students Archives - Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery

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Baby Banks, Birmingham, Childcare, Childcare Funding, Edgbaston, Free Childcare, Free Childcare through Universal Credit, Funding for 2 year olds, Funding for 3 & 4 year olds, Nurseries, Nursery, Parenting, Pre-school, Pre-schools, Preschool, Saving Money, Tax-Free Childcare

Amazing Money-Saving Deals for Families

There’s no doubt that things are getting tough for families right now. However today, in our antidote to inflation, tax increases and the recent cost-of-living crisis, we bring families news of some absolutely brilliant deals, offers and ways that families can save money. What we’re talking about today may improve quality of life a little — even with something as simple as being able to afford a meal out with the kids. We were astounded by some of these discoveries, so we hope they are good news for you too.

Families: this is for you!

A few examples will help to introduce the type of money-saving offers and deals that we’ve unearthed for you in today’s post:

Did You Know?

You can eat out for just £1 per meal if you know where to go!
You can eat at home all week for just £1 per meal if you know the right recipe and supplier!
One famous food retailer offers interest-free shopping loans for struggling families!
There are lots of different Government schemes that give eligible families free childcare!

It’s amazing what’s available if you know where to look, and that’s exactly what we tell you today. We hope you find it useful.

Feeling the Pinch? Check Out The Great Deals & Offers We’ve Discovered!

Kids Under 16? Treat them to a Café Meal for just £1 Each — or Even Less!

Many of the large supermarkets are doing their bit to help struggling families, and Asda is one such example that caught our eye. They launched a £1 café offer called Kids Eat for £1 during the summer holidays and this has now been extended to the end of 2022. This seemed like a bargain to us. A list of participating ASDA cafés can be found here.

Morrison’s have a comparable deal where children under 16 can eat totally free of charge at a Morrison’s in-store café when the accompanying adult is having an adult meal costing £4.99 or more. Learn more about kids eating free at Morrison’s Cafés here. By the way, the same page also describes how Morrison’s have reduced the pricing of over half their hot food menu in their in-store cafés. It all helps!

Grandparents - Over 60s Can Eat & Drink Out for Just £1

Asda have also launched a Winter Warmers campaign aimed to help their older customers who visit their in-store cafés. Those 60 and above can enjoy soup and a roll plus unlimited cuppas for just £1 during November and December 2022. That’s a great opportunity for grandparents who are looking after little ones, although applies with or without children accompanying! Learn more about the Winter Warmers campaign for over-60s here.

Cheap But Tasty Meals at Home

Some of the supermarkets are making it easier for families to eat inexpensively at home. Sainsbury’s, for example, are currently publicising a range of recipes that will feed a family of four for no more than a fiver — that’s just £1.25 per meal. They list step-by-step instructions, list ingredients and even make it dead simple to add them to your online shopping cart. Check out some of their affordable meal suggestions here.

The BBC Food website also has a large selection of budget recipes for you to try. It’s a fantastic resource and they have gone to considerable effort to suit all tastes, including meat, vegetarian and vegan dishes. There are lots of recipes to make for just £1 per portion and ways to plan a week’s worth of meals for just £1 each. The page also gives advice on thrifty store cupboard ingredients, using air fryers and slow cookers, and how to make food products last longer. Check out their website for some genuinely good ideas and inspiration for inexpensive eating at home.

Hot Deals on Frozen Food — Including an Interest-Free Loan!

It’s common knowledge that frozen food can work out cheaper and the retail chain Iceland are at the forefront of that niche in the UK. They are also very attuned to struggling families at the moment and so are offering several great ways to save money and make family food more affordable. For example, they have launched a major initiative called ‘Doing it Right’ and this includes a whole raft of beneficial offerings for struggling families. Many products can purchased for £1 in a ‘price freeze’, for example. It also includes discounts of over 60s on Tuesdays, money-saving 7-Day Deals, an exclusive Bonus Card scheme to save money on your favourite products and much more. A synopsis of all the main offers is available here.

