Tag Archive for: free childcare

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Nursery places for Key Workers in SW16 & SW17

Childcare for key workers in Streatham & Tooting

Key workers in Streatham & Tooting:
We can help you with childcare.

Following on from our Coronavirus Update, we’re reaching out to ‘key workers’ in the Streatham & Tooting areas. If you require childcare during the COVID-19 lock-down, we can help.

“If you need childcare in the London SW16 or SW17 area of London and are what the Government are categorising as a ‘Key Worker’, we can help with nursery places for your children.”

What is a Key Worker?

Loosely speaking a key worker, as defined by the Government, is anyone whose work is “critical to the COVID-19 response”. It also includes people working in one of the “critical sectors”. These are categories that they see as essential to keep the UK safe and the economy and infrastructure functioning. Where children of key workers cannot safely be cared for at home, they will be “prioritised for education provision”. That means eligibility for childcare at nurseries and pre-schools like Little Cedars Day Nursery and Beechcroft Day Nursery.

  • NHS staff and those working in health and social care, we can help you with nursery places for your children.
  • Teachers, childcare workers and education professionals, we can offer your child a nursery place.
  • Emergency services, MoD staff, armed forces critical to the response to the coronavirus pandemic and prison/probation staff, we can offer childcare for your children.
  • Workers in national or local government essential to the COVID-19 response: we have a place in our nursery for your children.
  • Transport and delivery workers may also be eligible for childcare in our London nurseries.
  • If you work in banking/finance, IT, postal services, delivery, utilities like oil, gas, electricity and water: we can also help with a nursery place for your child.

The list of eligible key worker categories is thankfully large, so those were just a few examples. To check whether you’re eligible for a childcare during the lock-down, check the full list of eligible key workers. Then get in touch with us (see below).

A Nursery/Pre-school for children of key workers in London SW16/SW17

We’ll temporarily operate from Tooting Bec during the lock-down. As we mentioned in our last post, Little Cedars Day Nursery (Streatham) has temporarily joined forces with our sister nursery Beechcroft Day Nursery. This is very close by (just a 7 minute drive) at 83 Beechcroft Road, London SW17 7BN (Tooting Bec). Read more

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Coronavirus & Little Cedars Day Nursery — Temporary Measures

Coronavirus update for Little Cedars Day Nursery

Little Cedars Day Nursery would like you bring parents and carers up to date in regard to the affect that Coronavirus and COVID-19 is having on the nursery in Streatham. Firstly, we’re pleased to confirm that we don’t have any instances of staff or families having been infected. However, we do need to follow Government guidelines. Regrettably, these affect all education settings, so will impact on some families who attend our nursery/pre-school.

Partial closure of the nursery (from Friday 20 March)

As many may have seen in the news, the Government has asked all nurseries to partially close from Friday 20th March 2020. This is part of the community defence against the spread of the virus. It’s especially important for London-based nurseries and pre-schools to do all they can to play their part in the fight against this pandemic. Little Cedars is no exception, so here is what is happening from today (20 March 2020) …

Temporary relocation

During these emergency measures, Little Cedars will temporarily relocate, joining forces with our sister nursery, Beechcroft Day Nursery. This is very close by at 83 Beechcroft Road, London SW17 7BN. As you can see on the map, this is just 1.6 miles, a 7 minute drive or a 16 minute bus journey away. Once the emergency measures and virus have passed, things will go back to normal and we’ll be back at Aldrington Road. Hopefully, that’ll be in no time at all if we all take extra measures to beat this outbreak together. We’ll keep you posted of any changes here and on our social media.

Temporary relocation of Little Cedars durig COVID-19 outbreak

Exceptions to the closure

Nurseries, including Little Cedars, will essentially close to much of the general public. However, as directed by the Government, they will remain open for vulnerable children and children of key workers. In brief, the ‘key workers’ include those involved in the response to COVID-19, front-line NHS staff, emergency services, supermarket delivery drivers, those involved in food production and several other categories. It’s a long list, though, so click here to see it in full.

The Government’s message is:

“If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed … and you cannot keep your child safe at home, then your children will be prioritised for education provision.”

Our promise to you

Please note: We know how disruptive and difficult this may be for many of the families whose children attend our nursery/pre-school. Therefore we, the staff at Little Cedars Day Nursery, promise that we’ll look very carefully at your individual circumstances. We will, of course, help you and your children wherever possible.

Contact us for further information

If you’d like to contact us for further clarification, please email us on . You can also leave a phone message at Little Cedars (020 8677 9675) or call our Beechcroft nursery direct on 020 8767 5501.

Lastly, is free childcare funding for 2, 3 & 4 year olds affected?

