Wild Oaks Fees, Funding and Hours

FREE FOR 3 AND 4 - FREE EARLY LEARNING FOR 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS
 
All 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to Funded Early Education and can use childminders, pre-school playgroups, nurseries or children's centres who are registered with Gloucestershire County Council to deliver nursery education. The entitlement is for 15 hours per week over a minimum of 38 weeks in the year. The minimum length of a session is 2½ hours and the maximum is 10 hours in any one day. Children must remain in the provision for a minimum of 2 weeks in order to be eligible for the funding. Please note that you if you remove your child before the qualifying period, you will be liable for all costs incurred. A member of staff will provide you with the relevant form for you to apply for the funding.

When is your child eligible

You can start claiming free early education from the term following your child's 3rd birthday.
 
Birthday falls between 1st January and 31st March, funding is available from term 5 (April - Summer Term)
Birthday falls between 1st April and 31st August, funding is available from term 1 (September - Autumn Term)
Birthday falls between 1st September and 31st December, funding is available from term 3 (January - Spring Term)

Can you use more than one childcare provider

The funded entitlement can be taken with up to two providers, however the total funded hours cannot exceed 15. Most providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly to enable you to meet your needs.
 
Will there be any additional charges
A parent cannot be charged for any part of the funded entitlement however, a provider may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as they may not always be included within the free entitlement. If you take more than 15 hours per week there will be a charge made by the provider for these additional hours. 

30 hours funding
 
The Government also funds an additional 15 hours a week free childcare to some children aged three and four, this will be a total of 30 free hours a week. This will commence the term after their third birthday. However, not all 3 and 4 years olds will be eligible for the additional 15 hours funding, please see the criteria below:

To be eligible for the additional 15 hours:

•    Two parent families: both parents in the household must be working the equivalent of 16 hours a week either at or above the national living wage or the national minimum wage, up to a maximum of £100k a year per parent. 

OR

•    Single parent families: one parent in the household must be working the equivalent of 16 hours a week either at or above the national living wage or the national minimum wage, up to a maximum of £100k a year per parent. 
 
•    Parents will be required to make an application directly to HMRC for the additional 15 hours, a code will be provided which is valid for 3 months.

•    There will be a ‘grace’ period which allows the funding to be paid in certain circumstances, such as if a parent is temporarily out of work.
 
•    Parents will be required check regularly to ensure their child is still eligible to receive the additional 15 hours funding. If the code is not reconfirmed, the funding will cease.

Some Early Years settings will not be offering the additional 15 hours, however Mighty Oaks Little Acorns do offer the 30 hours funding. 

When is your child eligible

You can start claiming the additional 15 hours funding from the term following your child's 3rd birthday. The code MUST be dated before:

31st August for the funding to start from Term 1 (Autumn term)

31st December for the funding to start from Term 3 (Spring term)

31st March for the funding to start from Term 5 (Summer term)

2 YEAR OLD FUNDING  - FREE EARLY LEARNING FOR SOME 2 YEAR OLDS

(A2YO Achieving 2 year Olds)

This funding is not open to every child and neither is it accepted at all early years settings. It is only available if the early years setting is registered with Gloucestershire County Council to take the 2 years old funding. If you meet the criteria and have been awarded the funding, you will receive a letter/email from Gloucestershire Family Information Service. Please ensure you bring this letter/email to Mighty Oaks Little Acorns. You can enquire to see if your child is eligable by phoning 0800 5420202 or 01452 427362. Alternitively, you can register online and submit an enquiry via the Family Portal  Click here to access the online Family Portal.

Family portal

Who is eligible
To be eligible for this funding, the following criteria should be met by the parent: They meet the eligibility criteria also used for free school meals, the family receive working tax credits and have annual gross earnings of no more than £16,190, he child has an Education and Care Plan (EHCP) or a current statement of Special Educational Needs, the child is in receipt of Disability Living Allowance, the child is in the care of the Local Authority, have left care through special guardianship order, child arrangements order or an adoption order.  
 
When is your child eligible
The letter will tell you when the funding starts, which is usually the term after your child’s second birthday. The funding will last until your child receives the three and four-year-old funding. If you wish to check if your child is eligible you can contact the Family Information Service on 01452 427362, they will need your national insurance number.

Birthday falls between 1st January and 31st March, funding is available from term 5 (April - Summer Term)
Birthday falls between 1st April and 31st August, funding is available from term 1 (September - Autumn Term)
Birthday falls between 1st September and 31st December, funding is available from term 3 (January - Spring Term)
 
Can you use more than one childcare provider
The free entitlement can be taken with up to two providers, however the total funded hours cannot exceed 15. Most providers will allow you to take the provision flexibly to enable you to meet your needs.
 
Will there be any additional charges
A parent cannot be charged for any part of the free entitlement however, a provider may charge for meals, snacks or optional extras as they may not always be included within the free entitlement. If you take more than 15 hours per week there will be a charge made by the provider for these additional hours. Please check with your provider for full details of any additional charges.

Tax Free Childcare

Tax-Free Childcare is a new government scheme to help working parents with the cost of childcare. Parents will be able to open an online account, which they can use to pay for childcare from a registered provider. For every £8 a parent pays in, the government will pay in an extra £2. Parents can receive up to £2,000 per child, per year, towards their childcare costs, or £4,000 for disabled children. 
 
To qualify, parents will have to be in work, and each expecting to earn at least £115 a week and each parent must not have income over £100,000 per year.  The scheme will be rolled out gradually to families, with parents of the youngest children able to apply first. Parents will be able to apply for all their children at the same time, when their youngest child becomes eligible. 

Tax free childcare