Happy Half Term!

[loocyloo]

Hello!

Hope everyone is having a good half term so far, if it is your half term!

Any exciting plans?

Tomorrow is Pancake day Usually if Pancake Day falls in half term ( or i don't have an afternoon school run to do ) I like to go to Scarborough for the 'skipping day' when they close the road behind the beach and everyone skips with ropes! odd, but fun tradition. Sadly I won't be going this year, as the gang of big children I have, we spent the day on the beach together in the last holidays, and this holiday they have requested the woods. so that's what we're up to. The rest of half term will be spent visiting the farm and zoo, and a quiet day at home, as one of my 3 yr olds has broken their leg, so is coming to play (to give mum a chance to get some jobs done!) and i'm planning lots of sitting down/calm activities! going to be interesting as this little one is not known for 'sitting down and being calm' ... hence the broken leg! But i'll only have this child and their best friend in that day, so fingers crossed it is ok.

And then ... it is the run up to Easter, and before we know it ... SUMMER

Does anyone have children taking up the new 2 yr funding? have they all managed to sort out codes and stuff. logistical nightmare here. added to it, i have 2 children moving to the nursery funding, who want to use the additional 15 hrs, and they need codes as well. I've NEVER dealt with the codes before beginning to wish i still wasn't. I can only see it getting even crazier when the babies can start claiming. At least, generally, I've known my families a while before they start claiming funding, but babies could be starting 'cold' with funding, and you just don't know how serious etc they will be about starting. I've read that we can charge deposits, EVEN for funded children, so, although I do charge a small deposit for children signing up and waiting to take on a space i know that will become available. I think I am going to start charging a higher deposit for children wanting to take the funding. I also only refund deposit in last months fees ( as long as they have attended for a minimum of 6 months ) and I think I will carry on doing that. However, it will all depend what terms and conditions the LA put on us. ... which we won't find out/get until the end of March/early April, despite by then, having already signed up/claimed funding for children. anyway! little niggly rant over!

Enjoy half term!

[Pixie dust]

It's not half term here until next week


Tomorrow I will be making pancakes with the little ones during the day so we will see how that goes!


All my under 5s are now on funding ! I don't have room for anymore children at the moment but have had some people ask about spaces for after Easter because they can now get the funding. Our LA has told us what the hourly rates will be but I hate that we have to jump through hoops tossing up to the funding agreement each year We have been sent an updated terms and conditions in an email but to be honest I haven't had the time to actually sit and read it properly as we have had a busy couple of weeks with family stuff.

Enjoy your half term adventures !

[loocyloo]

Have a good day Pixie and enjoy half term next week. Does that mean that your Easter hols are the 2 weeks after Easter? ours are the week before & the week after, and it seems daft having such a short term, when Easter is so early!


I keep being asked about spaces for new children too, and i just can't squeeze anyone in. I don't even think i'm going to have room for anyone new come september!

[Pixie dust]

Our LA has told us what the hourly rates will be but I hate that we have to jump through hoops tossing up to the funding agreement each year

Opps that's not what I meant to write, it should say 'accessing' funding but topical with it being Shrove Tuesday

Does that mean that your Easter hols are the 2 weeks after Easter?

Yes ours is the two weeks after Easter.

[Maza]

Ha ha, I did wonder what you meant Pixie dust!

I've got two current ones who will be eligible for the two year funding in April - one has been given a temporary code (whatever that means) and the other is still waiting to hear anything. The families have been with me for a few years now, so it feels nice to be able to be giving them a big 'discount', but like you say loocyloo, it will be 'interesting' once they start coming in cold using the funding. I haven't read the bit about deposits - I do hope we can charge them for a deposit.

We did pancakes yesterday and then they were all role playing making pancakes for the rest of the day. It was very sweet. Do you only make pancakes on Shrove Tuesday? I've got a couple of children who only come in on the Thursday and Friday, and I was toying with making another batch for them, but I've just remembered one is dairy free, so I'm not sure I will bother now.

I've got a quiet start to the week as one is off, as mum is going to try and get him into a sleep routine once and for all, and she's off work this week herself, so is going to use the time to do this. Slightly apprehensive about what the new routine will mean for me, lol. I've got baby into a great sleep routine here which means they sleep when the others do - and I don't want that to change!

[loocyloo]

Fingers crossed the new routine works for you Maza. I generally find that children can easily have a home routine and childminder routine!

For pancake day, i usually on make them on the tuesday, unless children are talking about it/role playing, then i might make them another day!

My dairy free little soul has now become soya free as well, so it has become a tad trickier! Dairy free yogurts/custards etc all seem to have soya in, or be extortionately expensive! I'm going to try and make a cornflour/oat milk custardy thing.

[Mouse]

Our half term is next week, but as I only have preschool aged children, it doesn’t really make any difference.

After Easter all of my children will be on funding. I’ll then have 2 under 2s starting and they’ll go onto funding in September. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have any funded children at all, so I’m quite comfortable with codes etc.

One thing to note with taking a deposit is that if the child is only having funded hours, the deposit has to be repaid within 4 weeks of the child starting with you. If they’re having any additional hours that’s treated as your private arrangement so you can keep any deposit for those hours until the end of the contract.

[loocyloo]

Our half term is next week, but as I only have preschool aged children, it doesn’t really make any difference.

After Easter all of my children will be on funding. I’ll then have 2 under 2s starting and they’ll go onto funding in September. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t have any funded children at all, so I’m quite comfortable with codes etc.

One thing to note with taking a deposit is that if the child is only having funded hours, the deposit has to be repaid within 4 weeks of the child starting with you. If they’re having any additional hours that’s treated as your private arrangement so you can keep any deposit for those hours until the end of the contract.

Thanks for funding deposit info. Our 'headcount' is not usually until at least 4 weeks after term starts and if a child leaves before headcount, you don't get paid! Hmmm.. think I'll have to ensure that no one only uses funded hours!

[Mouse]

Thanks for funding deposit info. Our 'headcount' is not usually until at least 4 weeks after term starts and if a child leaves before headcount, you don't get paid! Hmmm.. think I'll have to ensure that no one only uses funded hours!

It's ridiculous that we've got to do things like that, isn't it? It's one of my biggest gripes about funding - the parents can pull the child out with no notice and we lose the money.

At the moment all my funded children will be from families who have been with me for a while. We've already discussed when they'll be leaving for nursery or school, so hopefully there'll be no surprises.