🔹 Increase in the National Minimum Wage – The government has announced a rise in the minimum wage, meaning we must adjust staff salaries to remain compliant and retain our talented team.

🔹 Changes to National Insurance Contributions – Employer National Insurance contributions are increasing, adding to overall payroll cost 

🔹 Rising Costs from Service Providers – Essential services such as electricity, heating, water, food supplies, and cleaning materials are all increasing in price.

🔹 Higher Costs for Basic Nursery Supplies: The cost everyday essentials have also risen.

🔹 Investment in Staff and Facilities – To maintain the highest level of care and education, we continue to invest in staff training, updated learning materials, and the overall well-being of the children in our care.

What This Means for Our Nursery Fees

To ensure we can continue providing the best care, learning experiences, and resources for your children, our fees will increase by 10% from April 2025.

We understand that any financial adjustments can be challenging, and we deeply appreciate your continued support and trust in Wonder House. This fee adjustment is necessary to maintain the quality of care and education we are committed to providing.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to speak with us. We are always happy to discuss any queries you may have.

Thank you for being a valued part of our Wonder House family.

Wonder House Early Learning Centre

Term dates 39-week term date Calendar April 2025 to July 2026

We use Isle of Wight Term dates as a guide and the funding only covers 38 weeks of the year. Therefore if you are termtime only you will need to pay privately for the last week of term at Christmas or let the management team know your child will not be attending for that final week.

 We are closed for all bank holiday dates, and these are not included in our term dates. 

FUNDING 

Childcare Choices – April 2025 to August 2026

📌 Website: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

The Best Start In Life website will guide you through available funding options to help you decide on the schemes that best suit your family. This includes Working Families Entitlement Funding and Tax-Free Childcare.

Tax-Free Childcare Accounts

Working parents of children aged under 12 can use Tax-Free Childcare through a childcare service account to pay for registered childcare.

✅ How It Works:

• The Government tops up the money parents pay into their account.

• For every £8 parents deposit, the Government adds £2.

• Parents can receive up to £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 if the child is disabled).

🔹 To check eligibility and apply, visit:. https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/
🔹 Important: Moving from an existing scheme may affect other benefits or childcare support, so please read the full guidance before making any changes.

What’s the Government Plan 

The Government announced 30 hours funding entitlement to be in place for working families by September 2025. Below is a copy of their delivery plan.

The eligibility criteria for Working Parents are available on the Government website. It is parent’s responsibility to check their eligibility through HMRC and they must provide an eligibility code to the setting. This code will then need renewing every 3 months. These codes apply to the term after your child reaches the correct age, the deadline to receive your code for the following term is 31st December, 31st March and 31st August. We encourage all families looking to take up funded spaces to enquire as soon as possible as specific sessions may fill up faster than anticipated. 

Eligibility for Working Families Funding

• Parents must be working and earning at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at National Minimum or Living Wage but less than £100,000 per year per parent.

• If you are a couple, both parents must meet the earnings criteria (unless one is exempt due to disability, caring responsibilities, etc.).

• To apply for funding, visit: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk.

Important: Your Funding Code

• Parents must apply and provide an eligibility code to the nursery before the start of the term.

• Codes must be renewed every 3 months via HMRC.

• Deadlines for code submission: 

• 31st December for January start

• 31st March for April start

• 31st August for September start

We encourage parents to apply as early as possible, as spaces for funded sessions may fill up quickly.

Funding Types & Childcare Support

Universal Funded Childcare

• All parents of 3- and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of funded childcare per week from the term after their child’s 3rd birthday until they start school.

• Some families may qualify for up to 30 funded hours per week (working families only).

Supported Two-Year-Old Funding

• Families on certain benefits (e.g., Universal Credit, Income Support) or children with Disability Living Allowance or an Education, Health & Care (EHC) plan may be eligible for 15 hours of funded childcare.

• Check eligibility at: www.childcarechoices.gov.uk or via the Isle of Wight Council website.

Working Families Funding (Stretched Offer)

• From September 2025, working families with children aged 9 months+ can claim 15 hours per week (term time only), increasing to 30 hours per week.

