Cost of Nursery in Camden

[laurengregor]

Hi,

I am moving to Camden in April from the U.S with my husband and our 21 month old son. We are also expecting our second in August. I am trying to figure out what I should expect in terms of nursery costs in the area. We will be looking for a flat in or near Belsize Park. I have received information from Bright Horizons in St. Johns Wood but am not sure if that is on the high end in terms of cost. Any help for us to plan would be great and if you know of a great nursery we should look at, I would love to hear.

Thank you!

Hi - and good luck with the move.

Both my kids have been/are at a private nursery. The average day cost is around £60-65, with hours of 8.15am to 5.45pm, usually giving breakfast and lunch, plus snacks. So a full time place is roughly £1,300 per month. Many nurseries ask for a minimum of 2 days a week.

3 year olds in the UK are give 15 hours free nursery from the government, and in some areas this applies for 2 year olds. If your kids are at a private nursery rather than the 'free' state nurseries, the nursery normally applies for this discount on your behalf. As far as I know, everyone living in the UK gets this discount.

I've heard good things about Bright Horizons, but don't have first hand experience. My best advice is to ask about staff turnover. A good nursery is only as good as the staff who are looking after your kids. If the staff are happy in their job, then they don't leave. Most of the staff at my sons nursery have been there for over 5 years, several for over 10 and in the last 3 years since we've been there, no one has left.

Hope all of this has been helpful.

Thank you very much for this information! That is great to know about the free 15 hours.

Hi!

My daughter is 14 months and has been at Agar Children's Centre since October 2014. It's a Sure Start (government led) centre which makes it slightly cheaper than a private nursery. At the moment we are paying just under £1,000 per month. This includes breakfast, lunch and snacks (the centre has it's own kitchen and chef).

I have to say that Agar has far exceeded my expectations. My daughter is incredibly happy there and very well looked after.

I did go to view Bright Horizons while I was pregnant and had it on my short-list. It seemed very nice, although the garden space is small.

In the end I chase Agar mostly because it's right next door to where we live. I also preferred Agar as it has a considerably bigger outdoor play area than any of the other nurseries I viewed.

I would suggest finding a good placement close to where you live or at least somewhere along your commute. (If you are working that is).

Also, you'll want to put your name down at as many centres as you can ASAP! Places are at a premium in Camden. There were over 200 names on the waiting list when I registered. And that was a full year before she was due to attend.

I would suggest asking your employer about childcare vouchers as soon as possible. This is a government scheme that allows you to save tax on a small amount of your salary to go toward childcare.

Anyway, hope this helps and your move goes well. Good luck!

Hi, we are moving from New York to London in few months with 14 months old and 2.5 year old, and was looking at Bright Horizons (since we used them in NY and liked them), did you end up using them? Can you share your experience? Do you know what their fees are?

Thanks!!!
Lana

Hi Lana,

We actually JUST moved finally and I have not started daycare yet, so sorry I do not have more to share. I would be happy to share once you get here and I may be a few months in.

Lauren

Hi Lauren, I will PM you my email if you don't mind.

Thanks!