30 hours

[mumofone]

How many of you are offering the 30 hours? Hows it going? I've read about nurseries having to close because of it but nurseries around here seem to be as busy as ever. I wondered how it was affecting childminders? I'm not offering it myself but with politicians offering even further "free" hours I am not sure i will be able to avoid it forever..

[moggy]

I'd lose money if I offered it as local rate from council is too low compared to my normal hourly rate, also a great hassle to do the admin. Can not see how the sector could survive if all 2yr olds had funding at the current rate. Group settings (and some CMers) make up the shortfall by charging more for the 1 and 2yr olds.

[Pixie dust]

I offer 30hrs but it hasn't made any real difference to me as the funding rate here is a fraction over my normal hourly rate but the paperwork is a headache, the LA ask us to send them certain policies and templates. One child has the full 30 hrs with me and another shares with nursery. We get paid monthly.

[Mouse]

Half of my children are funded at the moment (3 out of 6)

One is on 2 year old funding, one 3 year old has 20 hours with me and one has all 30 hours with me.

The 2 year old funding rate is roughly the same as my hourly rate. The 3 year old funding is considerably less. I make up the difference in the 3 year old funding by charging for food, which is normally included, and by charging a higher rate for any non-funded hours. I don't lose out at all.

The paperwork really isn't bad. Funding claims are all done online and I've never had any issues with it. It really doesn't take long to input the information.

Our LA pays twice a term. 60% at the beginning of the term and 40% at the end of the term. I love the lump sums that come in!

[bunyip]

I find the admin is a huge pain and actually got worse when the whole system went online.

Funding rates are low, but so are our usual fees if we’re honest about it. This creates a vicious circle and reinforces the general 'race to the bottom' on fees.

I don’t know for sure if I’d lose any business if I stopped offering funded hours. There’s a shortage of childcare places here anyway. Funding just seems to have increased the demand a bit. TBH the enquiries I get that ask specifically about 'free' hours tend to be ones I turn down.

If anything, the negative effects on nurseries are worse. CMs are already used to under-paying ourselvesand doing lots of unpaid admin hours. Minimum wage rules mean nurseries don’t have than option, plus their costs are rising due to hikes in commercial rents. They also appear to be facing a lot more parents with an 'entitlement' attitude as a result of 'free' childcare.

[Mouse]

They also appear to be facing a lot more parents with an 'entitlement' attitude as a result of 'free' childcare.

Recently I've seen a lot more enquiries for 'free' childcare. My funded children have all been with me a while and parents know all about the under funding. They're happy to pay the additional charges so I don't lose money. It still works out a lot cheaper for them, so we're all happy with the arrangement.
I can't see that many new enquiries looking for 'free' childcare would be quite so understanding!

[loocyloo]

I offer 2 yr old funding and the universal section of 3-4 funding. I only offer the 3-4 funding to current parents, along with paying an additional fee as they understand the underfunding.
Any new parent who is interested in funded sessions, is offered them with a non negotiable 'session fee'.
The 30hrs is a huge paperwork nightmare ( even if it is all done online! ) and I don't offer it.

So far it doesn't really seem to affecting me, but I do know some parents who want it FREE. I'm not helped by a preschool who doesn't charge any additional fees, as the higher rate for 2 yr olds covers the loss.