Nursery Childcare Costs....

[nat_84]

Just being nosey and curious to know how much your nursery charges for a FULL DAY.

I live in fairly central London and have to pay �69 for one day!!!

And the goverment wonder why so many people quit thier jobs to live off benefits...

How are families meant to manage?!?!

Luckily i have my mums at hand as she works for my dad locally to where i liev so she'll take my daughter for 2 of the three days i work... but if she wasnt around i wouldnt know what to do - i'd probably have no option BUT to live off benefits which is the last thing i'd want to do!!

[redcrx]

im not sure nat but i was told that you can claim through child tax credits for some of the cost. Someone i know whos hubby has own business said she got loads paid.

I am paying �15 a session (5 hours) for little CRX.

child minders tend to be a bit cheaper than nursery so maybe that would be better?

[Nik315]

I live in the south east and most nurseries around here charge in the region of �50 per day but the cahrges for being late to collect are phenomenal, something like �15 for every five mins

[redcrx]

�1 minute here for being late. Luckily it is 50 yards from house

[nat_84]

Crikey better double check their being late policy too!!

I'll find out about the child tax credits....

If my mum cant handle or manage having Mia twice a week then we;ll have no choice but to use a childminder. BUt i have always preferred the nursery option so Mia is used to being around lots of kids, adults and in that school like environment....

hmmm tricky...

[redcrx]

yeah it is tricky.

But if Mia is ok with your mum and vice versa then sometimes nursery is best left til later on if shes getting all the stimulation she needs at home.

My HV said the only reason itd be good to get little CRX in was because hed start to make friends with children who would eventually be at same school.

[nat_84]

Thanks red, as always my independent advisor, (i feel as though i should be paying you.....!) WIll see how this routine works for now and see whether the one day at nursery is worth it! x

[edukes]

�170 per week in cardiff for a creche, �4 an hour for a child minder (�180 pw)

[redcrx]

Im sure that if your mum feels she can cope then she will do a fine job. My mum loves having the little ones and she gets to do lots with little CRX, walks, trips to park, baking, painting, playing. She has the time to sit and talk to him and he has learnt so much. His language skills are advanced for his age and i think that is down to having adult company.
The preschool hes at now do all those things but its the socialising that he is gaining the most from. Hes got his first "girlfriend" and hes not even 3 yet. he cant even remember the names of the boys lol

ps. where do i send the bill?

[McNoodle]

�32 a day - Liverpool.

[natalie_1982]

Hi Nat, Emilia will be going to a local nursery 3days per week (I had to book the place in January and she won't be starting until October!) and that is �35 per day at full cost, but as it is run by the Co-Operative and my work run a childcare voucher scheme through the Co-Operative (Imagine Childcare) I get a 10 or 20% discount, plus the tax benefits of using a childcare voucher scheme. If one isn't available for you though, you can get extra benefits with your tax credits - for me I think it was an extra �50 per week, but that's for 3days childcare per week and I'd be better off using childcare vouchers.

[redcrx]

we are looking into childcare vouchers too. Im the only one at work who will need them and i can get max �50 a week paid for from my wages before tax and NI are taken. It saves me about �600 a year i think it calculated.

its costs work 8% of what they purchase but they save the Employers NI which is about 12%.

[natalie_1982]

P.S. Our nursery charges �5 for every 5 minutes you are late aswell.

I am not looking forward to when she has to go. Trying not to think about it too much, and wishing I will win the lotto between now and then. In which case I guess I'd better start playing....

[annie0000]

You can calculate yourself roughly whether you will get any of your childcare paid through tax credits here:

http://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Qua lify/DIQHousehold.aspx

That way, you can model a few scenarios to see what works out best.

Personally, i think that nurserys are taking advantage of the fact that parents do get some help by putting up their charges.

When my two were little, the cost of childcare was higher than my husband earned as a nurse, so he gave up work to look after them full time and we never claimed any benefits. Tax credits weren't around then though.

[nat_84]

Thanks everyone, its really complicated about tax credits because i was on sick pay for two montsh after my maternity as i had to have a knee operation, and when i was on the phone to teh tax credit people he just completely DISCOMBOBULATED me with everything, but anyway, i'm gonna fill in teh form and see what happens! x

[McNoodle]

�5 for every 5 minutes your late?!! That's really cheeky. Ours make us pay when THEY shut at Christmas! I can understand them wanting payment if we go on holiday, but when they shut? - it's the business to get into...

[McNoodle]

...go on holiday - ha ha, love to, but our childcare fees mean we're skint!

[natalie_1982]

Maybe we can arrange some sort of childminding rotation for Answerbank mums LOL - seems there's lots of us stuck in the same predicament!

[McNoodle]

I'm a dad...

[nat_84]

Thanks everyone,

My mum loves having Mia but its Mia impatient Grandad thats the struggle as my mum works for him!!

Anyway, she's settling into nursery today and i'm looking for another job (home based job anyway!).....!!