Can’t start nursery at Easter?

[CosmicComet]

Started looking at nurseries for my DS because I want to put him on the waiting list for when he turns 3 and gets free hours. But I’ve been told I can’t, because he was born in January.

The kids who turned 3 over the summer are eligible to start nursery in September. Then the kids who turn 3 before Xmas are eligible to start in January. And finally those who turn 3 in the Spring are eligible to start after Easter.

Basically the local nursery has spaces in September because that’s when kids leave to go to school. So the September starters take some places, and if there are places left the January starters take them. And there are no places left for Easter starters. So the nursery said there’s no point putting my DS on the waiting list because there’ll be no places left by the time he’s eligible to start.

AIBU to think this is unreasonable? Their only advice was to “choose a crapper nursery because they’re more likely to still have places left at Easter. Try X nursery in the next town because Ofsted has rated it as Poor”. Why should my DS have to go to a nursery rated Poor just because of when his birthday falls?!

1. you need to calm down as you are getting defensive. We are trying to help you and it's gonna be OK.

2. the government funds for up 30 free hours. However this is at a fixed rate per hour. Some nurseries charge more per hour than the government is willing to pay. Therefore the 30 hours free funding may only be worth 20 hours per week at a particular nursery. You will need to shop around at different nurseries as they will all be different. At our old nurseries, the 30 hours translated into 16 hours.

3. yes, some nurseries only allow you to book full days or half days. This is common practice and may be in 4/5 or 6 hour blocks. Once you have worked out #2, you look at this one to see how many days/half days you will get. Using my example above of my old nurseries, as it was a 12 hour one (7-7) it was in 6 hour chunks. That meant our 30 free government hours actually translated in 3 half day sessions. Anything above that we paid for. Regardless of how many hours you actually have the kid at the nurseries for in that 6 hours - you still pay for 6.

4. of all this sounds wrong for you, then you need to shop around as all nurseries are different. The 'better' ones tend to book up quick. They can also charge a premium as they will be popular. You might want to consider a childminder or other option.

5. the birthday thing is crap, but again is standard. If you are saying there are no spaces in April (and given this is over 2 years away and it down's appear as if you have shopped around yet) then you will have to wait until September and enroll them then. Either that - or find nurseries - any! That have spaces. You can then move the kid in September.

Good luck and don't worry too much right now. A lot can happen in 2 years.

pS - If you think this is difficult - wait until you get to the school bit!

Aaargh
You can PAY for the five hours and SEND him for three.

It won't only be sh*t nurseries that have spaces in nurseries. People do move house, etc from lovely nurseries too. A nursery with 5 hour sessions may well charge you for the other 2 hours of the session anyway, or for snacks, etc. The government just advertise something they don't deliver.

if you have a 'young in year' dc, in effect, you pay a year's less childcare than those who have a September born dc

Not if a nursery won’t take them because they only have spaces to start in September! Seriously, how do people get a job during the year and get childcare if apparently there are only nursery spaces in September?

the government doesn’t pay the nursery the whole amount for your child

Why would any nursery bother signing up for that if they’re making a loss?

there's your mistake - in thinking a 'headline grabbing, non researched idea' from a politician trying to win a General Election, would actually work out in reality to be the ideal that it sounded like

Why are Health Visitors going round telling people that their kid goes to nursery at 3 then? If it’s just “might be able to go at 3 if you can find a nursery dumb enough to take your kid at a loss”?

You can PAY for the five hours and SEND him for three

What sort of idiot would waste money like that? If I’m paying for 5 hours I’ll use them. Except I can’t afford to pay 5hrs and they won’t let me pay only 3hrs.

Therefore the 30 hours free funding may only be worth 20 hours per week at a particular nursery

You are kidding?!!! I was told I was entitled to 30 hours so I could return to work!!

our 30 free government hours actually translated in 3 half day sessions

This gets more ridiculous. If I have 30 hours why can’t they be split over 5 days a week? I’m unlikely to find a job that’s only 3 days a week!

It does sound a bit snobby

I don’t thunk it’s snobby not to send your child to a school or nursery rated Poor.

You were the one complaining he'd be too young to go for five hours and moaning that they wouldn't let you send him for three.
Anyway as we can see you have not actually asked any other nurseries so come back to us when you have.

It is not the fault of the nursery but the fault of a poorly planned government scheme. It does not pay anywhere near enough for the funded children.
Some only allow half days, some just do the 5 days for 3 or 5 hours and run it at a loss, others allow the hours to be taken off the bill and charge for food or other amenities. It is the working parents who miss out as all the rates went up to mitigate against these loss hours.
So a parent with no choice to work but with a 2 year old with no hours ends up paying far higher to mitigate against the child that is 3 and only on free hours. It is a shit system not designed at getting parents into work but as others have said generating headlines

Seriously people who want to get a job pay for nursery. It’s very simple. Pay for nursery if you want it. Don’t pay and don’t go if you don’t want it. Or use the free space when it becomes available. As you’ve already said there are spaces available just not the one you rang.