• If your child attends all year round, we will claim the maximum available funding and spread it over more weeks, helping to cover school holidays.

• This is known as the stretched funding offer – fewer funded hours per week but spread across the full year.

Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP)

• The Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) provides additional funding for families in receipt of certain benefits.

• This funding is used to enhance teaching, learning resources, and facilities to support your child’s progress.

How to Apply for Funded Childcare

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility & Apply

• Apply for Working Families Funding at: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

• You will need:
  ✅ Your National Insurance number (or Unique Taxpayer Reference if self-employed).
  ✅ Your partner’s details (if applicable).

Step 2: Receive & Submit Your Code

• If successful, HMRC will provide a code.

• Send this code to Wonder House for verification via the local authority portal.

📌 Reminder: If you claim Tax-Free Childcare, HMRC may send your code automatically for the following term.

Important Funding Reminders

✔ Universal 15 Hours Funding (for all 3- and 4-year-olds) does NOT require an application.
✔ Working Families Funding codes must be renewed every 3 months.
✔ Failure to renew on time may result in losing funding for a term.
✔ Stretched Funding Option – If your child attends all year round, we claim the maximum funding available and distribute it across the year to help cover school holidays.

🔹 For full details, visit: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

Notes: We aim to provide flexible and affordable options to support families while maintaining the highest standard of care and education

Government funding helps to reduce childcare fees, but it does not cover:

• Essentials and extras that make Wonder House a high-quality learning environment.

• Additional services beyond the funded hours.

Service Charges & Business Model Explanation

At Wonder House Early Learning Centre, we go above and beyond to provide a rich, high-quality learning environment for every child. Our unique approach includes extra enriching activities, high staff-to-child ratios, and exceptional care, ensuring that every child receives the best possible start in life.

However, government-funded childcare covers only the basic hours of care and does not contribute to the many additional activities and resources that make Wonder House special.

However, without these service charges, we would not be able to sustain our full program of enriching activities or maintain the high standard of care and staff ratios that set us apart.

Our business model, staff contracts, and learning environment are built around these activities, meaning that we are unable to offer funding-only places without additional contributions. Due to high demand and a waiting list, we have very limited availability for fully funded sessions, which may only be possible during specific times such as Wednesdays 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM and Fridays 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM.

What the Consumables Charge Covers and cost 

Essential Extras for Quality Care

Instead of separate charges for different activities which would result in a higher overall cost for the parent, we have combined everything into a single, simplified charge.

✅ Forest School – Outdoor adventures, nature-based learning, and hands-on exploration.
✅ Yoga Sessions – Supporting mindfulness, well-being, and body awareness.
✅ French Music & Language – Engaging children in new rhythms, words, and cultural experiences.
✅ Seasonal Gardening – Encouraging responsibility and patience through planting and harvesting.
✅ Little Bake-Offs – Hands-on baking sessions, enhancing creativity, teamwork, and motor skills.

✅ Daily Oral Health Initiative – Daily big brush club, Free dental check-ups, treatments and early oral hygiene education.
✅ Little Explorers Adventures! – Exciting visits to local parks, forests, beaches, train stations, and more! The safety involved and the extra person per ratio.  Provide all safety equipment for children to attend outings.

✅Variety of Healthy Snacks 

✅Parent Communication App

✅Toiletries 

✅Events

✅Celebration Graduation, Big Family Party, Special celebration days, Christmas party … and more 

✅Nappy bags 

✅Sun Cream Protection 

✅Big Art Classes

✅ Staff training includes a yearly subscription to the Isle of Wight Learning Portal, along with additional charges for certain essential and mandatory trainings. For example, First Aid training costs £90 per person and requires two full days (16 hours) of face-to-face training and Food Hygiene training.

✅ Our in-house monthly staff meetings ensure that both children and staff are well-supported and cared for. These meetings provide an opportunity for team members to exchange ideas, share updates, and continuously improve our approach to childcare and education.

✅Other training providers Alliance 

✅Funding Documentation 

Managing funding documentation, admin processes, collection of information, and maintaining accurate records requires a significant amount of management time.

The essential extra charges are necessary for the full range of activities.

