Jennifer 30 hours, Business Room, Business tips for childminders, Childminding best practice

Funding for Childminders

A simple guide to the basic facts

The new funding scheme in England is a subject that a lot of childminders and other early years providers are concerned about. While no-one has to offer funded places to families, the extended rollout means that it may become more difficult not to do so. The following information will hopefully answer most of your questions.

When is the new funding scheme coming into force?

April 2024, all working parents of 2-year-olds can access 15 hours per week

  • September 2024, all working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3-years-old can access 15 hours per week
  • September 2025, all working parents of children aged 9 months up to 3-years-old can access 30 hours free childcare per week

How do I get paid?

You will be paid the funding from your council. If you are not already registered you will have to contact your local early years team and ask how to register.

Some councils pay termly, or half termly. Other councils pay monthly.

What grading do I need to be able to offer funded places?

Some councils may require you to have a good or outstanding grade to be able to offer funding. Current Government guidance for councils is that funding should ideally only be offered by good or outstanding providers but if there is a lack of space providers graded required improvement can offer funded places. If a provider is downgraded it is up to the local authority to decide what to do.

How much will I receive?

Funding rates will vary depending on which council you receive your funding from. The rates published and advertised by the Government are what the government pay your council. They are NOT what you will receive (sadly!) The Government openly publish information about what they pay each council which may give you a very rough idea but please bear in mind that councils only have to pay providers 95% of the funding on average. This means that if your council has different supplements, (for example a supplement so that providers in deprived areas receive more funding) which you do not receive then you may not receive 95% of the published rates.

The Government figures can be difficult to interpret to the Early Years Alliance have helpfully compiled much easier to understand lists:

The official Government published information:

Government Funding Rates

2023/2023 Funding for three and four years olds. Information from the Early Years Alliance:

3 and 4 year old funding

Funding Rates for two-year olds from April 2024. Information from the Early Years Alliance:

Funding Rates for two year olds

Funding rates for children under two-years old. Information from the Early Years Alliance:

Funding rates for under two-year olds

DON’T FORGET: THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE. YOU WILL PROBABLY GET LESS THAN THESE FIGURES.

What can I do if the funding does not cover my hourly rates?

This is a tricky questions as different councils may have different rules so you must check your funding contract carefully or you could be in trouble and have to pay money back if you get audited. However more and more parents seem to understand that the funding providers are paid does not cover costs and may be very happy to pay a voluntary sustainability fee. Do not charge this per hour as if you are audited it can look too much like a ‘top up fee’ which is not allowed.

You can also still charge what you like for any hours parents use outside the funded hours. Don’t forget the funding DOES NOT cover all 52 weeks of the year. You are also allowed to charge extra for things like food extra classes or trips (such as a visit to a farm) and consumables such as nappies and sun-cream. However parents must be given the option to provide these themselves if they prefer.

*rules do vary between councils so please check your council funding contract.

What sorts of hours does funding cover?

Parents can claim for up to 38 weeks a year, For families claiming 30 hours a week this equals 1,140 hours a year. You can offer funded places on a term time only basis of 30 hours a week or stretch the funding over a longer period. Here is one example of how you might do that:

52 weeks in a year minus 4 weeks annual leave for the childminder = 48 weeks.

1140 hours divided by 48 = 23.75 hours

This means parents could have 23 hours 45mins funding per week over 48 weeks. You can then charge you normal rate for any hours over these hours.

If I offer term time only funded places do my terms have to match up with the local authority?

It may be easier to do this as it will possibly make working out your funding entitlement easier as the funding will match up with the local authority school terms. However you do not have to.

Does funding cover school inset days?

School terms including inset days are 39 weeks. Funding only covers 38 weeks so, no, funding does not technically cover inset days. (Don’t get caught out and end up giving away your time and work for free like I did the first year I did funding!)

Tip: To ensure you allocate the right number of funded hours to your families make a not at the beginning of each term about how many hours of funding they are claiming with you that term. Then work out how many hours they have used each month (included hours when the child did not come due to sickness/child’s holidays, etc) and deduct it from the terms total. You can share this information with parents on invoices so that everyone is clear how many hours funding have been used.

How many hours a day can parents claim funding for?

