Funded Places For 2 Year Olds

[Guest]

Hello All

 

I work in a Primary School and am based in the Nursery.

 

Our Head Teacher is very keen that we start taking 2 year olds.

 

I am unsure how this works. Do any of you good people already do this? Please can you fill me in on what it entails. Do parents apply for vouchers? How? From whom? How many 2 year olds do you take? How long do the sessions run for? How many days do children attend???

 

Please assume that my knowledge base is very limited, so any information would be wonderful.

 

Also, are there any web sites I should consult????

 

Thank you.

[SueJ]

Hi Moorgate

 

My setting has had a couple of funded two year olds under the Twos Too funding initiative. In my area the funded two year old's are meant to be identified either by health professionals e.g., health visitors or by the children's centers. This doesn't always happen thought. Under the current initiative for a two year old child to be funded they need to meet certain national and local criteria e.g,

 

In order to access funding for 2 year olds a child is determined to be disadvantaged as follows:

At National level

Parents in receipt of one or more of the following:

• Child tax credit at the higher rate

• Extra working tax credit relating to disability

• On Income Support

If one or more of the above criteria are met then the child must also satisfy one or more of the local level criteria which in my area are:

 

The child is Black or Ethnic minority

The child is receiving SALT

The child has Emotional or Behavioural difficulties

The child has Developmental Delay

The child has a Disability

The child is in a family who are in temporary accommodation

The child is in a family where there is domestic violence

The child is in a family where there is substance abuse

The child is in a family where 3 or more children are under 5

 

A further local level condition is that 2 year old children in receipt of EEF must also access a Children’s Centre for support.

 

I don't know at present how this will change when the initiative changes to include more two year old children from disadvantaged areas.

 

Currently the funded two year olds are able to access a maximum of 10 hours funded childcare and education per week for a 38 week year (as with the funded 3 and 4 year olds this is a 38 week year that children attend and does not include INSET days). In other respects the funding works in a similar fashion to that for the 3 and 4 year olds in that the funding is paid directly to providers. The rate is slightly higher than that for 3 and 4 year olds though reflecting the different staffing ratios required e.g., 1 adult to every 4 two year olds. This may only be a local thing too but each week the Two's Too administrator called to check each child's attendance every week.

 

Hope that helps a bit.

[finleysmaid]

i have two funded two year olds for next term ...our criteria also includes those children who have a sibling with a complex additional need(and we dont have to send in attendance figures) apart from ratios i think the keycarer system is much more important for these little ones and you need to check on systems in place for toiletting and using small items (as some may not have grown out of putting things in their mouths). I am pre-school though not school. A local setting who mixes age groups put a high viz vest on little ones when they are in the outside area with the nursery children.

Edited December 12, 2011 by finleysmaid

[Guest]

Hi,

Ive been taking 2 year olds since this funding was used as a pilot in our area,remember ratios are higher and have more work load as need watching they are very quick to get into everything and everything! All of the funded 2s I have also have a CAF or Child Protection order on so extra paperwork and meetings each month ....goodluck

[lynned55]

Our LA just stipulates that the child (parents) must be in receipt of income support.

It is for a maximum of 10 hours per week and they must be referred by a HV. So different LA's have differing criteria

 

However as Carebear has stated ratios for 2 year olds are much higher (1:4) is your head aware of this? I would be interested to see how or if a maintained nursery could manage this.

[Inge]

do wonder what the ratios would be.. don't school nursery's have different criteria to the PVI sector.. would this also be the same for the under 3s.. how would this affect the care they need and receive..

[Rea]

There are criteria to meet here in Birmingham too for funded places.

I cant remember all of them but the child has to have one of... A referal by HV, an additional need, be in a disadvantaged area, have teenage parents and there were others.

The setting has to have an outstanding Ofsted, a QTS or EYPS and all that only after the council nurseries have been unable to offer a place.

[Guest]

Thank you sooooooooo much everyone.

 

I think I need to start by making enquiries with the local authority.

 

Does anyone know which department I should approach??

 

 

Thanks

[Guest]

I've taken 2 year olds since the pilot scheme but we were already taking unfunded 2 year old and we keep to max 3 per session (we have 20 children per session). Children are referred by their health visitor after filling out an application form but are not guaranteed to receive the funding so I sometimes have children start with very short notice. Our entitlement is 15 hours per week but none of our funded children have taken their full amount so I can spread it over a whole year rather than 38 weeks. The funded rate for them is significantly higher than the NEF and so is financially, for me at least, worthwhile and for the children and the families involved it offers a real lifeline. Yes it means extra paperwork but nothing that can't be taken in an early years practitoners stride.

[catma]

I think it is always through referral at the moment but as the govt rolls out the wider entitlement then it might not be in the future.

However I would think you would need to be Ofsted registered to be taking under 3's, even if you are a school?

 

The ratios would be very different and you would need to have staff who were trained/qualified in working with under 3's, as well as suitable premises etc etc.

 

Is this just a case of a HT seeing something and thinking"I want one of those" without any real knowledge????

 

Cx

[finleysmaid]

our neighbouring authority take all 2 year olds into the sure start centres (area of deprivation). If you have a level 3 practitioner then i would think they should be covered to teach under 3's as nost NVQ's cover birth to 8.

I guess all authorities different maybe need to check your local rules!

[Guest]

Thank you sooooooooo much everyone.

 

I think I need to start by making enquiries with the local authority.

 

Does anyone know which department I should approach??

 

 

Thanks

 

In somerset we have a dedicated 2 year funding team at county hall