Kerry Church - Pickles and Puddings Childcare

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At Pickles and Puddings, I always want to be open and clear about how funding works and what it covers.

Government funding only covers the educational aspect of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). However, for the Pickles and Puddings who come my way – this is how I’m making it work.

- For children aged 9+ months and 2 years, the government funding is equal to (or even higher than) my private hourly rate. This means it fully covers food and most everyday consumables – great news for families!

- For 3-year-olds, the funding rate is set lower than my private fees. Because of this, it doesn’t cover the cost of consumables, so a small charge is added to make sure I can keep providing everything your little ones need, see below for more detail.

What are consumables?

This simply means all the little extras that support your child’s care, play and learning, such as:

• Healthy snacks and meals
• Baking/cooking ingredients
• Wipes, tissues & sun cream
• Toiletries (like spare nappies, nappy sacks)

 

 On top of this, there are some special activities and trips that aren’t included in fees or funding. Things like Forest School sessions or attraction tickets (for example, Southend Sealife Centre) will need to be covered by parents. 

The food and consumable costs are voluntary and there are ways around it, for example the parents can supply their child's own food, as long as its healthy, nutritious and mindful of any children in the setting with allergies. Please always ask

Food Cost examples:

Breakfast                £1.00
AM Snack                £0.75
Lunch                      £2.50
PM Snack                 £0.75
After School Snack   £1.50

All other consumable costs are 50 pence per funded hour.

 When baking I will notify the parents in advance and ask for a small voluntary donation. 

I hope this helps explain how things work – and as always, if you have any questions, just ask!