New funding rates

[mumofone]

Have you all seen this? What do we think??

Childcare settings receive cash boost as funding rates increase - GOV.UK

[Pixie dust]

This is a little misleading as it says 'on average' in my local area we don't get anything close to that for 3/4 year olds our base rate from the 1st is £4.65 with a couple of supplements available at 10p per supplement.

[loocyloo]

Hahaha!

That's what LAs will be given and we'll be given a bit less! I still don't know what we'll be getting with the increase!

[Pixie dust]

Hahaha!

That's what LAs will be given and we'll be given a bit less! I still don't know what we'll be getting with the increase!

Our LA were quick to announce what our new rates would be. Someone asked me yesterday why childcare was so expensive per hour now so I had to politely explain how our own costs have gone up just like everyone else plus if you have assistants or own a nursery you have the minimum wage pay staff. I dream that one day people will value early years staff and not just see it as a babysitting service

[loocyloo]

Our LA were quick to announce what our new rates would be. Someone asked me yesterday why childcare was so expensive per hour now so I had to politely explain how our own costs have gone up just like everyone else plus if you have assistants or own a nursery you have the minimum wage pay staff. I dream that one day people will value early years staff and not just see it as a babysitting service

I am forever explaining WHY it is expensive

'it's not expensive, it's PRICELESS'

my LA DID announce new rates, but they don't actually seem to be on our system anywhere This term I only have 2 yr olds using funding, and as their funding has always been higher, no need to charge a 'consumables' fee. As I don't have any 3-4 yr olds, I haven't needed to work out my fee!

[Mouse]

“Funding rates per child paid from today are increasing from an average of £5.29 to £5.62 for three and four-year-olds, and from an average of £6.00 to £7.95 for two-year-olds.”

If only
Our rate for 3 year olds has just gone up to £4.70 (still well below my hourly rate) and to £5.65 for 2 year olds.

I was talking to someone from the LA recently and she said the new rate for 2 year olds in April will be about £8 an hour. Again, I assume that’s what the LA will get and we’ll get less.
For under 2s (if/when that comes in) it’ll apparently be about £10 an hour.

My concern is that if we take on under 2s at a decent rate, it’ll drop by a couple of pounds an hour when they turn 2 and again when they turn 3. No one’s going to want the 3 year olds!

[Pixie dust]

Does anyone actually get any support via their LA....We get a phone call roughly once a term to check we are all ok, they do provide some training at a subsidised cost to us BUT we get far less support than we used too. They support settings who have an inadequate/require improvement Ofsted.

[loocyloo]

Does anyone actually get any support via their LA....We get a phone call roughly once a term to check we are all ok, they do provide some training at a subsidised cost to us BUT we get far less support than we used too. They support settings who have an inadequate/require improvement Ofsted.

LOL!
we don't even get a phone call!

We get a monthly email with assorted updates/information on, and then a termly online 'network' meeting one evening THAT WE HAVE TO PAY FOR! ( it may well be subsidised - But we used to have termly, in person, meetings! These used to be free, but then we had to pay for them. I didn't mind so much, as you actually got to meet people and chat. Online meetings you can't have a little side chat, or catch up before /after with anyone. I don't 'attend' very many of these at all, and if I do, there are usually a few of us in a 'whatspp' chat at the same time.) I miss seeing people in real life! There is help available at the end of an email or phone if we need help.

[Mouse]

Our LA is actually pretty good.

We get the regular emails from them and they are available if you need any help. They do try to support childminders with courses in the evenings, but they're so poorly attended that they're looking to stop them. They did used to charge for the sessions, but because no one ever signed up for them, they stopped charging in the hope more people would sign up. Attendance was still very low, so now they probably won't run them at all - then everyone will complain there's nothing available for childminders

[SYLVIA]

Our LA have asked us to indicate if we are interested in offering funded places under the new scheme My answer was I need to know how much I would be getting before agreeing to offer places. Although rates are going up has their admin costs gone up. If not we should be paid closer to the figures published.

[loocyloo]

I think our LA did this ... i replied that i would be taking children as normal, and if they were eligible for funding at some point, then i would consider offering it, but I'm not making offering funding an advertising thing!

[Maza]

We get a weekly newsletter and we can sign up to TEAMS, which I did but could never open, so I don't really know what's on there. I was disappointed in my LA when I moved into the area and told them that I was a childminder. They didn't point me in the direction of any support - I only found out through chatting to other minders about the newsletter and Teams.