As you may have read in the newspapers, childcare providers in York rejected a funding offer in May 2017 to take part in a pilot scheme offering 30 free hours of childcare to working parents of 3 and 4 year olds.

 

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This was a proposal for nurseries to offer the current 15 at the existing rate (£3.38 per hour) then an additional 15 hours to be paid at £3.95 per hour.

 

More than 30 providers in the area agreed that this was not enough to pay for the high quality childcare that every child should experience. To us at Little Bugs Childcare your children are worth more than that and we felt the need to take a stand against years of under funding.

 

We worked with the National Day Nurseries Association, City of York Council and the Department of Education, to make a deal that enabled us to offer places in the pilot scheme to eligible parents.

 

We accepted an offer of £4 per hour which, although still not enough, is a step in the right direction.

 

Parents should be eligible for the additional funded hours if all parents work at least 16 hours per week and earn less than £100,000. You can contact City of York Council to check if you are eligible. For more information and to check eligibility go to http://www.yor-ok.org.uk/families/Childcare/30-hours-parental-declaration.html

 

Don’t worry if you are not eligible and you have a child aged 3 or 4 - you can get the original 15 hours of funding.

 

The new funding will still not cover the cost of high-quality provisions so we may have to make charges for some additional services which we will make you aware of in the next few weeks.

 

By continuing with the scheme we feel we can help highlight to the government what needs to change in the funding structure, so that we can continue to provide high quality early learning and childcare in the future.

 

We know that these additional free hours will be great help for families with the cost of childcare. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Jane on 01904 692221 or info@littlebugschildcare.co.uk

 

Thanks, Jane, Nursery Manager