Fees and Funding

Fees correct as of September 2023 for all children

Administration Fee - £40.00
Morning Session - 09:00 - 13:00 (4 hours) - £28.00*
Afternoon Session - 13:00 - 15:00 (2 hours) - £14.00*

*Unless using Early Years Funded Entitlment.

Hourly Rate for any unfunded additional hours - £7.00

Terms and Conditions for Payment of Fees

Fees will be invoiced monthly in arrears. Payment is due within 7 days from receipt of invoice, or the invoice date if later, unless an alternative arrangement is agreed with the Administrator. If you are experiencing difficulty with payments please speak to the Manager or Administrator.

Payment can preferably be made directly in to our bank account.

Bank Name: HSBC

Account Number: 32460335

Sort Code: 40-18-22

Parents are requested to use their child’s name as reference for any payments made in this way.

Preschool can accept a variety of Childcare Voucher schemes. Please speak with the Administrator should you be interested in this form of payment, who will provide you with the details necessary to claim these.

Children will be billed for their agreed hours irrespective of attendence and refunds will not be available for short term sickness or holidays. In exceptonal circustances, the Manager, in conjunction with the Committee reserves the right to review this on a case by case basis.

Horsted Keynes Preschool reserves the right to review and update our fees and funding policy at any time. We currently do this annually, with any changes being applied in the September term. Should we need to change the policy at any other point in the year, we will give half a terms notice, at a minimum.

Early Years Funded Entitlement (15 hours) and Extended Funding (30 hours) can be used for any sessions.

Donations

As a charity, we use fundraising to supplement our income and support the day-to-day operation. The committee try to hold a number of events throughout the year to give people the opportunity to support preschool financially. We also ask parents/carers to try and make a regular donation once your child is attending using Funded Entitlement. A suggested amount is £2.00 for every hour your child attends, but any and all donations are gratefully received.

Additional Events – Christmas Concert & Sports Day

These events are an opportunity for the children to enjoy participating in a performance and for parents to share in their success.

All children registered with Horsted Keynes Preschool will be invited to attend on the day of the performance or sports day event, or other event, staff numbers permitting so legal ratios can be maintained. The usual session fee will be charged for everyone attending unless funding has been claimed for that day.

Parties

Horsted Keynes Preschool holds an end of year party in July and a Christmas party in December. All children registered will be invited to attend on the day of the party, staff numbers permitting so legal ratios can be maintained. The usual session fee will be charged for everyone attending unless funding has been claimed for that day. The Preschool will cover the costs of any entertainment, food and presents which are applicable for parties held within normal session times. Parents are encouraged to help with these costs through the various fundraising events organised by the committee throughout the year.

Late Collection of Children

We reserve the right to make an additional charge for children who are not collected promptly and on time at the end of their session. Charges of £1 for every minute overdue, after a five-minute grace period, will be applied for failure to collect on time. Parents/carers collecting a child late will need to sign the "Late collection book". Late collection fees will be applied to the following terms invoice, clearly marked as such, or can be paid in cash at the time of late collection.

Failed Payment Costs

We reserve the right to recover costs associated with failed payments provided by parents, including any banking charges incurred.

If parents/carers have any difficulty at all paying fees, it is essential that they tell us straight away. We are always happy to discuss the possibility of alternative arrangements with parents in genuine financial difficulties. We will follow the steps below.

7 days after the monthly invoice's due date parents/carers will receive an informal email reminder that fees are outstanding.
If, after a further 7 days, fees have still not been paid, they will receive a formal written reminder and an additional charge of 10% of the outstanding amount will be added to the bill.
Should fees continue to be unpaid after 21 days from the monthly invoice's due date, we, regrettably, reserve the rights to ultimately refuse admission of the child, unless alternative arrangements and a plan has been agreed with the administrator.
If fees are paid following a formal written reminder, the Preschool reserves the right to request a deposit of £100 to be held as security against future late or non-payment. Any deposit remaining will be refunded on the child leaving the Preschool, any sums due to the Preschool (e.g. outstanding fees) having first been deducted. The Preschool will be entitled to any interest earned on the deposit.

Changing hours policy

Each term your child attends Preschool you will be offered a choice of hours. Once you have chosen them these will be your agreed hours. As confirmation of agreed hours parents/carers will be required to sign our terms and conditions. Changes to these hours can be made at the end of a term for the following term.

Changes made during term

Once the claim for Early Years Funded Entitlement for the term has been submitted, any additional hours added after that date will have to be paid at the hourly rate.

Extra sessions

If you need to book occasional extra sessions for additional childcare needs such as appointments or emergencies, this may be possible according to our availability and at the discretion of the Manager. Some sessions may have spaces in them, so please speak to the administrator as soon as possible. Extra sessions will be charged at our normal hourly rates (please refer to our Financial policy).

Leaving

If your child is leaving Horsted Keynes Preschool, a minimum of 4 weeks notice must be given to the administrator. If a child leaves without 4 weeks notice, fees will be payable for the next 4 weeks. For Government funded children transferring to another setting, funding can be transferred once the 4 weeks notice has been acconted for.

Terms and conditions

Once you have agreed to our terms and conditions you are liable for the full amount. Should sessions need to be changed this must be done in accordance with the Preschool Financial policy.

Fee Refunds

Fees are not refunded if a child is absent whether due to illness, holiday or other reasons.

Should you foresee any difficulties meeting your financial obligations to pay for your child’s attendance at Preschool, we kindly request that you speak in strictest confiden to the Administrator or Treasurer at the earliest available opportunity, in order that the situation be resolved.