Pattern of hours for Free Entitlement

[IAmMama]

I'm just wondering how to set up my pattern of delivery. Are there any advantages to offering the FE for 3 hours over 5 days, or 7.5 hours over 2 days etc? What do you find best? Any advice welcome, TIA

[IAmMama]

Anyone? I'm thinking that 2 x 7.5 hour days may be a better offer as it would free up whole other days, which are generally easier to fill than half days...?

[loocyloo]

I say that I offer 5 or 6 hr sessions during school hours, but it's very flexible depending upon child's needs ( and also what spaces I have available if a new child )
But I prefer to keep the hours to school hours as before and after school are busy here!

[Mouse]

I offer funded sessions from 9am-12noon and I only offer it to children who are already in my care or who are having full days with me. I don't take on any children purely accessing their 15 hours funding.

If a child only comes for 2 days a week they only get 6 hours funded. The reason I do that is because the rate of funding I receive from my LA is considerably less that my hourly rate. By limiting my sessions to 3 hours a day I am limiting the amount I am subsiding the funded sessions by.

[mumofone]

Sorry to jump on this thread but can anyone explain how we offer funded places and explain what it all means to me?

[FloraDora]

Sorry to jump on this thread but can anyone explain how we offer funded places and explain what it all means to me?

The gov provide : free nursery funding for 3&4 year olds -starts the term after they are 3.
Free childcare for 2 year olds if parents earn under a certain amount - Somewhere about £16,000 - I would need to look it up for accuracy.

This is distributed to CM's who have a good/ outstanding grade or who are awaiting a grade ( some LEA's wrongly only give to those who have already got grading - but I think they are the minority now). Also Nurseries. If your first grading is then less than good the LEA don't allow you to provide funded places ( well my LEA don't).

LEA's decide how much the funding is and each one seems to be different, but on the whole the 2 year old funding seems to be around or above average CM hourly rate, but the 3&4 is usually lower. You can now claim pupil premium funding for 3&4 year olds that have previously had 2year funding or meet the same criteria as 2 year funding claims.

You are not supposed to get parents to pay difference for these hours but you can offer meals at extra cost , but parents should be able to say no and provide their own food.

A lot of CM don't offer funded places because it's less income than a normal day and/ or it is only paid for 38 weeks of the year.
You can offer up to15 hours a week over a 38 week period. Term time only, but you can do stretched funding if you want toget same amount spread over year and offer place during holidays.
I offer 7.5 hours a day, but my ch on 3&4 year funding's parents are happy to pay a premium rate for before and after funded hours - so I get my set day rate in the end. These LO's only come on 2 days a week anyway as either grandparents do care or parent works part time.
If my current 2 year old who is funded also gets PP then that will bring the hourly rate up to just below mine - so I may carry this LO on into the 3&4 funding as grandparents are my neighbours and mum known to me and child fits in well.
I love the 2+ - 4 age best so am happy to provide funded hours as long as I don't lose too much. My parents would rather they stay with me than attend a nursery.

[Simona]

I'm just wondering how to set up my pattern of delivery. Are there any advantages to offering the FE for 3 hours over 5 days, or 7.5 hours over 2 days etc? What do you find best? Any advice welcome, TIA

Lots of suggestions on how you can deliver the 'free' hours...please bear in mind you will be subsidising those hours and clearly explain to parents how the funding works...or doesn't
If you are lucky to work in a LA that funds appropriately you are ahead of the game.

While you reflect on the current 15 hrs do bear in mind that the govt is fast tracking legislation for 30 hrs.
When that kicks in our small businesses will have to take that into account!

[IAmMama]

Thanks so much for all your responses here. I have my Early Years advisor coming out next week to go through things and she seems very keen to make sure it's financially viable for me (LA underpays compared with my normal rate). Fortunately, my parents currently pay an 'inclusive' rate so I should have scope to add to the FE price with meal fees to make sure I don't miss out too much. I guess in this sense it may be better for me to spread 3 hours over 5 days to have opportunity to charge for more meals than just two days (mindee would be with me 7.45am-4.30pm Mon-Fri). Thanks!