Need Advice

[Jayasri]

Hello

My son who turned 3 is going to private nursery which offered 15 hrs free early education ie;3 days in a week for 5hrs. Well but I have been informed that I need to pay £46 a month for meals. I am not sure that whether these nurseries really charge for meals in 15 hrs free early education? Please advice that is it really worth paying every month as I heard that nurseries usually don't charge for meals...!?

How is the nursery supposed to pay the staff and its overheads if they don't charge for meals?
The free nursey education actually costs the nurseries to deliver, as their cots are higher than the revenue they receive for the free hours.
How much is it a day for meals?
Don't forget they have to buy the food and then employ someone to prepare it. The 15 hours of free education doesn't cover that.

You could find one that doesn't give any meals? You will be able to do a packed lunch for these types.

5 hours is a long session and surely would normally include a meal which EY funding doesn't make provison for. If he did 3 hours (x5) it wouldn't amd there woudl be no charges.

That's a good point about the session length. It also probably runs full year instead of term time only? The 15 hours funding is only for term time.

The funding for early years won't include meals.

As far as I am aware, the nursery is not allowed to charge you for meals. It is their descsion to offer the funded sessions in this way. Check with your Local Authority about charging for lunches. I know in mine we are not allowed to force parents to pay for lunches. We currently offer hot lunches for free. Come september we will be charging for lunches (£1.70 per lunch) or offer the opportunity to provide there own pack lunches.

Lucy how do you expect working parents to make use of that 15 hours if everyone is so literal in the reading of the rules? It also says it's 15 hours term time only. But private nurseries run for nearly 51 weeks a year (mine even opens between xmas and new year). You can't expect a child only pay for and turn up for term times only, can you?