15 Hours Funded Childcare
WHAT IS 15 HOURS FUNDED CHILDCARE?
In England, there are two government funded 15 hours free early education schemes that offer childcare for children aged two, three and four:
- 15 hours funded childcare for eligible 2-year-olds
- 15 hours funded childcare for all 3 and 4-year-olds
This means that your little one will get a funded childcare placement with a government approved provider (meaning they have to be registered with Ofsted and participate in the scheme).
Zig Zags is an approved childcare provider and proudly takes part in this scheme.
15 HOURS FUNDED CHILDCARE FOR 2-YEAR-OLDS
Your 2-year-old is eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare per week if you live in England and get any of the following benefits:
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
- the guaranteed element of Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit (or both), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
- the Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
- Support through part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act – NASS support
They are also eligible if:
- they are looked after by a local authority
- have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
- get Disability Living Allowance
- have left care under an adoption order, special guardianship order or a child arrangements order
Note: It’s likely that you may have to pay for the extra costs like meals, nappies, wipes, trips, etc. You can use the hours from 1 January, 1 April or 1 September following your child’s second birthday.
ARE YOU A NON-UK CITIZEN?
If your immigration status says you have ‘no recourse to public funds’, you might still be able to get 15 hours of funded childcare for your 2-year-old. Your eligibility depends on the following:
- You must live in England
…and your household income must be no more than:
- £26,500 for families outside of London with one child
- £34,500 for families within London with one child
- £30,600 for families outside of London with two or more children
- £38,600 for families within London with two or more children
You might be able to get 15 hours funded childcare for your 3 and 4 year old.
Note: You will not be eligible if you have more than £16,000 in savings or investments.
NURSERY FEES
To find out more about fees for our nursery, simply…
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Or
To speak directly call us on 07703 933 009
OTHER FUNDING OPTIONS
NURSERY FEES AND FUNDING FAQ’S
CAN I BRING MY CHILD TO THE NURSERY VISIT?
Yes, we love meeting the child and they also get the chance to interact with other children.
DOES THE NURSERY PROVIDE FRESH MEALS EVERY DAY?
We have an on-site nursery cook, who prepares all meals and snacks from scratch. We are a pescatarian nursery, but we are also able to cater to any food preferences including but not limited to allergies, veganism, vegetarianism, halal and kosher. During each day, we will provide breakfast, lunch, tea and healthy snacks. Water is available throughout the day.
WHAT CURRICULUM DOES THE NURSERY FOLLOW?
We follow the EYFS (early years foundation stage), which is used by early years professionals and covers the period from birth to the end of the school reception year. This ensures that we cover the seven areas of learning and gives your child the best possible start to their education and learning. Young children learn best through play, and hence the children’s activities are planned around their interests and needs. This ensures that the children continue to learn and develop, whilst engaged in activities revolving around their favourite toys, games and interests.
DO THE CHILDREN PLAY OUTSIDE EVERYDAY AT NURSERY?
All children have access to the outdoor area(s) every day. Hence, we do ask that you provide weather appropriate outdoor clothing all year round.
HOW OFTEN DOES THE NURSERY GIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT MY CHILD’S PROGRESS?
Daily feedback about your child’s day at nursery is provided through daily diaries, feedback sheets, online learning journals and/or verbal feedback, depending on your child’s age. We hold termly parent consultation meetings when you are invited to meet with your child’s key person to discuss progress. You can make an appointment at any time to speak to the nursery manager or your child’s key person to discuss any concerns.
We use an online learning journal to record your child’s progress and some of the fun things they get up to. You will be given a secure login so you can check the App or log on to your account at any time. We love it when you also upload pictures and notes of what your child has been doing outside of nursery.
HOW DO WE ACCOMMODATE CHILDREN FOR WHOM ENGLISH IS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE?
You will be asked to bring in a list of key words (e.g. hello, goodbye, toilet, hungry, thirsty, happy, etc.) phonetically written in the child’s first language. We place picture routines and prompts around the child’s room to help them understand their surroundings and the routine of the day. We have a number of multi lingual staff at the nurseries, who can help the children, as well as access to a vast range of dual language books.
WHAT QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING DO THE STAFF AT ZIG ZAGS HAVE?