You can offer funded places of up to 10 hours a day.

What are the universal and extended entitlements?

If you see these terms this is what they refer to:

Universal: This is the 15 hours that every child aged 3 and above can claim.

Extended: This is the additional 15 hours that eligible parents can claim to make their funded hours up to 30 hours.

Different councils may use different terms!

I share care with a nursery so who gets the funding?

The parents can decide. If the nurseries fees are more than yours they will probably want to choose the nursery but it is their decision. You can also share funding with another setting but be very careful to make sure they are not claiming more hours than they are telling you or you may end up being accused of overclaiming and may have to pay money back. (Unfair as that is!)

The child I care for lives in a different authority area to me. Where do I claim the funding?

You should apply for funding via your council as normal.

Can I claim funding if I am caring for a family member?

In a word, no. (And yes I know this is very unfair.) The can use Tax Free Childcare to pay you though.

Can I still provide Tax Free Childcare?

Yes – parents can still use this to pay for any hours they use on top of funded hours. If you are not registered to provide this it is well worth doing and it will cost you nothing.

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Jennifer Business Room, Childminding best practice, Planning for childminders

A Childminder’s Guide to Writing Starting Points

Note: A shorter version of this blog was originally published in the free Childminding Best Practice Newsletters. If you would like to receive the free newsletters please join via the link at the bottom of this post.

Starting points. It is a subject that comes up a lot. Do you need to do written starting points and when should you do them? What is the difference between starting points and a base-line? What are the official ‘rules’ about starting points?

The EYFS doesn’t directly mention starting points but it does say, ‘Practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and development of each child in their care, and must use this information to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all areas of learning and development.’ (The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) page 15.)

The Early Years Inspection Handbook, however does directly mention starting points, ‘The provider must demonstrate how they will . . . identify children’s starting points and ensure that children make progress in their learning through effective planning, observation and assessment, if appropriate.’ (Early Years Inspection Handbook, September 2023 Paragraph 36.)

starting points for childminders

Therefore you do need to have starting points for each child but you do not have to write them down. However I would strongly recommend at least jotting a few notes for yourself so that if you freeze in front of the inspector and forget everything you have something to refer to. (The inspector will not ask to see written records so even just jotting something for yourself on the back of an envelope is fine.)

You may have also heard the term baseline. This term is more commonly associated with a child’s entry to school where teachers now have to complete a baseline assessment of children’s skills and development when they start in Reception. The Government website states: The RBA (The Reception Baseline Assessment) is an activity-based assessment of pupils’ starting points.‘  (Source: Reception baseline assessment – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) In other words starting points and baseline mean the same thing it’s just that baseline is the term officially used in schools and starting points is the term favoured for childminders.

This is how I do starting points when I have a new little one in my own setting:

Step One: I like to get parents views when gathering information about children’s starting points. After all they are the ones that know their child best. I get them to complete the ‘All About Me’ form from the ‘Summative Assessment and Gap Tracker‘ system. This has been designed to complement the contract in the ‘Contracts, Policies and Forms‘ pack and has room for plenty of essential details like the child’s doctor and health visitor, dietary requirements, etc. However, it also has sections where parents can share information about what a child likes and what they can do. I find this is a simple uncomplicated way for parents to share information in a way that makes them feel that their input is valued from the very start of your relationship. (And without frightening them with specialised language or technical terms!)

Step Two: As well as parents’ input I also like to observe the child and record my own starting points. I do this from the very first meeting with the family as I always ask them to bring the child with them when we meet for the first time. I don’t necessarily write notes when the family is there but I sit on the floor and play with the child, observing what they do. If a child is very young I concentrate on the three prime areas. I also have an informal talk with the parents – they will often share things about their child with you this way that they would not feel comfortable writing down on official looking paperwork. I then jot myself a few rough notes so that I don’t forget anything when the family leaves. I can then compare these with what I know about child development, using official documents if necessary, to give me a picture of where a child’s initial needs may be.

Step Three: Once the child has been with me for a couple of sessions without their family (or just one session if it is a longer one,), if I am unsure of a child’s development in any area, or simply want some more information, I do a short written observation. This is not compulsory, but I personally find sitting for ten minutes and really concentrating on a child helps me focus and I often spot subtle things that I might not otherwise see. (You can miss this step out if you are happy you know the child well.)