 All of you are aware of the local children’s activities and sessions, and I’m sure you can appreciate the value of the enriching experiences we provide. We want to emphasise that we are fully committed to maintaining the highest standards of safety and professionalism. Every member of our team is DBS-checked and undergoes essential training, including First Aid and Safeguarding and many more in-house, online and face to face trainings.  

Fixed Monthly Fee New Essentials Charge (From April 2025) To ensure that all children continue to receive the highest quality care and learning experiences, we have introduced a fixed monthly charge for additional services. This replaces the previous weekly charges and makes budgeting easier for families. These contributions cover a range of essential activities, including Forest School, yoga, baking, trips, consumables, and staff training.

Now, instead of charging weekly, we set a fixed monthly charge that remains the same throughout the year.

• Term-Time 15 Hours: £50 per month
• Term-Time 30 Hours: £100 per month
• All-Year 11 Hours: £50 per month
• All-Year 22 Hours: £95 per month

 Funding-Only Places (Limited Availability) We completely understand that not all families may wish to contribute. Parents who choose not to pay the consumables charge will still be entitled to their funded hours. 

• Available only during specific hours (e.g., Wednesdays 3:30–6 PM, Fridays 1–5 PM)
• No access to extras (e.g., Forest School, yoga, baking, trips)
• Parents will need to provide some the mentioned items listed from above
•  Fully funded spaces are extremely limited and will only be available at specific times (e.g., Wednesdays 3:30 – 6 PM, Fridays 1 – 5 PM).

Registration, Fees & Payment Information

Registration Fee

A registration fee of £0 

Deposits

Once a place is confirmed, we will request a deposit equivalent to one month’s fees

✅ How Deposits Work:

• The deposit will be credited towards your first month’s fees.
• All deposits are non-refundable if you decide not to take up your place.
• Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and are only secure once the deposit is received. Parents will be notified one month before their start date and an invoice will be issued.

Invoices

• Invoices are sent via email Blossom 
• You will receive an invoice at the beginning of each month.
• Payments are due on or before the 5th of each month.

If you do not receive your invoice or need to update your email details, please contact the management team.

Payment Methods

Bank Transfer- If you are paying by bank transfer, please use your child’s full name as a reference.

Tax-Free Childcare

If you are using Tax-Free Childcare, please email your reference code to our team.

For more details on Tax-Free Childcare, visit: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/

To set up your Tax-Free Childcare account, you will need our Ofsted Number, which can be provided upon request.

Bank Holidays & Christmas Closure

• Bank holidays the nursery is closed and there is no charge for parents 

Christmas Closure:

• We do not charge for the week/s between Christmas / New Year.

Session Swaps & Additional Days

Swapping Days

• We are unable to swap holiday or sick days, as the nursery operates at full capacity most of the time.

Extra Days

• Extra nursery days can be booked via blossom or by contacting the Nursery Manager.

Notice Period

Private Hours and charges – A written notice period of one month is required if you wish to withdraw your child or reduce their sessions. 

Funding -term-time notice period for any changes to funded hours.

 Important Notice:

• Once a funding application is submitted to the platform, we will not be able to make changes until the next funding term.
• Parents must inform us in advance if they wish to make adjustments to their funded sessions.
• Any changes after submission will not be possible until the start of the next term.

We appreciate your understanding as this ensures efficient processing and prevents delays or issues with funding allocations.

Important Notice

We understand that many families are facing financial difficulties, and if we had a choice, we would not be implementing these charges. 

From April 2025, costs are rising across the country, but funding rates are not increasing in the same way. Many local authorities have considered these rising costs and adjusted funding accordingly, often bridging the gap by at least 50 pence per hour which is not good enough still 

Unfortunately, our local authority has made the decision not to bridge the gap, leaving a significant shortfall between the actual cost of providing high-quality early years education and the governments embarrassing funding we receive (£5.50 for 3-year-olds, they reduced to £7.80 for 2-year-olds).

Despite this challenge, we remain committed to delivering the best possible care and education for your children. Thank you for your understanding and support.

We kindly ask for respectful communication regarding this matter. 

Thank you for your understanding and support. 💙