Free childcare?

Question

my son is three and started playschool i didnt know about him being entitled to free 12 hours childcare so i have been paying twenty pounds a week for his three sessions which only last two and a half hours a day . Is there anyway i could claim this back as i have the receipts from playschool.

Answer 1

It depends when he started because if he missed whats caled 'Headcount Day' (which is when all the paperwork has to be sent into headoffices) then he will have to wait till the next funding which begins in September.

But if he turned 3 in November he would have been eligible in January and again in April so when did he actually start pre-school? If it was Feb-March he would have missed it and if it was after April he would have missed it!

Not all settings apply for the funding eg private settings so you will have to check to see if they are offering this service.

The funding is 2.5 hours a session for up to 5 sessions a week so even if funded the hours would be the same.

To answer you're question I dont think you can be refunded-I have never heard of anyone being able to do this sorry but check with your local LEA or the setting leaders to make sure.

PS: £20 isnt that bad-most settings charge £7 per session for 2.6 hours!

Answer 2

Pre-Schools/playschools can apply for voucher funding to cover the cost of 12.5 hours of session time for over 3s (5x2.5 hours). This is due to rise to 15 hours in 2010.

They can only apply at the beginning of terms 1,3, and 5. (defined as 1 Sep, 1 Jan, 1 Apr) so if your child has turned three since 1 Apr you are not entitled to voucher funding until Sep. If this is not the case some points to note are that

(i) not all provisions accept voucher funding although it is very unusual to find ones that don't

(ii) they need to be sure you are not claiming for free sessions elsewhere

I am assuming you do not qualify for some reason as we get £8.50/child for a 2.5hr session under the voucher system so your playschool is actually losing out by charging you and not claiming vouchers.

If you feel that you are being charged wrongly you should consult with your LEA (try the county council's website) which should be able to provide guidance on whether your playschool are actually entitled to charge you. (I know in Oxfordshire we are definitely not allowed to charge 3 year olds if, for example, they are eligible for vouchers but join us midway through a term and we have missed out on applying for vouchers for them for that term. We have to provide them with a place at our expense. I'm not sure whether these are national guidelines or not.)

Kate

Pre-school chair

Answer 3

talk to the leader u should be able to.

Answer 4

Talk to the playschool leader, they should be able to tell you what you need to do to claim back the money.  This site might also be helpful, just put in your postcode:

http://www.childcarelink.gov.uk/

Answer 5

Why not just pay it and stop complaining? Are you that cheep?