do you have to pay extra?

[LAURACOLLEY]

for those who recieve the early years fund / grant for their children - how hard was it to find a nursery / center / school nursery (foundation) place with vacancy's?

also are you having to pay still for extra nursery hours?

I only want the 12.5 hours a week for 38 weeks a year, as I will be studying (postgrad) and can not get any funding for this, including any childcare funding.

The nursery we are looking at has 8 - 12 and 1 - 6 sessions and all day monday to friday, but I only want 2.5 hours a day.

This I can not find in any of our local nurseries and I am being asked to make up the remaining cost of the session.

I only want 8 - 10:30 free. After that my partner and my mum will be taking care of my child.

Can I demand that I have a session for my child for 12.5 hours a week free only without having to pay for childcare I don't want or need

• or -

should I accept that I will have to get a loan out (commercial loan as will not be entitled to student funding as will be at postgrad level) to cover the cost of the childcare for the remaining 1.5 hours 10:30 - 12 per day for childcare I do not want or need?

I will not be classed as working from tax credits so can not get any help from them.

has anyone else had similar problems?

well my understanding is that you can go and collect your child after 2.5 hours and they cannot charge you if you do that.

Speak to the childcare Information People at the council - they will know if there are any nurseries available who take just the grant

Also often school nursery take children for just the grant - but it's likely to be 9-11:30

the 9 am start is not possible as I would have to be at the nusery and 1 hour away in a lecture hall at the same time.

it's going to be pushing it to get there in an hour anyway. could really do with a 7:30 am nursery start

TBH - you might be better with a childminder who offers Early Years Education

That's true KatyMac - if you childminder has some kind of qualification (NVQ 3 or 4?) then they can accept the vouchers.

well my mum would be looking after my son for most of the day. i thought that because of the 12.5 hours a week free he might as well go into nursery for a bit each week just for this just to keep him interacting with other children as he goes there full time now for free as I am a undergraduate at the moment.

Cant you drop him at your mum and her take him to a local school nursery for the 2.5 hour session, or alternatively can't he go to a private nursery at 7.30 in the morning until, say 1pm, which would be 11 hours - if you did this for two days? My friends little boy goes to nursery two afternoons a week and her mum has him in between. At least then he is getting the time with other kids and time with grandparents, etc.

The problem (for the nursery) is that the 2.5hrs costs far more than the grant - it costs them to have children for only 2.5hrs

here we have to pay for the total session whether we use it or not.

my bill is approx £400 per month for morning sessions (that is with the grant taken off...)

who'd be a student, eh?

fortunately my last one goes to school in sept, so it's after school clubs all round, hooray!

andyrobo suggestion not bad, but some leas will only give you the grant for two sessions in that case - you'd have to check.

It is supposed to cover a morning or afternoon nursery session of Education. Most nurseries start at 9. 9.15 or 9.30 and the afternoon session is 1.00 ./ 1.15. for 2.5 or 3 hours.

It is for Education not for care, so the session is the time appropriate to school sessions. Some parents have to pay ( illegal) top ups to the end of the session, normally 12.00or 3.15.

In some areas the sessions will be 9-11.30 as parents are unable or unwilling to pay the extra 30 mins.

Childminders take them for anytime as we educate all the time!

I just take it off the monthly fees.