Session Times & Prices

Little Deers Day Nursery is open for 50 weeks per year

We close for 2 weeks at Christmas in line with Hampshire school dates and Bank Holidays             

Opening hours from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday

We offer all year round or term-time only options.

Click here to see if you're eligible for Tax Free Childcare to help towards nursery fees: https://www.gov.uk/tax-free-childcare

Please note: During school holidays when Burley Primary School is closed, parents are required to provide a healthy packed lunch. We are a NUT FREE nursery, this includes foods such as Nutella, and Pesto.

Breakfast, Snack and High Tea are included in the cost of each session accordingly, for children not in receipt of Early Years Education Funding or Working Families Entitlement.

Children in receipt of Early Years Education (EYE) Funding or Working Families Entitlement will be charged for the cost of all meals at the following rates:

Breakfast:  £1.36 – Selection of cereals, toast, croissant or toasted bagel, choice of milk or water.

    (This meal is included for ALL children booked in between 8am and 9am)

Snack:  £1.36 – Selection of fruit, vegetable sticks, crackers, breadsticks etc.

    (This is included for ALL children booked in between 9am and 12pm)

High Tea:  £2.04 – As per our High Tea Menu.

    (This is included for ALL children booked in between 3pm and 6pm)

ENHANCED EARLY YEARS PROVISION - QUALITY CHARGE

55p per funded hour offers your little one the following additional learning opportunities:

Outdoor Adventure Education - 

(With Qualified and Experienced Early Years Educators, with Full Paediatric First Aid training):                         

Forest Explorer Walks,

Nature Discovery,

Outdoor Cooking and Picnics,

Den Building,

Gardening,

Pond Explorers.

Community Learning Experiences -

(With Qualified and Experienced Early Years Educators, with Full Paediatric First Aid training):                         

Harvest Festival Visits,

School Nativity Visit,

Christmas Service Visit,

Christmas Tree Festival Entry and Visit,

War Memorial Visit for Remembrance,

Yoga Sessions, with trained Early Years Educators,

Woodwork Skills, with trained and first aid qualified Early Years Educators,

Music and Movement sessions, with trained Early Years Educators,

Cooking and Baking activities,

Easter Egg Hunt with chocolate treat,

Christmas Party with party food, gift and novelties,

School Leavers Party with external visitor, party food, gift and novelties, 

Family Social Involvement events, such as Garden Parties, Mother’s / Father’s Day Breakfast etc.

WORKING FAMILIES ENTITLEMENT – “FREE” CHILDCARE

IS ANYTHING IN LIFE REALLY FREE? WE WOULD URGE YOU TO ASK YOURSELF, IS IT SUSTAINABLE FOR ANY BUSINESS TO OFFER THEIR SERVICES FOR FREE? Yes, we receive funding from the Government to subsidise their offer of ‘free’ childcare, but the rate the Government pays Early Years Providers, does not meet the amount it costs to run our nurseries and pre-schools; it also only covers certain elements of the care and education provided and is not intended to cover the costs of meals and snacks, consumables, additional hours or additional services over and above what is required by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework.

The Government’s guidelines for the Working Families Entitlement funding stipulate that parents must have access to free childcare. Any additional charges, such as our quality charge for funded places must be voluntary. Additionally, we are now required to implement an ‘Opt-Out Policy’, allowing parents the opportunity to provide the resources that additional charges would typically cover themselves.

The Government’s Statutory Guidance for Early Education and Childcare (effective from 1 April 2025)

states:

“A1.32 … Government funding is not intended to cover the costs of meals, other consumables, additional hours or additional services…”

“A1.37 Parents must be able to opt out of paying for chargeable extras and the associated consumable or activity for their child. For activities and extra services, providers should be made aware that participation in any optional extra activity should be on the basis of parental choice and a willingness to meet the charges. In these circumstances, local authorities should ensure that children who do not participate in optional activities continue to receive provision that complies with the EYFS.”

The guidance also states that providers have the option to choose not to deliver free places.

Consequently, many nurseries are choosing to withdraw from providing this funding. However, we believe that opting out of the Working Families Entitlement funding would have a negative impact on numerous families, and we see this as a last resort to ensure our sustainability:

“A2.10 Ensure that providers are aware that they can choose not to deliver free places.”

The Working Families Entitlement funding provides up to 30 hours of childcare per week (for 38 weeks of the year) for eligible families from the term after their little one turns nine months old.

Unfortunately, the new guidelines could have a significant impact on the future of nurseries, especially smaller ones like Little Deers. We have always been open about our policies and are committed to continuing the additional services made possible by our quality charge. However, without this quality charge, we will be left with no option but to revert to delivering only the basic standard of Early Years Education.

In light of these guidelines, we must consider how this could impact the running of the nursery in the long term. We must therefore make parents aware that, depending on the uptake of the voluntary quality charge, to ensure the nursery operates effectively and fairly for the children, we may need to reconsider the way the nursery operates with spilt age groups. We currently operate with Under 3’s (Caterpillars) and Over 3’s (Butterflies), however, we may need to consider mixed age groups in the future. While this approach is already implemented in many nurseries, it will represent a change for Little Deers that parents should be aware of as we move forward.

