Question about free childcare hours

[celeryeater]

Reading up on the criteria for 30 free hours childcare for 3 year olds... It says both parents must work at least 16 hours. I work two days a week 9-5 which is 16 hours but one hour of that is unpaid lunch break. Would I still be eligible?

It’s based on income. You need to earn the equivalent of 16 hours a week at minimum wage.

What are the hours stated on your contract?
15 or 16hrs.
If 15, would work offer you an extra half hour both days?

We found the funded 30 hours made such a difference last year.
Are you planning on using a nursery or child minder?

Some/most nursery are quite strict about how they offer you the funded hours.
A few local to us only offered the full 30 hours as 6 sessions (3hrs am and 3hrs pm) Monday to Friday. You then had to pay for the lunch hour and breakfast/after school club on top.

So we stuck with our childminder who we already just used for 3 days a week as OH worka shifts and had days off on Thurs and Fri.

Also the 30 funded hours can either be used in term time, or stretched over 51 weeks of the year, so works out about 21 hours a week.

Just re red your post , so is it either 14hrs or 16 on your contract?

Do you earn more than minimum wage? It's about £120 a week.

Ok, I earn more than minimum wage so hopefully that should be OK. My daughter currently does 8-6 at a nursery on the two days I work so that's 20 hours gone. If we had any more I would like to put her in to a pre school for some hours a week so that we might have a better chance of being accepted when she applies for schools? I recently had another baby so if I can't get her place in childcare funded for when I am at work I'll have to give up work because I can't afford to put two children in care.

Preschool attendance won't have an impact on (state) school applications.

Agree, nothing will affect state school admissions.

But you still have to with 16 hours at least so it doesn't sound like she would be eligible cos you have your dinner unpaid so you're not working those dinner hours

The wording is:
You, and any partner, must each expect to earn (on average) at least £125 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage).

www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Your nursery will almost certainly not let you use the 30 hours to cover just two days. It will be something like 6 hours max per day funded.

As others have said, chances are the nursery won’t accept the funding for full 10-hour days and there might be additional charges, although it will still save you money. Attendance at pre-school generally has no bearing on school admission.

Good luck trying to find a nursery or childminder that will take on this 'free' 30 hours. It's a total joke!
And don't balk at the provider asking you to pay for meals and snacks. It's the only way they can survive!

Oh, I guess I have it all wrong then. I should talk to my nursery. My daughter doesn't turn 3 until May and I'm due back at work June.

It won't start until the term after she starts 3 (so Sept) and most places will offer you a set amount of hours per day e.g. 8-11 and 3-6 each day (so on your current hours, you'd have to pay 11-3 each day for 2 days). You also have to pay for food / any extras on top of that.

It was only 15 hours when my children were at nursery and we continued to pay full fees and the nurseries gave to us whatever they received from the L.A. they're not supposed to do it that way but it was either that or the nurseries would close.

My nursery let us do 2 full days so it's definitely possible

Plenty of time between now and next September to look at childcare options that suit you then OP.

It won't start until September but as long as you earn over minimum wage you'll get the funding.
Check what your nursery offers.
I'm lucky mine gives me 8-6 three days a week with a top up fee of £7 per day.