The majority of staff are NVQ qualified and all staff receive training in paediatric first aid, food safety and hygiene, fire awareness and safeguarding children. Staff also receive additional training based on their specific roles and responsibilities.
IS THE NURSERY DEPOSIT REFUNDABLE?
Yes, provided you give one month’s written notice and your account is up to date with no outstanding balance.
WHEN AND HOW WILL I RECEIVE INVOICES FOR NURSERY FEES?
Fees are billed on a monthly basis and fees are due by the 1st of each month. Your invoice will be emailed to you each month around the 25th of each month which you can access using a password which we will provide you with. We accept payments by standing order, BACS transfers, childcare vouchers and via the government’s tax free childcare scheme.
CAN I BOOK EXTRA NURSERY SESSIONS?
Extra sessions can be booked with the nursery manager via email. We will always try and accommodate extra session requests, but this will of course depend on how many children are already booked in for the required day. Payment for extra sessions is required in advance.
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY FEES IF MY CHILD IS ABSENT FROM THE NURSERY?
In the event of any absences from the nursery, fees will still be charged as usual.
CAN I SWAP DAYS AT ZIG ZAGS?
Unfortunately, this is not possible. We need to plan staffing needs according to children’s booking patterns and hence need to know in advance how many children will be attending each day. An additional day must be booked where required.
WHAT FUNDING OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE AT ZIG ZAGS DAY NURSERY?
HOW DO I RAISE A CONCERNS THAT I MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE NURSERY?
We aim to provide a safe, secure and happy environment for children to prosper and develop. If there are any concerns regarding care or any other aspect of the nursery, please in the first instance raise them with the Nursery Manager. If you feel that the Nursery Manager has not fully addressed your queries and/or concerns, then please e-mail: directors@zigzagsdaynursery.co.uk
We do also like to hear when you are really happy so please tell us all the positives too!
See what people say about us
Zig Zags – A place/home from home. I believe the nursery has been an excellent choice and played
a huge role in her development. Very homely, fantastic staff and my daughter, I trust is well looked
after.
Yvette
My daughter loves Zig Zags nursery and all the carers she is looked after by. As her parents we love
Zig Zags nursery too! We feel very happy and confident and safe when leave her in the care of the
nursery. Everybody is caring, understanding and personable. The nursery is full of very good
advice. We love the balance of play and learning.
Nazma
Having experienced another nursery, I bought my son back to Zig Zags. Zig Zags has provided both
my children with a very warm and friendly environment, to the point where it is like a second home
to them. I would definitely recommend Zig Zags as a nursery to any parent wanting peace of mind
that their child is happy, safe whilst learning so much on daily basis.
Navjot
I am happy with my son’s development. The care at the nursery is great! The staff are very
supportive and provide plenty of encouragement to help my son to reach his milestones. The
nursery is clean which reassures that my son is being cared for in a clean, comfortable and
stimulating environment.
Gertrude
My child has settled in well. He goes to a warm, safe and welcoming room. The staff are
welcoming with a smile. My son enjoys his time at the nursery and his welfare comes first. I watch
on the webcam and can see how well the staff look after him and keep an interest in his
development of learning. They keep me up to date with providing day to day details.
Rani
My daughter started Zig Zags over a year ago after leaving another nursery. On arriving we were
warmly welcomed by friendly staff, shown around and received good information about everything
we needed to know. Within weeks, we saw a considerable improvement in our daughter, not only
in personal development, but education too. She has thrived under their care and attention which
is reflected in her behaviour. She is a happy, independent and confident girl. As parents we have
confidence that our daughter is well taken care of which is very reassuring and she looks forward
to going to nursery. We recommended the nursery to another parent who has subsequently now
registered her son!
Shameem
To Zig Zags
I would like to say thank you for all the support this past year.
You guys have been so warm and welcoming to us. I was very sceptical,
at first when I thought of sending my daughter to nursery.
However, upon meeting all the staff, I must say I was
overwhelmed by how lovely all the staff were alone
with their pure dedication and passion for the children in the nursery
We appreciate you all and Zig Zags is the best nursery.
Jussima
To all the Zig Zags Nursery Staff
Thank you for being there for me and my daughter for guiding her
and showing her the way.
Thank you for having the patients and
support and encouraging my daughter.
Klaudia