No; the good news is that there is no change to the funding eligibility. In regard to those who are eligible for free childcare funding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has stated, “… we will continue to pay for all free early years entitlements [in place], even in the event that settings are closed … or children are not able to attend due to coronavirus”.

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A Rough Guide to Free Childcare Funding in England

A rough guide to free childcare funding in England

The rules surrounding free childcare funding in the UK can be confusing. You may have heard of the Government schemes for ’30 hours of free childcare’, or ’15 hours free funding’.  However, different age groups each have their own separate rules surrounding eligibility. In view of the complexities involved, we have put together a rough guide for early years age groups, to help clarify things. This should be useful for those looking for nursery and pre-school places for 2 to 4 year olds in particular. We’ll take each age group in turn:

Free childcare funding for 2 year olds

You may be eligible for up to 15 hours of free childcare funding for 2 year olds if you live in England and …

  • are receiving Income Support;
  • receive the guaranteed element of Pension Credit;
  • are receiving Income-based Job Seekers Allowance;
  • receive Income-related Employment & Support Allowance;
  • are receiving Universal Credit and your annual household income is no more than £15,400 after tax, excluding benefits;
  • receive Tax Credits and your annual household income is no more than £16,190 before tax;
  • are receiving the Working Tax Credit “4 week run-on” (payments you receive when your eligibility for Working Tax Credit ceases).

You may also be eligible if your 2 year old:

  • is subject to an Education, Health & Care plan;
  • has a statement of special educational needs;
  • is no longer in care following a special guardianship order, an adoption order or a child arrangements order;
  • receives a Disability Living Allowance;
  • is cared for by a local authority.

Separate rules apply for those who are non-EEA citizens who also cannot claim benefits.

15 hours free childcare for 3 & 4 year olds

For English nationals, 3 and 4 year old children are entitled to 15 hours of free childcare per week, for 38 weeks per year. That equates to 570 hours per year but it can only be used in conjunction with an approved childcare provider like Little Cedars Day Nursery in Streatham. 3 and 4 year olds are eligible for this until they start school in reception year, or reach compulsory schooling age if that’s later. Eligibility does not depend on income or the parents’/guardians’ work situation. Parents can start benefiting from the funding from the 1st of January, the 1st of April or the 1st of September after their child’s third birthday. Ask your local nursery, pre-school or council for more details.

30 hours free childcare funding

In addition to the above, 3 and 4 year olds may be eligible for an additional 15 hours of free childcare, taking the total to 30 hours a week, if certain criteria are met …

  • You can apply for the additional 15 hours of free childcare , bringing it to a total of 30 hours, at the same time as claiming Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Childcare Vouchers or Tax-Free Childcare.
  • If you are currently not working, you may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment & Support Allowance.
  • You can apply if you’re starting or re-starting work within the next 31 days.

Earning criteria for working parent/parents/partners:

  • You must be working as a single parent or part of a couple that both work.
  • You must earn more than the weekly equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage or Minimum Wage.
  • Neither of you can be earning a net income of more than £100,000, including any bonuses.

Learn more about eligibility here. If you feel that you do not quite meet these earnings criteria, it may still be worth enquiring as other conditions can sometimes apply. For example, a couple may still be eligible if one earns enough but the other is either a carer, is not well, is on parental leave, annual leave or sick leave. Another example is where a parent is self-employed, having started their business in the 12 months immediately prior to their application.

How to apply for 30 hours funding:

You can apply for the 30 hours funding through the Government website. You will need to go online and set up a childcare account. To do this you will need your National Insurance number (and, if you have a partner, their National Insurance number). If you are self-employed, also have your Unique Taxpayer Reference code (‘UTR’) at the ready. The online process will take about 20 minutes and it could take around 7 days to find out if you are eligible. Let us know if you need help with your application and we’ll be pleased to assist.

Other Government childcare funding schemes

You can also read our separate guide on free childcare funding available through Universal Credit and our Guide to the Tax-Free Childcare Scheme (click the bold links).

Contact Little Cedars Day Nursery & pre-school, Streatham

If you have any difficulties or have any queries regarding childcare funding, please get in touch with us. We can guide you through the process if you need help with your application. Feel free to call us on 0208 677 9675 too, or email us here and we’ll be happy to help!

Little Cedars is a day nursery and pre-school in Streatham, SW16 1TU. We’re very conveniently located for those searching for childcare in or near Streatham, Streatham Park, Tooting Bec, Tooting Common, Furzedown and Balham in the London Borough of Wandsworth.

This is a rough guide only, so always check with us, or your local council. Additional costs such as food, outings and nappies are not funded by the Government, so potentially allow extra.

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