Government Funding Assistance
Government Funding
Working families, you could be eligible for this if you meet the criteria:
- You, and any partner, each expect to earn (on average) at least £125 per week
- You, or your partner, are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- You’re unable to work because you are disabled or have caring responsibilities
- You can NOT get funded childcare if you, or your partner, individually expect to earn £100,000+
Applying for funding
Funding starts from the term after your child meets the government stipulated birthday.
To receive your fundied hours you need to apply online for a 16 digit code and complete the funding paperwork provided at Blue Sky.
If you are using funding at more than one setting it is important that you declare this to prevent overclaims. Which would then need to be paid back.
The government require that you must log onto your account every 3 months to renew your code. If you do not have a valid code on 31st March, 31st August, 31st December you will not be able to claim funding with any provider for the full term.
Stretching your Hours
At Blue Sky you can ‘stretch’ your funded hours over the 51 weeks Blue Sky is open, using fewer hours per week or use your funded hours for term time only. You can discuss this when booking your hours with admin.
Funding at Blue Sky can only be used for a full morning (5 hours) or full afternoon (5 hours) session. Where parents require the full day these 2 sessions are bridged with a ½ hour Non-Funded Session Break, which is charged for as the government only allow us to claim 10 hours of funded hours in any one day.
Where stretched funding does not cover a full AM/PM session then parents need to pay to cover the balance of time.
Example below shows how stretched funding works for 15 hours (doubled for 30)
Enhanced Provision Cost
The Government are helping working parents with their childcare costs and we are grateful for this. Unfortunately, the government advertises this as “FREE” which is somewhat misleading because while the Government funding covers “care” it does not cover the other things needed to ensure your child has a high quality, loving, fun and educational experience and the government are clear that parents may be charged for this.
There are many complicated rules around funding and every setting will establish a way of operating which allows them to remain viable as a business, as a parent you will then be able to identify which setting offers the right package for you and your child.
At Blue Sky we make sure all children have the same high quality experience immaterial of how they access care by making a charge for Enhanced Provision, this ensures your child has everything they need for their nursery day (excluding nappies and formula feeds) with no hidden costs, all our costs are stipulated on our Fees and Sessions sheet which is part of our enrolment pack.
Help with Childcare Costs
We understand that childcare costs can be a concern for parents. This information is to give you an overview of the available funding and money saving options the Government provides for parents, and how it is applicable to Blue Sky.
This is only a brief and basic guide, you should absolutely do your own research into what you may be eligible for.
For the most up to date information and to apply for financial support click the button below to go to the government website
Direct Government Assistance
Tax Free Childcare
For working families, including the self-employed, there is the availability of Tax Free Childcare for children under 12 (or under 17 if disabled).
Under this scheme parents pay into a government account and the government then add 20% to the amount paid in. In essence the government pay 20% towards your childcare costs.
Tax Credits for Childcare
Working families with children under 16 could be eligible for Tax Credits you can claim back a percentage of your eligible childcare costs
Universal Credits for Childcare
You can apply for Universal Credit for Childcare if you, and your partner, are working, or you’re due to start work, and are claiming Universal Credit.
Support While you Study
The Government has programs to help, the main 3 are listed below. However we encourage to you to do your own research into student assistance.
Childcare Grant
You may be eligible for the Childcare Grant to help with costs as a full-time student and have children under 15.
Care to Learn
You can apply for weekly payments to help while studying publicly-funded courses in England.
Discretionary Learner Support
If you’re aged 19 or over, on a further education course and facing financial hardship, you could get Learner Support