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?!

OP - you do realize that the "30 free hours" are only funded for 38 weeks a year (school term time). If you want your hours spread over the whole year so that you can work - then you will only get 20-22 funded hours

Chrisjen - a September born child gets 5 terms in preschool, an August born only gets 3.

Really, the whole thing could be 'solved' by saying each child has £X childcare funding allowance from 3 years old. Then parents can choose how they spend that childcare allowance - fewer hours at an expensive provider, X hours per week over 18 months or use it all up in a couple of months etc.

That doesn't sound as parent-friendly as "30 free hours childcare per week!" because the actual value (in monetary terms to the provider) is much less. So that's why they don't do it that way. But it would be more honest.

Government? Honest? Ne pas comprendez

@ChrisjenAvasarala. But Sept born babies (I have one too), ultimately get 5 terms of nursery funding and then have the advantage of being the eldest in their academic cohort. Britney she or I had a problem getting January nursery places for our September babies when they were 3 y 3 months, but were aware that the previous few years there had been no places available for Easter starters.

So babies burns between Easter and 31 Aug will go into nursery eheb it is emptiest, for 3 terms, then school. Babies born between September - 31/Dec optimise their nursery funding by getting 5 terms.

We are in the same position. Because my DD was born 2.1 she is a day late in being able to start January so we won't get free entitlement until the spring term in April. We had signed up to a lovely preschool but they moved in September so I was stuck for a place.

We are on the list for the school but they won't notify you have a place until half way through January but it's seems already full so we wouldn't have a place until September.

In the end we have started DD on one day a week in a small preschool and have to suck up the cost just so she is guaranteed her free hours in spring term.

For work I do evening work and me and my husband sort childcare between us. Problem is that when I was looking for work. Everyone is looking for work in school time hours and still had to find childcare during the holidays.

If you have a child born later in the year, you will be able to take them out for a few days' holiday in term time in Reception, so you won't totally lose out - that can be £100s.

Aaah, I'm in Scotland and we do it a bit differently so the possible 11 month age gap between kids comes between those born in February and March rather than August and September.

shit isn't it. Ds will turn 3 at the end of april but wont get any free hours until September :)

he has been in nursery since 9 months old though so I already pay a small fortune to them but it would be nice to get the free hours when they actually turn 3!

Could he start in a Private nursery rather than a school one?

In the newspaper before Xmas. Clearly says 30 hours FREE if you have a part-time job. So I thought I’d better get DS on the waiting list for a good nursery to claim those hours when he becomes entitled to them. I figured it was like having 30 tokens a week to “spend” at a nursery.

But you need to find a nursery which offers funded places and has space. What are you not understanding here?

I'm sorry to say this but you've made it clear that you don't have a career so will simply be going into a minimum wage job and staying there

What’s wrong with that? Not everyone works for an employer who offers opportunities for progression. Some of us count ourselves lucky to get any job even if it has no prospects. I don’t see how I’m at fault because my industry hires people part-time but doesn’t offer opportunities for part-timers to progress? Are you saying I’m not entitled to want to work because I don’t have the opportunity to progress?

Firstly it says up to.
Secondly, you can get a place just not at the one nursery you've looked at it it seems. Look at a few more. OFSTED says my nursery is good. I would say if is outstanding. Many nurseries have pres-schools. And some private schools pre-preps offer the free hours as well. However, it's up to the nursery how they do them. Some only do them in the 9-12 then 12-3 way. And then term time only. This does not help people in work and is why I couldn't use the 'state' preschool near me as there is no option for early/late pick ups.

Yes, you can claim up to 30 hours free (38 weeks a year).

Doesn't say anywhere there that you are guaranteed the hours you want in the nursery of your choice though.

Actually ignore everything else I've written.
Short answer.
You're entitled to the funding but no individual nursery is required to provide it to you. You have to find the space.

And you must know that announcements like that do not include the small print but it's very well known that funded hours are only term time.

I'd never heard of nurseries only giving you 20 hours for the 30 because they charge more per hour. Didn't know they'd be allowed to do that as they'd need to submit a claim to the government for 30 hours used... not sure how that works. But if they're allowed in order to cover their costs then that's fair enough.

if you don't plan to work your way up a career ladder and just plan to stay in a minimum wage job
What if there is no career ladder? There are many jobs that offer no progression and someone has to do them.

@CosmicComet

Oh fgs, read the rest of what I wrote. If you're not going back into a career to work up the ladder, then waiting an extra term or a couple of years doesn't impact your career. You go back now, or you go back when your kid is in primary... nothing changes. You're still working the same job and not working up a ladder in a career. So you're not missing out on anything.

If it were a career ladder and missing a few years would mean you wouldn't be able to move up on your return, then the desperation to get back to work is more understandable. But it's not, so if you can't afford the childcare then wait till the kid starts school.

You're entitled to the funding but no individual nursery is required to provide it to you. You have to find the space.
But I shouldn’t be told I’ll have to wait till September if I’m entitled to it in April. Like school, if my child is entitled to a space they should have to find him one.

But nobody has to find you a pre school place at all. Many children don't go to preschool at all. Some go to a childminder or have a stay at home mum.
Only this one preschool has said this to you. Why are you not looking at others? Who do you mean by 'they' anyway?

If you're not going back into a career to work up the ladder, then waiting an extra term or a couple of years doesn't impact your career

No it doesn’t impact my career. But it impacts my finances, self esteem and mental health if I’m stuck at home unable to work and earn. Or am I not entitled to want to work even if I don’t need to?

You're so incredibly frustrating.

People will go back to work, despite most of the money going to childcare, because they are working up in a career so a couple of years of not actually bringing any extra money home due to childcare costs is worth it, because they will gain promotions and bring home more and more money. It's worth working for nothing after paying cholevste costs because it keeps them on their career ladder.

If you're not working up to promotions to earn more money then getting back into work isn't as big a deal. If you plan to work at the same level for years to come, then you won't be increasing your salary to make the childcare costs worth it in the short term. So just wait for school or funded spaces to become available.

It is not the governments job to find you a nursery spot. You need to go around the nurseries and get on the waiting lists.

Childcare costs money. I have taken a hit to my career to have children. If my job didn't cover our childcare costs I wouldn't have gone back to work.
In my ideal world it would be funded through taxation but that's not the system the majority in this country vote for.
Have you contacted your MP yet?

But there is space - you said!!!! Just not in the nursery you first asked!! You said there was space in the shit nursery. So space is ready for your child.
And they don’t find your child a school space - you research them all and pick what ones you like to apply to- no guarantee you’ll get first choice there either