Our Liverpool Day Nursery will be accepting children to complete their 30 hours Free Childcare as from September.
All 3 and 4-year-olds in England already get 15 hours a week of free early education. If their parents are living and working in England, 3 and 4-year-olds may be entitled to 30 hours free childcare. An extra 570 hours of free childcare a year, so 1140 hours in total. 30 hours free childcare will be available from September 2017.
The eligibility criteria are the same as the ones for Tax-Free Childcare, except you can continue to get these types of support at the same time as 30 hours free childcare:
• tax credits
• Universal Credit
• childcare vouchers or salary sacrifice schemes
• childcare grants and bursaries
When you apply, you’ll be confirming that you need childcare so that you and your partner, if you have one, can work. If your child’s already in a full-time reception class in a state funded school, you won’t be eligible for 30 hours free childcare.
To check if you are eligible please follow the link below
https://childcare-support.tax.service.gov.uk/par/app/applynow
Rockbourne Day Nursery Charging Policy
The Early Education and Childcare Guidance (1st April 2025) issued by the
Department for Education (DFE) has been updated to ensure greater clarity and
consistency around the management of the funding entitlement for parents,
providers and local authorities.
Early Years providers have a responsibility to ensure that parents are made
aware that they can “opt out” of additional extras in connection with the under
entitlements to ensure that their child can access the funding free of charge.
What does the funded entitlement offer?
Government funding is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week, high quality,
flexible childcare for up to 38 weeks of the year. The 15 or 30 hours must be
able to be accessed free of charge for parents.
This includes:
- Trained staff delivering the EYFS
- Use of the premises and learning environment
- Access to age-appropriate toys, furniture and resources
- Basic consumable required to meet learning care needs e.g., water, tissues and craft materials.
Government Funding is not intended to cover the cost of meals and other
consumables, additional hours or additional services (Early Education and
Childcare guidance – A1.32).
The DFE guidance makes it clear that providers can charge for additional
extras provided, that parents are given an alternative option to access the
funding hours free of charge (A1.33).
Our Offer
Rockbourne Day Nursery is committed to offering the funded entitlement to
eligible families as we understand that they play a vital role in supporting
parents/carers in covering the cost of childcare to enable them to work and to
support children with their development.
As the funding does not cover the costs of providing meals and consumables
Rockbourne Day Nursery charges a voluntary additional extras fee during the
funded sessions to help mitigate the cost. Parents/Cares must inform the
setting if they wish to opt-out of these additional charges at the start of each
term.
To help parents decide whether to opt in or out of the additional extras charge,
we have put together some information about what is included below.
Opt-in Offer
Meals/Snacks
At Rockbourne Day Nursery we offer Breakfast, Lunch and Afternoon Snack to
children, along with a small health snack when children wake up from sleep such
as fruit or vegetable sticks.
We follow current guidelines and legislation to promote healthy eating and
ensure that our children are provided with a range of fruit and vegetables so
that they are receiving all their 5 a day within their Nursery Day.
Children have access to both water and milk (through the nursery milk scheme)
regardless of whether the family opt in or out of the additional extra charges.
Meal pricing at Rockbourne Day Nursery whilst using Funded Hours.
Breakfast: £1.50 per day
Lunch: £2.00 per day
Afternoon Snack: £1.50 per day
Consumables
All families must provide their own nappies, nappy creams and suncream for
funded and none funded sessions.
Opt-out Alternative
Families who opt out of the additional extras fee will need to provide the meals
and snacks required for the child’s sessions at nursery. The food provided must
be in line with our Lunch Box Policy.
How to opt in/out
If you wish to opt out of meal charges, we ask that parents inform us of this at
the start of each term so your fee sheet can be updated accordingly.
If you have any questions, please contact the Nursery on 0151 428- 0768 or at