Sep 04, 2024
Working parents of children from nine months old can now access 15 hours a week of free childcare but applying for funding and checking your child’s eligibility can be a complicated process. In addition, parents can be left facing extra costs such as meals and consumables which are not covered by government funding, thereby increasing families’ bills.
The Old Station Nursery in Moseley has sought to simplify the funding process and has changed its offer to meet the needs of the local community. Now available are year-round and term-time-only places with a flexible approach to sessions bringing more options for families, as well as part and some fully-funded places for eligible families. Additional costs such as food and nappies have been removed and an offer is applied for a completely free December should a family register and start before 30th September 2024.
The move has been welcomed by Moseley families. Nursery Manager, Claudine Stevens told us, “We are really pleased that extra costs have been removed so families can save money on their nursery fees. Most of our working parents have seen their bills reduced drastically with the 15 hours of free childcare from nine months old. The process for applying for funding is one of the things families are most concerned about when considering placing their child in a nursery. We go through the process step-by-step with our new families so they secure their funding and know exactly what they will need to pay each month.”
In all, the government addition of nursery funded hours and changes made by some nursery providers to simplify the process is a welcome move and should lead to more children being able to access early years education, fundamental to children’s development.