Nursery place funding options

At The Little Shipmates Family, we believe that every child should have the opportunity to be part of an enriching nursery experience. No matter what your situation, we can support you in finding information about – or applying for – financial assistance with childcare costs. Please feel free to contact our knowledgeable team to discuss your options, or ask about anything you may need.

Nursery place funding: what are my options?

At The Little Shipmates Family we understand that raising a family can be a difficult financial burden, and that parents who return to work often struggle to meet the costs of childcare. Drawing on decades of experience, we work closely with a great many organisations to help relieve these financial pressures. We happily accept all kinds of nursery place funding assistance at our childcare centres, including:

Workplace vouchers
Student funding
Tax credits
Early Years Entitlement Funding

Workplace vouchers

We accept all workplace voucher schemes towards our childcare fees. These allow you to take advantage of tax and National Insurance savings on your childcare costs, saving you up to £1200 per year for each working parent.

Student funding

Do you attend university or college? There is a lot of valuable help available through schemes such as Care2Learn, Learning Support Fund (LSF) and Student Finance. These initiatives will help cover the cost of your childcare while you pursue your educational goals.

Tax credits

With many years of experience, we have a full understanding of the tax credit system and can build you a package around your individual needs. The level of assistance varies according to your circumstances, and we can guide you through your options to help achieve the result you require.

Early Years Entitlement Funding

This is a government funding scheme available for all children aged three and four, which provides up to 15 hours of early years education over 38 weeks. Working parents maybe able to claim up to 30hrs funding towards their childcare. This can also be spread over 50 weeks at a reduced rate. This funding is not means-tested and is available to families regardless of their financial background or circumstances, however there are eligibility criteria for the the additional 15hrs.

Two-Year Funding

This scheme is now being widened, and offers an increasing number of children access to quality childcare from the age of two. It varies from area to area and is managed by your local authority, but our team is always on hand to help you find out if you are eligible. This funding scheme leads into the three-year-old funding that is available to all.