Free nursery places for 3 yr old...

[greeneyedgirl]

How do I find out about applying for this? What do I have to do? Have just looked at the SureStart site and although it tells you about it, it doesn't offer you any advice about how it all works!

I think you get 5 free sessions a week (mornings. afternoons/combination of the two) and I believe they start the term AFTER their third birthday. Ring your lcoal council Childrens Services Departmetn and they will send you all the info

And your Council, for me it was Surrey , send you a form, AFTER your childs 3rd birthday to apply for the funding.
Ds was already in a private nursery becasue I work p/t, so I didn't need to find a nursery, but just phone th ones you like.
Or surrey has a very good link childcarelink

• I am sure your local area will have one too, then you select your town and it shows you all the nurseries and childminders etc, in that area.Get your name down now for the nurserys that you like.Here is a link to the surrey one, it explains EVERYTHING:-

funding

Speak to your local nursery (presumably where you want to send your child). They normally complete the forms and you sign to say you are entitled to the free place and not using your free places elsewhere. Least that's how it worked when i did the paperwork for my local playgroup a couple of years ago.

The free place is only up to a certain value. Some nurseries charge an additional fee because they might do longer than the standard 2 hours, or because it doesn't cover the cost of their fees completely. Some just absorb the additional cost. So best to ask the nursery you want to send your child too how it works with them.

Gilly

Can you use the hours they allow at 2 pre-schools?The pre-school that is linked to the local school only offers wed and thu afternoons, but my ds's old ps (a bit further away) offers more sessions.

You can divide the hours between different settings.

dd2 does 3 sessions at one school and 2 at a different school.

Great-although may just move dd to other preschool,staff keep changing where she's started,not so impressed with it right now.

Greeneyed girl - You need to secure your childs place in the setting first. The funding begins the term after the child turns 3. The setting will arrange it all for you and just give you a form to sign.

Wooga - you can divide between two settings but not if one is from the maintained sector ie nursery linked to a school.

hth

there is something called a flying start scheme in our area, south wales, that allows my ds at 2.5 to get 5 x 2hr sessions a week at pre school. My health visitor put me forward for it.
Otherwise if it is pre school you are looking for then they should have the information.

GET GOING ON FINDING A NICE NURSERY, is our advice

do be careful how the individual nursery works out the funding though. My DSs works it in such a way that if he went for the 5 sessions per week I'd being paying for roughly 50 percent of the total cost of the sessions, because their sessions are longer than the amount funded and the funded sessions are for term time only. For me this will work out to about 40pounds a week

DD was 3 in Jan, so she would be old enough now. So I need to contact nurseries I like and find out how they process the free places and take it from there? Have I got it right?

Not sure I could afford to pay anything at the mo, desperately job-hunting for P/T work which is like bloody gold dust in my town.

Thanks for all the info, is very helpful indeed!

If DD was 3 in Jan she is eligible from after easter hols. Nurseries tend to have longer sessions so you might be better with a playgroup. My DD's Playgroup does 2 1/2 hour sessions and the cost is covered entirely by the NEF Grant. If she was still at nursery I would have to pay for the rest of the time she was there over and above the 'session' time. Check with individual childcare providers - they will all be different.

Good luck!!

Oh and you don't apply as such - they do it on your behalf and sign to say DD is eligible.