Funded Hours for Working Parents
Funded Hours for Working Parents
Sunflowers Day Nurseries are offering 15 or 30 hours childcare funding for eligible parents for children aged 9 months+. We are pleased to be able to provide further information of our offering here.
How does it work?
All eligible children from 9 months old in England are entitled to 15 or 30 hours of funded nursery education. Funding is for 38 weeks which can be taken term time only or stretched to cover the holidays (less hours per week, more weeks per year).
Children who qualify for a funded early education place will do so subject to the Government Guidance. Funding can only be take the term after they turn 9 months old (or the term after you as a family qualify for the funding), children are not eligible as soon as they receive a code, all funding starts the following term.
Your Invoice will be sent on the 24th of the month and will reflect the actual cost of care for the coming calendar month. This does mean that your costs vary each month but also that you can be confident you and the nursery are up to date with fees and finances.
Please note that the government funded initiative is intended to deliver 15 or 30 hours a week [over 38 weeks] of free, high quality, flexible childcare. It is not intended to cover the cost of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services. Your invoice will be broken down into costs per week and will be made up of 4 parts:
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Funded hours – Listed by the hour
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Wrap around hours – these are the additional hours needed to make up a full days care
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Meals
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Enhanced provision
Examples of why there needs to be an Enhanced Provision costs include
THE EYFS SAYS
Outdoor access
3.68 Providers must provide access to an outdoor play area. If that is not possible, they must ensure that outdoor activities are planned and taken on a daily basis (unless circumstances make this inappropriate, for example unsafe weather conditions). Providers must follow their legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 (for example, the provisions on reasonable adjustments).
AT SUNFLOWERS
At Sunflowers your child has access to a large outside space, puddle suits and wellies, hats, gloves, suncream, paddling pools, water play, mud kitchens, bikes, trikes, scooters, sand pits, gardening areas so the children can go outside for prolonged periods in all weather and enjoy multiple opportunities to learn, grow and have fun in their learning experiences, and if you opt out these experiences would be lost to the children.
THE EYFS SAYS
Paediatric First Aid
3.29 At least one person who has a current paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate must be on the premises and available at all times when children are present and must accompany children on outings. The certificate must be for a full course consistent with the criteria set out in Annex A. PFA training23 must be renewed every three years and be relevant for people caring for young children and babies.
AT SUNFLOWERS
At Sunflowers EVERY staff member holds a valid first aid certificate which takes a minimum of 12 hours to complete. We do this so that any staff member can immediately react in the event of an emergency and the children’s needs are immediately met.
THE EYFS SAYS
Overarching principles
5. Four guiding principles should shape practice in early years. These are:
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Every child is a unique child, who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident, and self-assured.
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Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
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Children learn and develop well in enabling environments with teaching and support from adults, who respond to their individual interests and needs and help them to build their learning over time. Children benefit from a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and/or carers.
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Importance of learning and development. Children develop and learn at different rates. (See “the characteristics of effective teaching and learning” at paragraph 1.18). The framework covers the education and care of all children, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
AT SUNFLOWERS
At Sunflowers our rooms are set up ready for the children to learn and explore through a range of resources beyond the basic requirements. The basic level would mean children would have access to cars, a dolls house, threading, stickle brix, duplo, paint, sand, water etc.
At Sunflowers we go above and beyond to extend their learning with real world materials, changing role plays to match our topics bringing leaflets, crockery, games into the area. Our Tuff Trays extend the children’s learning beyond cheap plastic equipment into a resource which engages the children in their learning and expands their experiences.
Children can access the setting on a Totally Free basis between 13:00 – 17:30 (stretched hours) or 13:00 – 16:00 (term time only places). Children who’s parents access these sessions and opt-out of meals and enhanced provision costs will still receive the same quality of care but there are limits to other services and a snack up must be provided. Full details can be found in the Government Funding Policy document which will be given to you when you come to look around.