Times & fees
We are open Monday to Friday term time only please click the link for our academic calendars: 2024/2025
Monday to Thursday sessions are:
morning session - 9am - 12pm
all day 9am - 3pm
Adventure Friday:
9am - 3pm
Our Adventure Friday only runs as a full day and is only available for our top cohort (those due in school the following September).
We require children to do a minimum number of sessions over Monday to Thursday:
2 year olds - two sessions over two days
3&4 year olds - three sessions over 2 days
Adventure Fridays operate as an additional session and are not included in the minimum.
If your child attends a full day 9-3 they will need to bring a healthy packed lunch, information on this can be found in our New Starter Guide.
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We offer ad hoc lunch sessions from 12-1 Monday to Thursday at a cost of £10 per session. These cannot be claimed through funding.
For those children doing an all day session, lunch club is included.
You can book a half term at a time or the morning you require it. If booked half termly the cost will be included in your invoice. If booked ad hoc you must pay at the latest, by pick up of that day.
Fees for 2024/2025
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Once you have completed our registration form you will be asked to pay £25 to add your child to our waiting list.
When spaces become available for a place for your child's age group we will contact those next on the list to offer a place.
Should you wish to take up the place you will be asked to pay a Placement fee to secure the space.
Should you not wish to take up that space you will remain on the list and be contacted when the next applicable space becomes available.
This fee is non-refundable and a space offer is not guaranteed.
June 24
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We cannot hold your child's offered place without payment of this fee. £25 of this fee is refunded at your child's enrolment on their start date. If you decide not to take up your place with us none of your Placement fee will be refunded.
The rest of this fee covers:
· guaranteed minimum number of sessions from the date offered
· administration to this point
· FREE weekly settling in Stay & Play sessions (term time only)
· monthly newsletter (emailed out)
· invitation to a variety of in-house events
· staff support with .e.g. funding applications, wellbeing and advice
You can click the below link to pay your Placement Fee and choose which applies to you. Please be aware that if you claim the reduced rate you will need to email us copies of your documental proof. The sibling discount is only available to those with another child already currently attending the setting or those with more than one child starting.
PLEASE NOTE - DO NOT PAY A PLACEMENT FEE UNLESS YOU HAVE BEEN OFFERED A SPACE, IF YOU DO SO, YOUR FEE WILL BE RETURNED.
June 24
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This fee of £75 is reduced to £50 when your £25 is refunded. It goes towards covering administrative costs to include:
· Meeting with a manager to complete all paperwork
· Meeting with your child’s key worker
· Parent settling in goody bag
· All About Me form
· Registration name card for your child
· Allocated belongings box
· FREE preschool polo shirt
You must pay your Enrolment fee before your child can start at preschool, if you fail to pay it at enrolment, you will be asked to either pay online before their next session or when you next bring them in. Unfortunately your child will not be allowed to start if this fee has not been paid.
June 24
Non Funded session rates
for 2 year olds - £9.50 per hour
Monday to Thursday
morning session - £28.50
all day - £57
for 3 & 4 year olds - £8 per hour
Monday to Thursday
morning session - £24
all day - £48
Adventure Friday
all day - £54
We currently accept all Government Funded hours for 2, 3 and 4 year olds.
Education, Health and Wellbeing Package
To enable us to continue to offer all the high level of services and care that sets our preschool above many others we charge an Education, Health and Wellbeing Package fee for all sessions claimed through Government funding.
Monday to Thursday - £2 per hour
morning session (3 hours) - £6
all day (6 hours) - £12
Adventure Friday - £3 per hour
all day (6 hours) - £18
Additional Support
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If you already have a child at our setting or you are enrolling 2 children at the same time, you will be eligible for our 33% sibling discount .
This discount applies to
Placement Fee
Non Funded hours
Education, Health and Wellbeing package fee
The discount stops when one or both children leave the setting.
June 24
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EYPP is paid to setting for most children whose parents are in receipt of Government Financial Support. If your child qualifies for EYPP you can get a reduced rate on your Placement and Enrolment fees, you will also receive a FREE set of waterproofs for your child when they start.
You will also be eligible for the Household Grant from Central Bedfordshire Council to receive supermarket vouchers each holiday.
Evidence to claim this discount, a benefit claim letter, must be emailed to us before your child's start date.
June 24
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All parents in receipt of Disability Living Allowance for their child are entitled to our reduced rates for :
Placement Fee
Enrolment Fee
And your child will receive a FREE set of waterproofs.
Evidence to claim this discount , a copy of your DLA letter, must be emailed to us before your child's start date.
The setting will receive additional funding to support your child in the setting should you nominate us.
June 24
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You may also get early years pupil premium if your child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales or if your child has left care in England or Wales through:
adoption
special guardianship order
a child arrangements order
Invoicing
All parents are invoiced half termly. If you are still having difficulty with your payment, please get in touch to see if we can help. We reserve the right to review our charges annually.
Support to offset your fees
There are a number of ways you can offset the cost of childcare for your child so its worth going to Childcare Choices to find out what funding you might be able to claim.
Below you will find other ways to help pay for any fees for your child’s education with us,many work in combination with available funding.
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You can get up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).
If you get Tax-Free Childcare, you’ll set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider meaning you can offset 20% of your fees.
You can get Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as 30 hours free childcare if you’re eligible for both.
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If you already claim tax credits, you can add an extra amount of Working Tax Credit to help cover the cost of childcare.
If you have a child and you’re already claiming Working Tax Credit, you can also claim Child Tax Credit.
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You may be able to claim back up to 85% of your childcare costs if you’re eligible for Universal Credit.
You (and your partner if you live with them) will usually need to either:
· be working - it does not matter how many hours you or your partner work
· have a job offer
The most you can get back each month is:
· £646 for one child
· £1108 for 2 or more children
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There are various schemes to help support learners depending on your age, your mode of study and the ages of your children.
Due to continued underfunding by the UK government, steep rises in the minimum wage and the changes to National Insurance our Education, Health and Wellbeing package fee helps to cover the additional cost of our high level bespoke services, and is applied to any funded hours claimed with us.
Nursey Education Funding (NEF)
We accept government Universal (15 hours) 2 year old funding for working parents and for 3 and 4 year olds as well as the Extended (further 15 hours) 3 and 4 year old funding for working parents. Children will become eligible for their specific funding the term after they reach the appropriate age.
The 15 funded hours for working parents of 2, 3 and 4 year olds must have been applied for the term before they start. You will be sent an online form from preschool to complete with you code and NI number to be check your eligibility.
We also accept two year old funding for parents receiving government support. Parents must provide preschool with their code or funding letter.
All spaces and sessions are subject to availability.
Everyone wishing to claim funded hours for their child must complete a
PARENT/CARER AGREEMENT FORM FOR NURSERY EDUCATION FUNDING.
This is a paper document that enables us to claim the funded hours from local government on your behalf to cover the funded hours you want to claim each week for your child at our setting. We hand a paper copy of this form to you towards the end of each term. Failure to complete and return it by the requested date will result in your being charged to cover your funded hours for the term.
This form is not the same as applying to HMRC for the funding code for working parents - application for funding codes are a private communication between the parent and HMRC.
You can increase/change hours subject to availability, this should be requested via our session request form, please ask staff for a QR code.
To withdraw your child from preschool, please give 4 weeks’ notice in writing, fees are non refundable.
Fees continue to be payable if a child is absent, but in cases of prolonged absence, parents should consult with the managers.
All fess are subject to review and change annually at the owners’ discretion.