Useful links:

 

• Gov.uk website: Free Childcare for Working Parents

• Best Start in Life: 30 hours childcare

• Brent Council: Free childcare

• Brent Council: Childcare and early education

• Brent Council: Help with childcare costs

• Owls Daycare: Parental agreement form

 

 

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Overview:

 

Little Scientists Club Ltd (trading as Owls Daycare and Owls Daycare Pre-school) accepts government funded early education hours (15 or 30 per week, age/eligibility dependent) for 38 weeks (term-time) each academic year.

 

We do not stretch funded hours across the whole year — funding is applied in term time only (the 38 weeks). We may offer a 12-month payment plan so your net childcare cost is paid in equal monthly instalments  - this is not stretching; it’s budgeting..

 

Funded hours are free at the point of delivery. We never charge a top-up on funded hours.

 

We are open 46 weeks each year and offer childcare for 38 term-time (“off-peak”) weeks or childcare for 46 weeks, which is made up of 38 term-time (“off-peak”) weeks and 8 non-term (“peak”) weeks.

 

We bill evenly across the year i.e. the cost of the hours you attend in the year (either over a 38 week, or 46 week, year) is divided into 12 equal monthly instalments and appears on each monthly invoice alongside any other discretionary deductions or charges e.g. late collection fees etc.

 

 

The funding we can claim for your child:

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Depending on age and eligibility, families may be entitled to 0, 15 or 30 funded hours each week in the 38 term-time (off-peak) weeks.

 

Starting from the term after their third birthday, all 3 & 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of funded childcare in the 38 term-time (off-peak) period. Some children in this age range may be eligible for 30 hours a week in the 38 term-time (off-peak) period. For children aged under 3, some families may also be eligible for funded hours; it is your responsibility as the parent/guardian to confirm eligibility with HRMC in advance of your start date with us. Please do refer to the links provided at the top of this page for further information from the Government and Local Authority. 
 

For those entitled to 30 hour funding, we will ask you to complete our parental agreement form and provide, among other things, your funded childcare code (provided to you by HMRC) along with a request for your consent to process this information to verify eligibility at the point of making a claim for your funded entitlement during the 38 term-time (off-peak) weeks.

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Our rates (how we price the two parts of the year):

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Your invoice will show three separate lines (1) your off-peak (term-time) attendance, (2) your funding credit and (3) your peak (non-term time) attendance (if any). The third line will only be populated for those who have reserved a place for 46 weeks of the year. The hours shown each month are averaged so as to ensure payments stay even throughout the 12 months of the year.

 

For off-peak (term-time) attendance, we take weekly hours you have attended and calculate an average monthly figure i.e. weekly hours × 38 weeks ÷ 12. Those hours are charged at our standard term-time hourly rate.

 

Your funding credit is shown as a separate line and is calculated from your annual funded entitlement (funded hours × 38 weeks) and then spread over 12 months so your monthly invoices remain even. Funding is applied against your off-peak (term-time) attendance so funded hours are free at the point of delivery.

 

Any term-time hours attended above your funded entitlement remain payable.

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Any peak (out of term time) attendance is calculated in the same way as your off-peak (term-time) attendance i.e. weekly hours × 8 weeks ÷ 12. This appears as a separate line and is charged at our peak time hourly rate.

 

You may have two more lines on your invoice if (1) we have applied a discretionary discount i.e. your start date was after the first day of the month and/or (2) you have incurred any additional charges e.g. late collection fee, late payment fee etc.

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Worked examples (illustrative):

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This example relates to a child who is aged below 2 but above 9 months, who attends for 50 hours a week and is entitled to 30 hours funding. Imagine our off-peak (term-time) hourly fee is £6.19 and our peak (non-term time) hourly fee is £21.00. The monthly invoice for this child, who attends Owls for 46 weeks of the year would be set out as follows:

 

• Off-peak term-time (38 weeks) = (50 × 6.19 × 38)/12 = £980.08

• Funding credit = (30 × 38 × 6.19)/12 = £588.05

• Peak (non-term time) = (50 × 8 × 21)/12 = £700.00

• Additional charges = £0.00

• Discretionary discount = £0.00

• Total monthly fee due : 1,092.03

 

This example relates to a child aged 3–4, who attends for 50 hours a week and is entitled to 30 hours funded childcare. Imagine our off-peak (term-time) hourly fee is £6.19 and our peak (non-term time) hourly fee is £20.00. The monthly invoice for this child, who attends Owls for 46 weeks of the year, would be set out as follows:

 

• Off-peak term-time (38 weeks) = (50 × 6.19 × 38)/12  = £980.08

• Funding credit = (30 × 38 × 6.19)/12 = £588.05

• Peak (non-term time) = (50 × 8 × 20)/12 = £666.66

• Additional charges = £0.00

• Discretionary discount = £0.00

• Total monthly fee due : 1,058.69

 

This example relates to a child aged 3–4, who attends for 50 hours a week and is entitled to 15 hours funded childcare. Imagine our off-peak (term-time) hourly fee is £6.19. The monthly invoice for this child, who attends Owls for 38 weeks of the year (term-time only) would be set out as follows:

 

• Off-peak term-time (38 weeks) = (50 × 38 × 6.19)/12 = £980.08

• Funding credit = (15 × 38 × 6.19)/12 = £294.03

• Peak (non-term time) = £0.00

• Additional charges = £0.00

• Discretionary discount = £0.00

• Total monthly fee due: £686.05

 

Optional extras:

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​We may, from time to time, offer chargeable items. These are entirely optional and will be itemised separately. Subject to your attendance, our fees include warm meals, snacks, wipes, Spanish, science and music.

 

All invoices are itemised so you can see (a) funded hours, (b) payable hours and (c) optional extras.

 

Families are not required to purchase additional hours or services to access a funded place. We offer a term-time (38-week) funded pattern within our opening hours, and those funded hours are provided free at the point of delivery. If you choose only the funded hours in term time, your invoice will show the funded hours at £0.00 plus any optional extras you have opted into, and where applicable, any additional charges such as late collections fee etc.