Step Four: Finally I use the, ‘Starting my story – the beginning of an exciting journey,’ form – again from the Super Summative Pack, to write a very short report, with a nice picture of the child, about what the child can already do. I share this with parents as it shows them, from the very start of our relationship, that I am a professional and that I value them and their child. I find that parents love this little ‘report,’ in many cases it is their child’s first ever one and can become a special memento!

That is how I do starting points. It works for me, I get the information I need and start of new relationships with parents in a positive way. You may have your own documents that you can use if you want to do it the same way but if not you can find everything you need, plus yearly report templates and samples, transition report templates and samples and a gap tracker in the Super Summative Assessment and Gap Tracker Kit here:

Super Summative Assessment and Gap tracker kit

You may also find the following helpful:

Save money with the Super Summative Assessment Bundle deal.

This bundle deal contains the Super Summative Assessment and Progress Check at Age 2 packs. Buy them together and save £6 off the price of buying them individually.

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Contracts, Policies and Forms Pack

Having a clear and robust contract and policies is vital to the smooth running of any childminding business and can help prevent unwanted situations and misunderstandings between parent(s)/guardian(s) and childminders.

This pack contains a fully updated contract, complemented and reinforced by specially written policies. Also included are lots of useful forms for you to use in your business as well as information about the sort of paperwork you will need.

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Written 28/09/2023

Jennifer Business Room, Business tips for childminders, Childminding best practice, Childminding humour, Communication with parents

Contracts and policies for childminders – a quiz!

Time and time again I hear about childminders who are having problems with parents over one issue or another. While some of these issues are unfortunately unavoidable, others can be prevented by having a robust contract supported by strong policies. Here are some scenarios that could be avoided by clear communication and robust paperwork. What would you do in each case?

Scenario One:

You have had a family on your books for around 10 months without any issues. Then one day your 14 year old son gets a bad headache and does not feel quite well enough to go to school. He can stay upstairs in his bedroom, so you decide to remain open that day. However the mother of one of your childminding parents hears about this and decides to keep their child at home all week as they say they are worried about their child catching a bug. The parent then refuses to pay for the entire week that she does not bring her child in for. Your contract states that you do not charge parents if you or any of your family are ill.

Do you?

  1. Tell the parent you completely understand their worries and pay back all their fees for the entire week.
  2. Resentfully pay the day’s fees back and complain about it on social media making sure everyone knows who the parent is.
  3. Realise your contracts are not robust enough so pay the money back for the day your son was ill at home and change your contracts to say that when a child is off for any reason normal charges apply.

Scenario Two:

You are a new childminder. A family visits and you like them so when they ask to start in three weeks you are delighted and agree. In the intervening three weeks you have other enquiries and sign on two more children but have to turn others away as your places are full. The day comes that the first family is due to start but they do not show up. You ring them to see what is happening and they tell you that they have changed their minds and that a relative is going to look after the child instead. You did not take a deposit or get the parents to sign a contract, intending to do it on their first day.

Do you?

  1. Offer to give them two weeks free if they start today.
  2. Have a massive argument with the parent about it. On the doorstep. With the neighbours listening.
  3. Chalk it up to experience and readvertise the place, making sure in future that you get families to pay a deposit and sign a contract to secure their place.

Scenario Three:

You have been childminding for two years without any major problems. Part of your ethos is lots of trips out to places to give the children lots of experiences outside the setting. You use contracts and gets parents to sign permission slips. You sign on a new family for a full time place, and they seem to sign everything happily with no fuss. You then check the permission slips before putting them in the new child’s file and see that they have not given permission to take the child in the car. You ask the family about this, and they are adamant that they do not want their child going anywhere in the car.

Do you?

  1. Tell all the other families that you can no longer offer any outings that are not within walking distance.
  2. Continue taking all the children on outings using the car but tell the child not to tell their parents, it is your little secret.
  3. Talk to the parents calmly and professionally and if they insist they do not want their child going in the car regretfully decide that you have to give notice under your settling in period conditions. Then alter your permission slips.

