Help with Costs
Help is available for all families towards the costs of childcare, these vary depending on the age of your child.
From birth
A tax-free childcare scheme is run by the Government and available for all families with children under the age of 12. For every £8 you pay into an online account, the government will add an extra £2, up to £2,000 per child per year.
You can then pay nursery invoices directly from this online account. More information about this and how to apply are available at https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk/
Parents' Guide to Tax Free Childcare
For some children age 2
Families receiving some form of support (such as Job Seekers Allowance or Universal Credit) or if a child has a disability, they may be entitled to 15 hours of funded nursery time once your child is 2.
As Little Peanuts is open all year, we stretch this funding so that you can receive 11 hours a week across the whole year. Little Peanuts can give you more information if you think that you are eligible, or you can contact York Family Information Service 01904 554444 / fis@york.gov.uk / text only: text '2yo' to 07624 802244.
Children aged 9 months - 4 years
All children qualify for 15 hours of funded term time childcare from the term following their third birthday. As Little Peanuts is open all year, we stretch this funding so that you can receive 11 hours a week across the whole year.
Children who live in a household where all the adults work often qualify for an additional 15 hours of funded hours. Therefore, many children will have 30 hours of funded childcare during term time, which is stretched across the whole year at Little Peanuts. To find out whether you are entitled to claim the additional 15 hours of funding and to receive your funding code, visit https://www.beststartinlife.gov.uk
Our Stretched Offer
As we are a whole year setting, rather than term time only, this affects how we offer the funding. The 30 hours over 38 weeks for term time only, becomes 22 hours over 51 weeks when we claim what is described as the ‘stretched’ offer. This also means that we work on three equal blocks of time across the year to arrange our funding (January-April; May-August; September-December), rather than following school term times.
When to claim
You must apply for funding for your child BEFORE the start of the funding block that you wish to claim for. This means that the three deadlines each year are 31st December, 31st March and 31st August. If your child is 9 months by the deadline date, they should be eligible to begin using funding from the following block. This can be confirmed using the Best Start In Life website - www.beststartinlife.gov.uk
Got a question about help with childcare costs?
No matter what the age of your child or your family’s circumstances, we’re always happy to talk you through your options, so please call us for a chat or to arrange a visit.
Email Sarah at Sarah@littlepeanutsdaynursery.co.uk and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
Further information can be found at https://www.raiseyork.co.uk/childcare/reduce-cost-childcare