Preschool help!

[louisawhitegenius]

Hi there, I have been searching on the net but cannot find anything of help or that I understand! I have a 3 year old that I would like to start preschool after Easter. We applied for one a while ago but have been told there is a waiting list (which I was expecting) I have a few questions if someone would be so kind to help!

1. can I apply for preschool anywhere? My mum is my main child care at the mo, and I work close to my mum's but live about 10 miles away. Is it possible to apply in my mums area to help with pick ups emergencies etc...

2. are preschools like school i.e. you can't take them out for holidays etc...

Thanks for the help, sorry for being a bit dim!

:)

As far as I know, you can apply to any preschool, nursery or play group you like but when you apply for funding it has to be in the same borough as where you live. Not sure about school-based nurseries. Preschools and play groups follow school term times, ish, so not year round like day nurseries. HTH

Yes, you can apply to any pre-school. I don't even think they need to be in the same borough. I've had a few children in the nursery where I work who lived outside the borough who were able to claim the 15 hours funding.

No, it's not like school, so the rules on holidays in term time don't apply. However, if you are claiming the 15 hours, the local authority will expect to see regular attendance, and can withdraw funding in some circumstances.

Agree - you can go to any Nursery / Playgroup / Pre-school / Childminder you want. It's a free market.

Yes you can 'not attend' as and when you want to - holidys, days out, etc.