The government offered some money to help with the costs which for most people help a great deal getting a discount. Also helps because in reality it’s hard to get a job for 2.5 hours a day while you use the free hours? So all parents I know use the nursery for the hours they need when they are at work and receive a discount off the bill of their “free hour money”

The nursery ds is at gives priority for the free hours to those kids already enrolled. Ds is 15 months. So by the time he hits 3 if we’re lucky enough to get the free hours (it’s means tested here and although currently we’d fit the criteria the scheme is being overhauled for 2020) he’ll be given priority over other kids who are applying for places.

Your husband is earning too much for you to claim tax credits, so is he earning enough for you to go back to work now and then you both split the cost of nursery?

He’s earning a high wage, you’ll be earning a wage. Surely you can both afford childcare costs from September with that amount of money? Then when the free hours kick in, you will get a reduced bill.

Why is it solely your responsibility to pay for childcare when the kid was a joint decision? Just start work in the September, start building your career again and split the childcare costs with your husband.

OP, I have just started getting 30 hours and it really doesn’t make as much difference to the nursery bill as you might expect. It only applies during term time, or at least for a certain number of weeks per year, nursery can add on fees for activities, food etc. We certainly don’t get anywhere close to 30 hours free each week at our nursery.

But it is the same for everyone, so having a tantrum about how unfair it is is really not going to help you I’m afraid. As everyone’s said, you need to look into all your options and work out what’s best for you.

Also, to add, our nursery now has a two year waiting list. So nobody can rock up and demand they give them a place so they can claim their free hours.

Yes, 30 hours term time only funding wouldn't cover a full time job anyway. The nursery my son is at spread the funding over 50 weeks instead for us which is nice as we won't get a sudden hike in the bill in the school holidays.
But yes, the way nurseries are able to do it is to charge more for the younger children. I also have a 1 year old in nursery (as well as my September born 3 year old) our bill for December was eye watering.
The government also finds all nurseries at the same level, even though the costs for nurseries vary across the country. It is poorly thought out, badly managed, dishonestly promoted scheme. Your issue is with the government; not the nurseries.

You were the one complaining he'd be too young to go for five hours and moaning that they wouldn't let you send him for three

Yes. They won’t let me PAY for three hours. Obviously I can’t afford to waste money by paying for five hours but only using three.

Yep, everything everyone else has said. We currently pay £1050 pcm for 2 year old DS to attend 4 days a week. When he turns 3 and we get the 30 “free” hours, the bill reduces to about £850. So not exactly “free”. Do I begrudge paying the nursery what it actually costs to run a nursery rather than what the government wants to pay them? No.

OP there are plenty of options other than this one nursery. Near me lots of private nurseries and school nurseries are oversubscribed but there are lots of really good preschools which have spaces. I’d happily send ds to one of those if I didn’t need full time childcare.

30 hours term time only funding wouldn't cover a full time job anyway
I’m not expecting to get a full time job. I was thinking of a part-time term-time only job that I could do while DS is at nursery on free hours.

It is poorly thought out, badly managed, dishonestly promoted scheme
Sounds like it. I’m really upset. I was told I’d get 15 hours free and when I landed a part-time job that would increase to 30 hours.

Why is it solely your responsibility to pay for childcare when the kid was a joint decision?
Because the choice is between me being a SAHM vs me working. So childcare is weighed against my salary to decide if it’s worth me working. I don’t have a career - I’m hourly paid and it makes no difference when I return to work, my job and wage will be the same.

The nursery ds is at gives priority for the free hours to those kids already enrolled
So not only do those kids benefit from their family being able to afford to work and cover childcare, they also get given priority for nursery spaces. While people who are poorer and relying on a free place to afford to go to work are lower priority. Basically giving priority to the least needy!

Seriously people who want to get a job pay for nursery
There’d be no point in me working and paying for nursery, I’d be worse off. I’m relying on the free hours to be able to return to work.

in reality it’s hard to get a job for 2.5 hours a day while you use the free hours
If I was working I’d get 30 hours which is 6 hours a day during term time.

Also, to add, our nursery now has a two year waiting list
Exactly why I’m trying to sort this now for April 2021. But some posters are moaning because I’m talking about the future, not this coming April. I can’t win!

Term time only jobs aren't that easy to come by though. I have a term time only part time job (I am a teacher). Nursery fees still account for a lot of my salary.
My bug bear was that they promoted it as being 'when they're 3' when it's the term after they turn 3. Quite a difference when your child is born at the beginning of September!

Yes that sounds about right my ds birthday is in Feb and we had to wait til April

Sorry didn't read the post properly we had ds in the nursery we wanted from 2.5,we paid for a couple of sessions a week.I thought you meant it wasn't fair that you couldn't get free til April

But anyway back to your issue. My son's nursery does have pre-school places for January and there will probably be some in April too. It's a good nursery.

I wonder how much effect the 5/4/3 terms of preschool funding has on the "summerborn kids are behind all their life"
I'm sure it wont help close any gap.

I thought you meant it wasn't fair that you couldn't get free til April

No, what I meant was it’s unfair to say it’s free from April but there’ll be no spaces left so I have to wait till September. If DS is entitled to a nursery place in April then he should be able to have it in April.