Thank you for choosing my setting for your childcare.  My team and I are excited to work with you and welcome your family into ours!

Please see below the Fees and Funding Policy which provides important information about this provision. I ask you to keep a copy for your future reference and for key contacts which will be helpful.

Key information

The childminding days/hours are Monday to Friday 7.30am – 6.30pm

In this childminding setting you can have access to funding during the term time only which is over 38 weeks. 

At our setting we use Funding Loop to correspond with parents and Surrey County Council regarding funding which ensures all applications are correctly completed and easy to understand.

Fees and funding

Any optional childcare outside of the funded times, including before 9am and after 3pm, or during the school holidays is charged at my private rate of £9.50 per hour.

Funded Early Education

I am registered with Surrey County Council to offer funded early education. At the beginning of each funded period (term), you will need to complete and sign the Parental Declaration Form to confirm that funded entitlement can be claimed on your behalf, with relevant copies of identification such as birth certificate and passport. In my setting I offer the following entitlements:

Funded Early Education for two-year-olds (FEET)

Eligible families can access up to 15 hours of funded early education and childcare a week. To check eligibility for FEET funding please refer to guidance at

Funded early education for two year olds (FEET) - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk) 

Universal Entitlement (15 hours) 

Available for all three- and four-year-olds the term after the child’s 3rd birthday. There are no criteria attached; parents do not need to apply. 

Working Parents Entitlement (15 hours)

Available for children from nine months whose family meet specific eligibility criteria regarding their employment status. Children from the term after their 3rd birthday will be able to claim this in addition to the Universal entitlement if they meet eligibility criteria up to a total of 30 hours per week.

From September 2025 - families who meet working parents’ eligibility criteria will be able to claim up to 30 hours a week funded early education from the term after their child turns nine months.

To check eligibility for Working Parents Entitlement please refer to guidance at www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.  Parents will need to make an application via childcare choices to ensure eligibility. 

Reconfirming Working Parents Entitlement Eligibility Codes.

Parents need to reconfirm that they're still eligible every three months. The Department for Education will send parents a text message and/or email to remind them to reconfirm four weeks before their validity end date and again two weeks before if they still haven't reconfirmed. Please note, the Department for Education will not include a link in their text message or email for parents to click on to reconfirm their code (if parents are sent an email asking them to click on a link to reconfirm it is likely phishing). There should also be a secure message in their Childcare Service Account.

Parents will not get a new eligibility code; they'll just get a new validity end date and grace period end date. Providers do not need to tell Surrey if a parent has re-confirmed their eligibility code.

Early Years Pupil Premium 

EYPP provides additional funding to settings to support children’s learning and development. This can be used for extra equipment, resources, or additional training for staff. Your child may be eligible if you are in receipt of some income related benefits or if your child is looked after by the local authority, adopted from care, has left care through a special guardianship arrangement or has left care and is subject to a child arrangement order. Further details and criteria can be found on the webpage here Early Years Pupil Premium - Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)

If you think you may be eligible, you can use the EYPP application form on page 4 of the parent declaration form. You will be asked to sign this form each funded period in order to access your funded entitlement with your early years provider. All you need to do is fill in this page of the form and I will then process the details. Any information you share will be completely confidential and this will not affect any benefits you receive.

Best Start in Life (Childcare Choices)

Please follow the link for Government Tax Free Childcare - https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

Deposits, Registration and other fees. 

A deposit of £250 will be needed to secure your child’s place in my setting. This will be refunded from your first childcare invoice. It is non-refundable if you choose not to take up the place.

There is also a £75 registration fee (not applicable to those claiming funding)

Chargeable extras for funded sessions 

It's important to know and make you aware that government funding is not intended to cover the full cost of childcare. It does not include essential extras like meals, nappies, wipes, and sun cream, as well as any additional hours.

• £5.00 for food per day (Morning snack and Lunch)
• £2.50 for consumables per day ( creams, nappies, soaps, toilet roll & sun cream)

Please note that the £7.50 for consumables is a voluntary charge. Should you not wish to pay it, you will be asked to supply a healthy snack and lunch for the days your child attends our setting. Please ask to see our allergy policy regarding nuts and other allegens. Parents will also be asked to supply creams, suncreams, wipes, soaps and toilet roll should you decide not to pay for the consumable package. 

Private fees

The standard hourly rate is £9.50 per hour.  

Tax-Free Childcare  

At my childminding setting I accept Tax-Free Childcare. Parents can check eligibility and apply for Tax Free Childcare via www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. Tax Free Childcare is the system that is has replaced the previous childcare voucher scheme. 

Y You can claim up to £500 every 3 months (up to £2,000 a year) for each of you children to help with the costs of childcare. This goes up to £1,000 every 3 months if a child is disabled (up to £4,000 a year).

Parents can check eligibility and apply for Tax Free Childcare via www.childcarechoices.gov.uk. You’ll need to set up an online childcare account for your child. For every £8 you pay into this account, the government will pay in £2 to use to pay your provider.

You can claim Tax-Free Childcare at the same time as funded childcare if you’re eligible for both.

Invoicing 

You will be invoiced for additional hours outside of the 6 funded hours at a rate of £9.50 per hour.

You will be invoiced on the 25th of each month

Late Payment Charges 

Please see your contract for late payment charges

Late Collections 

Please see your contract for late collection charges 

Notice Periods 

I require a 4 week notice period at my childminding setting. 

If you are accessing a fully funded place, funding is not automatically transferred to a new provider if you choose to leave mid-way through the term. There are some exceptions in relation to personal circumstances outlined in the Surrey County Council Provider Agreement, that may require for funding to be released to a new provider. Please speak to myself, Michala Stephens, to discuss in more detail. 

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Policy  

As a data controller, I must comply with the Data Protection Law. Links to Surrey County Council’s own Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice will be shared via the Parental Declaration form. 

Appeals Process 

If you have any complaints about any aspect of my delivery of funded hours, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss. Should you have any further concerns or complaints please contact Surrey County Council - Early Years Commissioning Team directly eycommissioningteam@surreycc.gov.uk. 

Thank you for taking the time to read and keep this important information. If I can help in any other way, please feel free to ask any questions and, once again, we look forward to working with you.