A notable and innovative service was also introduced by Iceland in August 2022 to help families struggling to afford food (often those who relied on food banks and even loan shark loans). ‘The Iceland Food Club’ allows families to spread the cost of food through micro-loans between £25 and £100, using a pre-loaded card that allows them to spend the interest-free loan at Iceland food stores. Repayment is made at £10 per week and, as we say, the loan is interest-free. Well done Iceland! Learn more about the scheme here.

^{N.B. this information is given in good faith and does not constitute financial advice. Readers will need to do their own research.}

Accumulate £££s to Redeem Against Your Shopping Bill

By the way, Asda also offers a “Rewards” scheme where you accumulate pounds (not points!) when you shop there. When accumulated, these can be redeemed against your shopping, thereby reducing your bill in a really tangible way. We know people who use this scheme and it seems to be a decent one so far as we can tell. Check out the Asda Rewards scheme here.

Save Money on Energy Costs

Octopus Energy has doubled its OctoAssist Fund, for customers struggling with their bills. They are offering help via direct financial support, standing charge waivers and energy saving support. Check out if you are eligible for any help and read their saver suggestions here.

Meanwhile, Utilita have teamed up with Iceland to help you Shop Smart and Cook Savvy, explaining ways to save you money. This includes advice on ways to reduce your energy bill through use, for example, of air fryers and energy-saving measures. (Click the bold links for more information). Via their app “My Utilita” you can also take control of your energy use, use pay-as-you-go and apply for emergency credit. Learn more here.

Baby Banks — Free Stuff for Families

Don’t forget to check out our Baby Banks post from May 2022 too (see the link below). There, we explained how struggling parents can get a huge variety of free things for their babies and children. Everything from baby food and nappies to high chairs and buggies is available, totally free of charge. Indeed, Baby Banks are a complete godsend for many struggling families. They’re also somewhere you can donate your pre-loved items that you’ve finished with, to help another family. Learn more about Baby Banks, including some near Edgbaston and Birmingham, here.

Childcare Funding Help

Childcare funding is an option we can help with directly at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. Subject to eligibility, we support all the key Government schemes for free childcare funding including free childcare for 2-year-olds, free childcare funding for 3 & 4-year-olds, student childcare grants, tax-free childcare, childcare vouchers & more. Feel free to ask our staff for advice on any of these and we’ll be happy to help. If you are outside our area (Edgbaston, Birmingham), the bold links to free childcare funding articles may still be useful to give you an overview of the schemes, so please feel free to click through, bookmark and share.

A Funded Childcare Place for Your Child at Leaps & Bounds Nursery, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Please get in touch with us if you are eligible for any of the free childcare funding options and require a nursery or pre-school place for your child at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. We are a high quality nursery and pre-school in Edgbaston, Birmingham, near Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood and Smethwick. Please choose one of the options below to register for a nursery place, book a guided tour or ask a question. We look forward to hearing from you.

^{IMPORTANT: The above seemed amazing to us, but please ensure you check the websites and suppliers direct, as some things are time-limited and/or may be subject to change. Also, we have no affiliation with, or control over, the 3rd party offerings mentioned. As such, we cannot guarantee the details but, to the best of our knowledge, we believe they were correct at time of writing (Nov 2022).}

20 November 2022/by Mark

Perhaps you have heard of Tax-Free Childcare or you may have recently read news headlines about families missing out on £2,000 in free childcare each year. The two are linked and, indeed, over a million families do miss out each year, despite being eligible for this free childcare funding. So, what exactly is Tax-Free Childcare, are you eligible to receive it and, if so, how do you go about claiming it? Today, we answer all such questions in our “Quick Guide to Tax-Free Childcare”. Take a look and you may find that your family is eligible to claim as much as £2,000 towards childcare costs each year — even more if your child is disabled.

What Exactly is Tax-Free Childcare?

Put simply, Tax-Free Childcare is a scheme that results in the Government paying as much as 20% towards your childcare costs (or as much as 40% if the child is disabled).

Example

Let’s say that your childcare fees this quarter are £2,500. Under the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, you would only pay £2,000 and the Government would chip in £500 to make up the difference. (For those with a disabled child, the family would pay just £1,500 and the Government £1,000). It’s virtually as simple as that for those who are eligible and who have correctly set up what’s known as a Childcare Account with the Government (more about that later).

Are You Eligible for Tax-Free Childcare?

