Sessions, Fees & Funding

A flexible, straight forward and family friendly charging structure.

Sessions

Opening hours: 8am – 6pm            

8am – 1pm (morning session) 

1pm – 6pm (afternoon session) 

Open for 51 weeks of the year with 10 hour sessions available each day.

Three nutritious meals and healthy snacks are included in the fees.

Fees for ‘non funded’ childcare as of 1st May 2024:

Full Day     £84.00

Half Day (am) £46.00 including lunch (Sunbeam room only)

Half Day (pm) £41.00 (Sunbeam room only)

The actual cost to you may be significantly lower due to the available government schemes for many of our families. These currently include ‘Working Family Entitlement’ for 2 year olds and ”Universal & Extended Funding’ for 3 & 4 year olds. Tax free childcare is available to all age groups (those families that are eligible) and from September 2024 Government Funding will be rolled out for eligible working families of babies from 9 months to 2 years old. See funding information below.

For consistency for the children and building relationships with staff we prefer children to attend for a minimum of two full days each week. Ideally, we will discuss your personal requirements on an individual basis. 

Fee Payments should be paid by 3rd of each month for the month ahead by BACS Payment (Tax Free childcare payments)

Please contact us via office@sparklingminds.co.uk  should you have any queries.

Funding

Help to pay for your childcare:

There are a variety of Government schemes available to support working families with the cost of providing full time, high quality education for their children. 

Tax-Free Childcare  – For working families earning under £100k and at least £131 per week (equal to 16 hours at the National Minimum or Living Wage) each who aren’t receiving Tax Credits, Universal Credit or childcare voucher.

Starlight Room age group:

15 hours of Universal Funded Childcare is available for all families of 3 – 4 year olds (30 hours is available for eligible families).

We have a  LOW COST OFFER for specified set sessions utilising the 30 hour funding in Starlight room (Pre-school)

Option 1: Monday & Tuesday full days + Wednesday morning = costing £100 per week

Option 2: Wednesday afternoon + Thursday & Friday full days = costing £95 per week.

Rainbow Room age group:

15 hours of Funded Childcare is available for eligible working families of 2 year olds (30 hours is due to be rolled out for eligible families in September 2025). 

Sunbeam Room age group:

15 hours of Funded Childcare will be available for eligible working families of babies aged 9 months to 2 years in September 2024. (30 hours is due to be rolled out for eligible families in September 2025).

*All government funding is for 38 weeks each year and will be stretched over our 51 weeks to reduce your average monthly invoice cost. 

The small cost covers food, drink and consumables alongside the subsidised government funding which is in place to help reduce childcare costs for eligible families.

We will do everything we can to help you understand and access the funding that may be available depending on your individual circumstances and eligibility. We understand the financial impact that childcare costs have on families. For this reason we have  included hyperlinks on our ‘Useful Links’ page to direct you to the most up to date information. We are of course available to discuss any questions you may have and will support you in any way we can.

Early years pupil premium

You may be able to get up to £302 per year to help with your child’s education. This will be paid directly to your provider.

Who can apply

You can apply for early years pupil premium if your child is aged 3 or 4 and you get 15 hours free childcare.

You must also get at least one of the following:

You may also get early years pupil premium if your child is currently being looked after by a local authority in England or Wales or if your child has left care in England or Wales through:

  • adoption
  • special guardianship order
  • a child arrangements order

How to apply

To find out how to apply for ‘Early Years Pupil Premium’ speak to our Deputy & Business Manager (Anna) or our Manager (Katarina) or contact the local council.

Have a question? Get in touch