At the heart of our values is the commitment to offer exceptional learning opportunities and experiences that our quality charge supports. As you contemplate our 'Opt-Out' policy, we kindly ask you to reflect on whether our ethos aligns with what is best for you and your child.

Parents will find an Opt-Out form in their Registration Pack during thier initial visit to the nursery.

We would like to thank you in advance for your support and understanding in this matter.

Should you wish to discuss this or any other matter, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

Additional charges apply for external activity providers such as Mini Athletics and Moo Music.

EARLY YEARS EDUCATION FUNDING

The term before your baby turns 9 months old, you can apply for up to 30 hours funding subject to meeting Government criteria, please click the link below to check if you are eligible and apply:

Best Start in Life Website Link

All children in England are entitled to receive Early Years Education (EYE) Funding from the start of the term after their third birthday, this entitles your child to a maximum of 15 funded hours childcare per week (570 per year).   

Hampshire's Early Years Education Funding for 3 and 4 year olds

As we are open all year round, we are able to stretch your child's funding throughout the year, this means reducing the 15 hours to a maximum of 11 hours a week over more weeks of the year (570 per year).

Hampshire's EYE Funding - Stretched Offer Information

Further help and advice on receiving support towards the cost of childcare including Tax-Free Childcare, Universal Credit, Working Families Entitlement and Support while you study can all be found by clicking on the link below:

Click here for the Best Start in Life Website

Terms Explained

Children born between 1st September and 31st December (Autumn Term) - Funding starts on 1st January

Children born between 1st January and 31st March (Spring Term) - Funding starts on 1st April

Children born between 1st April and 31st August (Summer Term) - Funding starts on 1st September

THE PROBLEM WITH "FREE CHILDCARE"

There has been much in the news over the years about the issues surrounding the government's so-called 'free childcare' offers? But what exactly is the problem, and why are early years providers so unhappy?

Try out the interactive explainer from the Early Years Alliance below for a quick and easy explanation of the situation..

EYA Interactive Explainer Link

CHAMPAGNE NURSERIES LEMONADE FUNDING – HOW ‘FREE’ FUNDED HOURS IMPACT ON A NURSERY

In 2010 the introduction of 15 hours of “Free childcare” was introduced for all parents of 3-4 year olds.  In September 2017, the UK Government extended this offer of “Free Childcare Places’ for children between the ages of  3- and 4-year-olds of working parents in England where children in this age bracket would be eligible for 1140 hours of government-funded childcare per year rather than the 570 hours that were previously offered – the equivalent of 30 hours per week over 38 weeks of the year.  To qualify for this benefit, parents must earn more than £120 per week (equivalent to 16 hours per week at the National Living Wage), and less than £100K per year.

On paper, this sounds like an amazing benefit for parents, however, there is a major flaw in this system – one that hasn’t been thought through properly and one that has been affecting childcare providers throughout the UK since the new scheme came into place. This flaw in the system is that the Government funding only covers the education needs of a child and does not include consumables that are needed to provide that service (paint, paper, books, toilet rolls, pencils, cooking activities etc.).

Nurseries, pre-schools and childminders are a business, even the charitable ones, and like every other business in the UK, whether it is a hair salon, car repair centre, retail outlet or business service, they need to make a 'profit' in order to survive, to keep trading and to re-invest in order to make future improvements and developments.

The ‘free’ funded hours are paid for by the government and the £’s per hour that the Government allocates to each child and each childcare provider is significantly lower than the hourly rate needed to keep a nursery in profit (and in many cases, to even breakeven). 

This puts all childcare providers in a very difficult position, as the lower hourly rate that is paid through Government funding impacts heavily on the sustainability of many nurseries, pre-schools and childminders throughout the UK. Think about it – as a business, a nursery will still have all of the normal running costs from rates, taxes, heating/lighting and equipment through to staff wages (ensuring that the National Living Wage is met), pensions, training, and as a regulated industry, they are also governed on the ratio of employees to children by Ofsted. 

As parents, making sure your little ones are well cared for whilst you are at work is the number one priority. You want to make sure they are being stimulated with appropriate activities and that they are in a safe and nurturing environment, cared for by professional well-qualified staff. 

As an employer, nurseries and pre-schools also have a duty of care to their employees. However, for the childcare profession, under the current Government structure, this has put a lot of financial pressure on all providers which, in turn, affects pay scales across the board which then impacts on those deciding whether to pursue a career in childcare.

In March 2016, a new campaign was launched by Nursery Owners Group following an appearance by a group member on “Good Morning Britain” with the aim to support nursery providers and childcare professionals. Champagne Nurseries On Lemonade Funding (CNLF), is the campaign to bring the impact that funded hours are having on Day Nurseries to the public domain. 

The movement helps to support nurseries and childcare professionals to explain to parents and carers the impact that the ‘FREE funded hours’ is having on this whole industry (and the reasons why, even though their child is receiving funded hours from the Government, their nursery will be charging for consumables such as snacks, toothbrushes, nappies, paints, paper, cooking, forest trips etc.) The group also campaigns to the Government on necessary changes needed to improve the Early Years Childcare here in the UK. 

Want to find out more? Here is a link to a great little video which has been produced by Champagne Nurseries Lemonade Funding that easily explains how the funded hours are impacting on nurseries and the struggles they face. 

YouTube - Champagne Nurseries Campaign