In order to be eligible to claim under the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, a few rules apply …

You must be a working UK family (whether employed or self-employed).
You (as the parent) and your partner, if you have one, must be at least 16 years of age.
The child for whom you are claiming must be no older than 11, or no older than 16 if they’re disabled.
You must not be in receipt of Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit, a childcare bursary or grant, nor be using Childcare Vouchers.
You and your partner, if you have one, each expect to earn at least £152 per week on average over the next 3 months (the equivalent of working 16 hours a week on the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW), which are both £9.50 per hour for the year starting 1st April 2022).
Neither you nor your partner, if you have one, are expected to individually earn £100k or more.
The child for whom you are making the claim must usually be living with you.
Adopted children are eligible too (however, fostered children are not).

There are a few potential exceptions to the above rules. You may still be eligible to claim Tax-Free Childcare if, for example, you or your partner:

are on maternity, paternity or adoption leave (but are not claiming Tax-Free Childcare funding for the child you are on leave for);
are disabled and not therefore able to work;
are officially responsible for caring for another individual.

Without getting into too much detail in this quick guide, there are a few additional exceptions and rules around eligibility for a small number of specific scenarios. For example, perhaps you are not working, so might not otherwise have been eligible, but expect to begin working within the next 31 days. In that case, you may still be eligible to apply. Your immigration/citizenship status may also affect eligibility.

How Much Does the Government Pay?

The Government contributes up to £2k in Tax-Free Childcare per eligible child per year, or up to £4k per year per child if they are disabled. That equates to a Government contribution of £500 or £1000 maximum per quarter respectively.

You don’t directly receive the Government’s contribution yourself; it is paid direct to the childcare provider, who must be registered with the scheme. Providers must also be registered with the Early Years Register, Ofsted or with the Childcare Register in order to be eligible. So long as they are registered as above, they can be nurseries, pre-schools, childminders, nannies, breakfast clubs, after school clubs or even play schemes and summer camps. Leaps and Bounds Day Nursery is registered with Ofsted and with the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, so is an eligible childcare provider under the scheme.

How Do You Claim Tax-Free Childcare?

In order to claim the Tax-Free Childcare contributions, you will first need to open a Childcare Account on the Government website. You can begin your Tax-Free Childcare application here and your application need take no longer than about 20 minutes or so to complete, particularly if you have the right information to hand (follow the link for details). You’ll usually find out right away if you’re eligible.

Added Bonus: An added bonus when opening an account is that you can claim for 30 hours of free childcare for 3-4-year-olds, if eligible, at the same time as claiming for your Tax-Free Childcare. That’s a lovely bonus if you happen to have a child of that age and they are eligible for that childcare funding scheme too.

What Happens Once You Have a Childcare Account?

Once you have successfully set up a Childcare Account, you will need to make your own contributions into the account before the Government will make theirs. How much you pay in – and how often – is up to you. However, you will probably want to plan this carefully so that what you pay is affordable whilst also attracting the maximum possible Government contributions.

TIP 1: Others can make payments into the account, not just you. So, for example, the child’s grandparents may want to chip in so that the burden on your finances is reduced.
TIP 2: Making your payments by Bank Transfer may speed up payment of the Government’s contributions, according to some.
TIP 3: If your circumstances change after you’ve paid unused amounts into your Childcare Account, you can withdraw it if its not going to be used/needed for childcare services. It goes without saying, though, that the Government’s corresponding contributions cannot be withdrawn and will be returned to them if you withdraw your element.

How is the Childcare Provider Paid?

Once cleared, the childcare provider will be able to call off their fees, as appropriate, from the account. The funds, however, cannot be used for anything other than childcare costs with the approved provider(s).

You will need to re-affirm your details each quarter in order to confirm that you are still eligible. You will usually receive emailed reminders about the need for this.

Funded Childcare Options at our Edgbaston Nursery near Birmingham

Our Edgbaston nursery & pre-school supports free childcare funding schemes & childcare vouchers.

