What Happens to Pre-school Vouchers if you use a Childminder?

[Toothache]

As per previous threads I am having to re-think childcare as my Mum let me down.

As it stands this is the arrangement:

Nursery
DS = Monday and Thursday = £220 per month (-15% sibling discount,-£67.40 per month Preschool Vouchers) After discounts = £115 per month

DD = Monday = £130.20 per month

Now I have to put DD in Nursery on a Thursday too, but can't really afford to pay another £130.20 per month!

I wanted to put her in a childminder, but then we lose DS's 15% sibling discount. So then I thought about putting them both in a childminder..BUT...

Would we lose the £67.40 preschool vouchers? I don't know what happens to this money if he is in a childminder!

If those vouchers stop then we will be better off leaving DS in the Nursery and moving DD to a childminder... .but as you can appreciate this isn't ideal!

Can I register DS in the School Nursery local to the child minder. If I can will the childminder take him there and collect him and NOT charge me for the hours he is in the preschool Nursery? I know he is entitled to 12.5 hours at Nursery per week free.

HELP!

Bump..

Can't anyone help??

I don't kow about the vouchers but I'm pretty sure(from reading other threads) that childminders charge for the time the children are at nursery because they are still there if tanything goes wrong and also they wouldn't be able to have any other children for those 2 and a half hours per day or whatever. Sorry - not what you want to hear unless you find yourself a really flexible childminder

Tommy - wonder if I would still get the vouchers?

Probably not! I'll probably just leave ds where he is and put dd in a Childminder. We'll lose £32 per month with his 15% discount, but it's still cheaper than having them both in Nursery!!

Toothache - you will need to check with your council - found this on the net re Tameside (obvviously not your area) but it's a yes to some childminders

What is Nursery Education Grant?

Nursery education grant will fund a child?s part-time nursery education place at a private day nursery, pre-school playgroup, SureStart centre, independent school or with accredited childminders who are part of a childminding network in Tameside.

Nursery education grant can only be paid to those providers listed above who are included in the Tameside Nursery Education Directory of Providers.

this might be more use to you here

You cannot use nursery vouchers with a Registered Childminder unless they are Accredited. This means they have to provide an educational curriculum and they are checked on this in addition to their Ofsted inspections.

Have you checked whether you are eligible for the childcare element of tax credits? Registered Childminders are approved carers for this purpose.

Registered Childminders will normally charge for the time your child is in nursery or preschool because they cannot use your place for another child during this time. The only time you might get a childminder to agree not to charge for the nursery session would be if there was another child using the place while your child is at nursery - eg, if your child had half a day at nursery & half a day at the childminders and the childminder is not the emergency contact while your child is at nursery and you don't need the childminder for the whole day if the nursery is closed.

Thanks Iota!! That sounds promising.... will investigate.

You can use nursery vouchers with a childminder if they are officially an 'accredited' childminder. This means that they have gained qualifications that entitle them to 'teach' the foundation stage of the national curriculum (starts at 3) as nurseries do. My cm is accredited and I can use the vouchers there.

You'll be very lucky to find a cm who will take and collect and not charge you.

I knew someone who actually knew what they were talking about would be along soon

Thanks Ayla99 - I don't have any faith in the tax credit system. They give me some then tell me they've over paid me and I owe them money. I'm sick of them TBH.

But I think I will get the basic £50 per month, but we've always got that so it won't be any extra toward childcare. It just seems SOO much to pay. My dd is nursery 2 days per week would cost us £282 per calendar month!

DH and I both earn under the national average earnings yet don't seem to be eligible for anything. So if we earn below the average.... surely that means we are a low income family??