Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 You'll only understand this problem if you are experiencing it!! Surely I cannot be the only one who is totally perplexed by the new ruling regarding having to charge parents who are accessing their free entitlement elsewhere the same hourly rate as parents accessing their entitlement with me!? Do I charge all my parents the lower rate and go out of business or the higher rate and exclude those who cannot afford higher fees. The 'bursery' idea seems a bit like launching a liner to cross a pond! Any other solutions out there?
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 Hi Carol-Anne You are interpreting correctly. I am from Kent where a large number of PVI's are being affected by the new delegated conditons. There is a web site that you may be interested in giving advice about lobbying mp's etc. - www.saveournurseries.org (sorry don't know how to do the link). There are also articles on the nursery world web site. My group are in the same situation - it seems the government are not allowing us to run our businesses at any profit - to the extent that we will actually be having to put in our own money in order to maintain our standards and pay our staff a decent wage. Good luck. Sue And sorry Carol-Anne, just realised you are new to the forum. Welcome. You will find lots of useful advice here! Sue
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 Just wanted to welcome you Carol-Anne, I am in a meeting tomorrow as to how we are dealing with this development concerning funding, will be able to comment then, I am also in a private nursery, enjoy the forum.
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 I've not heard of this one yet. In our case (preschooll) the funded places are actually worth slightly more to us than unfunded. We work out the budget based on unfunded so the extra from funded places is a bonus. It works out at 85p per child per session. Al
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 Welcome to the forum Carol-Anne and thank you for your first post, it is a shame it has had to be about such a difficult issue that we are struggling to deal with. At least you know you are not alone now and many members of the forum have shared concerns. I am from kent but have not heard anything since the conditions were delayed due to KCC meetings with DFES and MP's. Have you heard something about revised delgated conditions recently? I also have not as yet received my interim payment, have you? or anyone else yet? Peggy
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 Hi Peggy, Sue from Kent We've not heard any more regarding the delegated conditions yet - we are not giving out the parental declarations forms yet, as the conditions given to parents on those are the ones that are suspended. However, we have received our interim payment - twice the amount we should have! And we've now had a letter asking us to return the overpayment!
bubblejack Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 I was told recently that I should increase the fees of unfunded children to match the funded grant incase the government try to claw it back.I am increasing it gradually.
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 It is in Nursery World magazine this week that the Education Dept stands by what it says on top up - no extra can be charged
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 Top up / charging extra to the funded children is not the same as matching the unfunded fee to what funded children get though. Al
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 In lots of cases many unfunded children are paying a higher rate than the allowance paid per funded child, it is this discrepancy that caused settings to charge the funded children the difference between the lower funded rate and the higher non-funded rate. What I would like to know is 1/ how has the DFES ( or whoever decides the rate) calculated their figures to come up with the current allocation of funding per child as being a sustainable amount compared to the true cost, and moreso how much of what DFES gives to each local authority per child actually reaches the settings? As we are all aware different local authorities pay different rates, how are their figures worked out? 2/What I would like to see is that each setting is given a realistic amount calculated for the total number of children the setting is registered for. The amount should be calculated by using analysis of market forces figues such as average business Tax rates, rent rates, etc for each area of the country. ( I know there is a term for this but can't think what it is at the moment - ie; the London weighting system because costs are higher in the capital)). This would save an extortionate amount of money that is being spent on administration of the grant. It would be a fair system for all settings because the number of children we are registered for is based on environmental space requirements that are the same across the country. It would certainly fit in with the governments supposed ethos that education is inclusive of care and should not be seperated and it would fit in with the propsed early years foundation Stage being from age 0-5 yrs. In other words to fund for care and education at a rate that is sustainable for all settings and is equal to all settings. What this will mean however, is a government funded 'state' early years provision. If settings want to or feel that they need to charge parents extra then they should justify what this extra charge is being spent on and how this would further benefit the children over and above the 'state' funded only providers, and parents should be able to make their own choices as to which setting to send their child to. In a sense a choice of fully state funded and part state funded settings. I doubt this will happen though and as Nursery World states, the private / Independent sector is being squeezed out of the market with possible detriment and threat to the choices and access to provision that parents and children require. Peggy
Guest Posted August 31, 2006 Posted August 31, 2006 I've been on hols so have missed this news. but if I've understood it correctly if I have to start charging my unfunded children the same as the funded children my parents wouldn't be able to afford it as I charge £6.50 a session and get £8.05 from funding . May be its the mountain air hasn't cleared out of my brain yet so I will leave it another day before I try and get to grips with the whole idea.
Guest Posted September 2, 2006 Posted September 2, 2006 I got a letter from KCC re: Code of practice. They are now not going to pay grant for Staff development days We were told we could claim this so I have closed my preschool for the 4th & 5th September, for S.Devel. I wouldn't normally do this because I normally open for 'whole' weeks, it is so much easier for calculating fees. Anyway, I decided to close these days even though I lose fees from non funded children so that I could pay my staff for development days from the grant, normally comes out of my profit ( ie: my wages). Now I've lost revenue and I cannot get the grant either. I can't contact parents at this late stage and say "Oh by the way, I open on monday" I phoned the KCC grant office, answer machine ( I wonder why ) and they haven't returned my call yet. :rolleyes: :wacko: Rant over. Peggy
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