Our exceptional nursery and pre-school in Edgbaston, Birmingham. supports free childcare places and childcare funding for those who are eligible under the Government schemes. That includes valid/recognised childcare vouchers, free childcare for eligible 2-year-olds, free childcare for 3 & 4-year-olds, student childcare grants and, of course, Tax-Free Childcare. As well as being close to Birmingham, we’re also very near to Harborne, Ladywood, Bearwood and Smethwick, so would be conveniently located if you live or work in those locations.

Register for a nursery place for your child at Leaps & Bounds Nursery, book a guided visit with your little one or ask us any questions and we’ll be happy to help:

^{Information correct at time of writing (October 2022).}

31 October 2022/by Mark

Did you know that there is a free childcare grant available to students who are also parents? This could be a game-changer for you if you are thinking about enrolling in a further education course and have a child. One major consideration will be that you’ll need to arrange childcare for your child while you are learning, so you can give your course your full attention while in attendance. However, childcare costs money, so may be a real concern. Indeed, it could be a deciding factor as to whether the whole studying idea is even viable.

Well, there is good news for undergraduate students who have a child under the age of 15 (17 if they have special educational needs). Under a UK Government scheme, you may be eligible for a grant to cover a big chunk of your childcare costs and, actually, it’s quite generous.

How Much is the Childcare Grant for Students?

Eligible students can get a grant worth up to 85% of their childcare costs during study. Even better — it does not need to be paid back and is in addition to other student finance. One of the stipulations, in fact, is that you must be eligible for student finance in order to be eligible for a student Childcare Grant.

For a parent with one dependent child, this could amount to as much as £179.62 per week or, for two or more children, up to £307.95 per week*. That’s all so long as this is no more than 85% of your childcare costs. If it is, then the lower (85%) amount applies. Either way, though, you’ll have to pay for the remainder of the childcare costs.

* Figures are correct, at time of writing, for the academic year 2021-2022.

Additional Rules Around Eligibility

In addition to the rules already confirmed above, several other factors affect eligibility for the student Childcare Grant:

The childcare provider must be officially registered as such with Ofsted or the General Childcare Register;
They must not be related if the childcare is to take place at home;
The child or children being claimed for must be financially dependent upon you, the applicant;
You must be a permanent UK resident and be studying full-time;
You must receive, or be eligible to receive, undergraduate student finance based on household income.

You are not eligible if:

You or your partner receive childcare funding help from the NHS;
You or your partner claim the childcare part of Working Tax Credit or Universal Credit, or claim Tax-Free Childcare;
You are receiving a Postgraduate Loan.

How to Apply for the Childcare Grant

You should apply for the Childcare Grant for students as part of the process of applying for your main undergraduate student finance. You’ll need to set up a Childcare Grant Payment Service (CCGPS) account too. You will receive instructions on how to do so, along with confirmation of how much you’ll get for the Childcare Grant, once you’ve started the process.

All of the above is usually done online. However, should you want to retrospectively apply for the Childcare Grant having already applied for student finance, you can use a paper form. You can also do this should you wish to make an application for an additional child later on. More details about applying for the Childcare Grant for students is available here.

How the Childcare Grant is Paid

You are not paid directly. Instead, the grant gets paid to the childcare setting you are using for your childcare. They apply to be paid out of the CCGPS account that you set up after applying for the grant. You need to approve the payments by logging into your CCGPS account on a weekly basis once your course has started.

A Great Nursery for Student Parents: Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery, Edgbaston

If you are a student parent or are considering studying somewhere local to Edgbaston or Birmingham, we have your childcare needs covered! Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery is based in Edgbaston, so is within easy reach of the University of Birmingham, Moss House (University College Birmingham), Edgbaston College, South & City College Birmingham, Sparkhill Adult Education Centre, Birmingham Adult Education Service, Saltley Learning Centre, Selly Oak Learning Centre, Joseph Chamberlain Adult Learning Centre, the Midlands Arts Centre and Northfield Education Centre amongst others. We’d be delighted to look after your baby, toddler or under-five child on weekdays when you attend your further education sessions. We’re also a Forest School (great for kids who enjoy the Great Outdoors and nature). Choose a button below to find out more or to arrange a visit:

Apply for a Place Book a Tour Contact Us 0121 246 4922

^{Main photo: Gavin Warrins (Public domain)}

30 October 2021/by Mark