Scenario Four:

You have robust policies for charging when a parent is late to collect their child. These work well and parents are only ever late for genuine reasons as they know there will be an additional charge to pay. You are good at sticking to your policies, so everyone knows what to expect. Then one of the parents gets a new job. They start to arrive with their child up to fifteen minutes before their contracted start time and expect to be able to drop the child off. You do not have a policy covering early drop offs.

Do you?

  1. Let the children in early each time but do not charge the parents so end up feeling used and resentful.
  2. Open the door when they arrive and hand them your dog with its lead with strict instructions to walk it until their contracted start time.
  3. Change your policies to include charges for early drops offs.

Scenario Five:

You are an experienced childminder, working on your own, but have plenty of children on your books.  You meet with a new family who need a place at the last minute. They do not bring the child with them to the initial meeting saying that they are unwell. You talk to them about your setting and what you can offer and ask them if they have any needs for the child. They say no. You gets them to fill in all the required paperwork and then set a date for the child to start the following week. When the child starts it very quickly becomes apparent that they have needs that always require one to one support.

Do you?

  1. Continue to struggle on, trying to support the child on your own until everyone is tired and stressed and other families start to notice their child isn’t getting the care they need and start to leave.
  2. Stick the child in a playpen all day while you work with the other children.
  3. Refer to your contracts and give the family notice on the basis that they have knowingly and wilfully concealed important information about their child’s needs from you.

Scenario Six:

You have been childminding for years and think you have seen it all. You take on a new family, get them to complete all the necessary paperwork and then set a date for the child to start. On the child’s first day the mum drops the child off and you could swear that they are moving in. They come supplied with several large bags, including a large bin bag full of what looks suspiciously like washing. A baby in the other room starts to cry so you shove all the bags under the stairs so you can have a look when the children are all settled.

When the children are settled you get to look at what is in all the bags. You discover the bin bag is full of dirty washing. You also find a dog lead in another smaller bag along with a short shopping list. You thinks it is odd, but the children are waiting for their morning snack, so you forget about it.

At pick up time the new parent arrives to collect up their child. You pass all the bags across and talk about the child’s day and all the fun they have had. However the parent does not look very happy at all. You ask what is wrong and the parents then berates you for not doing the washing, walking the dog and picking up the shopping!

Do you?

  1. Apologise and then the next day do your best to comply with all the parent’s requests, meaning that you have no time to spend with the children as you are too busy doing washing, shopping and dog walking.
  2. Shout, “you must be having a laugh!” and throw the bags out into the street so that the bin bag splits open and dirty pants start blowing down the street.
  3. Realise that no matter how long you have been in this job there is always something that will surprise you. Explain to the parent that you are a childminder not a skivvy. Sigh when they scream obscenities at you then decide life is just too short and give the parent immediate notice as backed up by your contracts.

How did you do?

Mostly a: Parent’s must love you. You are a complete walkover! You may think you are trying to do your best for everyone but this is not always a good thing because at some point you will either realise you cannot cope with everything you have promised to do or will end up feeling more and more resentful and unhappy. Do not be afraid to set boundaries using your contracts and policies to back you up. Then stick to them.

Mostly b: You are a complete nightmare! You bend the rules to breaking point, ignore any safeguarding protocols and love causing as much drama as possible. Try setting up some robust contracts and policies instead before someone gets hurt or you end up in court.

Mostly c: Well done. No one gets it right all of the time, but you use sensible ways of resolving problems and recognise the importance of having robust contracts and policies in place.

Written 10/04/2023

You may also like these helpful resources:

Contracts, Policies and Forms pack

Having a clear and robust contract and policies is vital to the smooth running of any childminding business and can help prevent unwanted situations and misunderstandings between parent(s)/guardian(s) and childminders.

The ‘Contracts, Policies and Forms pack’ contains a full contract, complemented and reinforced by specially written policies. Also included are lots of useful forms for you to use in your business as well as information about the sort of paperwork you will need.

There is no need to buy repeated contracts. You can print the contracts in this pack as many times as you need.

Get Contracts, policies and forms pack

Partnership with Parents Pack

This is an essential tool to help you build and develop your partnership with parents. From help advertising and attracting new families, through to daily communication and letter templates to send to help deal with tricky situations in a professional manner, this pack has everything you need.

get partnership with parents pack

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