Ask us anything about funded childcare - eligibility, applying, and what to expect £100 voucher to be won!

[LibbyMumsnet]

From September, eligible working parents in England with children aged 9 months to school age will be able to access up to 30 hours of funded childcare per week - part of the government’s expanded childcare offer in England.

We know that for many parents, it’s not always straightforward. You might be wondering:
– Am I eligible?
– How do I apply – and what’s the deadline?
– What will funded hours actually look like in practice?
– How do I feel about sending my child to nursery or a childminder?

This Q&A is here to help. Whether you’re after clear, practical info about the funding or want a better sense of what formal childcare is really like, post your question below and we’ll do our best to get it answered.

No question is too small – if it’s on your mind, chances are it’s on someone else’s too.
We’ve brought together two brilliant experts to support this discussion:
👩‍💼 Sarah Walker, an experienced Early Years teacher, who can answer any questions about formal childcare
👩‍👧 Tina Williams, Head of Editorial at Mumsnet and a parent currently using funded hours, who’ll be sharing her real-life experience

They’ll be answering questions weekly throughout July and August in the lead-up to the 31st August application deadline.

💬 Ask your question below by 31st August and you’ll be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 VEX gift voucher (T&C’s apply)

We look forward to your questions coming in!

Here’s a bit more about our brilliant experts who’ll be answering your questions throughout July and August:

Sarah Walker is an experienced Early Years teacher based in Bradford, working across two local schools (Carlton Mills and Marshfield Primary). In 2022, she was shortlisted for the Award for Outstanding New Teacher. In 2023, Sarah collaborated closely with the Director of Early Years to spearhead the transformation of Carlton Mills - from “Requires Improvement” to “Outstanding” - demonstrating her expertise in curriculum development. Passionate about fostering a love of learning from the earliest stages, Sarah continues to drive high standards and innovation in early years practice.

Tina Williams is Head of Editorial at Mumsnet and a parent currently using funded childcare hours. She’s well-versed in the ups and downs of nursery life, from applications and settling in, to how funded hours can work in real life. Tina will be sharing her own family’s experience, as well as tips for navigating the process as a working parent.

Do you know if the 30 hours is term time only or is it all year? We work in the holidays and this is worrying me quite a lot.

Do you have to apply for a code for the 15 hours which is available to all parents from 3 (not just eligible)? Or does it just automatically get taken off your nursery bill?

Does this apply to wrap around care? Thanks

I honestly don’t understand how the funding works, how it relates to ‘tax free childcare’ and why the 30 hours equates to only 2 days in nursery but might be 3 days with a childminder

Why isn't it actually free? It seems that most nurseries charge extra for absolute basics - craft supplies, food, nappies etc. Do government not pay nurseries the amount they actually cost to run?

If your child is young and delays entry to reception until the Easter, do you get the 30 hours until they actually start school?

Do I need to do anything to upgrade from the 15 hours I currently get to the 30 or will they know to make that change in September

Can I split my funding between 2 settings ?

No, it's a £5.88 per hour for 3 year olds and £8.28 for 2 year olds. So when you factor in ratios needed for staff, paying staff holidays too, management fees, electricity, water, building maintenance, equipment and so on, it isn't likely to stretch to extra resources or meals or nappies.
Even private nurseries generally want nappies sent in by parents though.

Hi. I am looking at nurseries for my daughter. She is currently 9 months but I’m not looking to send her til 2 yo. The issue is I cannot return to work due to my disability (hEDS) and my partner, he works full time and we scrape by but we cannot afford nursery costs. From what I can gather you have to have 2 working parents to qualify for the free hours but I am not sure how we will send her so after any advice please? I do get PIP but that will not be enough at all! Thank you so much!

Many areas get paid less than this unfortunately, there seems to be no rhyme nor reason to why the rates fluctuate between local authorities so much.

Many settings offer stretched funding, essentially the funding covers more weeks through the year but less hours per week. Not all settings offer this though so do check when enquiring.

Yes, you can split the funding with more than be settings. Some settings however do not share funding so do check with them.

Hi

we are looking at private school with the free 30 but they have come back and said for 3 days each term we will have to pay £83 per term which isn’t a issue but after he turns 3 the funding reduces and we will have to pay £922 for Summer term - but 3 days only cover 22 hours so why do we have to pay the extra and why when he reached 3 we have to pay the £922. This isn’t for lunch just fees.

With these changes will there be a review into how much nurseries can charge extra?

extras are supposed to be voluntary but parents are being voluntold how much to pay extra.

How many spaces will be available per childminder? Worried that i may lose my space or wont be enough people uptaking it

We are finally coming to the end of nursery fees with my little one starting school in September. We won’t be using breakfast after school clubs but we will need to use holiday clubs. Are we still able to use the 20% tax free childcare for this if the organisation is part of that? Also as I won’t be paying in money into childcare account do I need to keep a minimum amount in there to keep it active in case I need it for the holiday clubs? Thank you

Hello!

Congrats on your little one starting school soon such an exciting milestone!

Regarding your question about the 20% Tax-Free Childcare, yes, as long as the holiday clubs are registered with the scheme, you should be able to use it to pay for those sessions.

About keeping the account active, generally, you don’t have to keep a minimum balance, but it’s a good idea to check with your childcare account provider to be sure. Sometimes, if there’s no activity for a long time, accounts can be closed or suspended.

Hope this helps, and best of luck with the school transition and holiday club planning!

Have the government ever actually consulted with any nurseries over this policy? A fully funded day in nursery still costs me £23.60 (I pay £1.66 per funded hour plus pay for AM snack, lunch and PM snack). I know some of these charges are voluntary but it's a great nursery and they are still a business that needs to make a profit so I pay. But there has been so much confusion around it all, especially as it's often advertised as 'free' hours. So did the government do any proper research and consultation before they brought this policy in?!

I currently have 15 hours pw free and now it's time to update my details, to qualify for 30 hours in Sept. It's telling me I need to send in details of my earnings, I only have bank statements for 3 months, I didn't need this previous.
Do they need my details and my partners?

No settings were consulted, which includes childminders and preschools, it was pretty much dropped on them and they were expected to deal with the fall out. Government have knowingly underfunded settings the entire time funding has been in place. They grandly promise to put extra money into the scheme but the extra money is a veritable drop in the ocean.

You post doesn't mention that the 30 hours free for 9 months old are only available in England, not the other countries!
Are there any plans to extend the offer in Wales?

Who can look after a child better than its own mother??