For ease, and so you can easily compare our prices with those of other nurseries, the table above shows the monthly costs depending on the number of full days your child spends with us. Our standard opening times are 8am – 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Funded Hours Per Week
The government’s Free Childcare for Working Parents scheme gives parents up to 30 free hours of childcare per week for 38 weeks of the year, depending on eligibility. (You can see the funding we receive from Buckinghamshire Council in Table 2: Funding Rates below). At Buttercups we stretch these Funded Hours over the 51 weeks we are open, resulting in a maximum of 22 hours for the 30 hour scheme and 11 for the 15 hour scheme. If you only join us for 2 or 3 days per week, we cap the number of free hours to 7 per day (between 11am and 6pm and 7.5 on Mondays and Fridays, 10:30am to 6pm). We are sorry that this may result in hours that you cannot take with us, but you may be able to use them with other childcare providers.
If you change the number of days or hours your child spends with us and this allows us to provide additional Funded Hours, we will only be able to provide these when approved by the local authority. If an invoice has been raised based on funding and it is then found that a claim is not possible, the invoice will be corrected, and parents will be required to pay for any non-funded hours. It is extremely important that parents renew codes and complete required documentation promptly.
Stepped Hourly Pricing Model
At Buttercups we operate a stepped hourly pricing model. This means that the hourly rate you pay reduces with the more Chargeable Hours you spend with us. See the Buttercups Hourly Rate table below for how this works.
How we Calculate your Fees
We offer Funded Hours for eligible parents between 11am to 6pm, Tuesday to Thursday, and between 10:30am and 6pm on Mondays and Fridays. Any attendance outside of these times are Chargeable Hours. Our invoices are then calculated by multiplying the number of Chargeable Hours by the appropriate hourly rate (see the Buttercups Hourly Rate table below). Funding is applied to the days with the most attendance hours first, up to the maximum for which a child is eligible.
The weekly charge is then multiplied by the 51 weeks within the year that we are open and divided by 12 to provide a monthly calendar invoice amount. Part months are charged on a pro rata basis, which is also the case for attendance changes mid-month.
Please Note: The government funding does not provide for items such as food, consumables, special classes, outings or many other items that make us special. There is no additional surcharge for these or where no additional hours are taken.
Your Child’s Hours with Us
Most children attend at least 2 full days (8am – 6pm) per week with us. Other hours are possible (subject to availability), but we do ask for a minimum of 10 Funded Hours with us per week. Where parents choose hours that are less than a full day, this results in unused hours that we cannot offer to another child. We therefore charge a higher rate for these hours, which may result in a higher overall charge than selecting a full day.
Parents who are not eligible for funding can purchase hours in blocks: 8am to 1pm, 1pm to 4pm and 4pm to 6pm. Blocks of hours can then be combined within a day to create a greater number of hours, up to a full day. Where parents wish to attend 1pm to 4pm or 4pm to 6pm only, a limit of one of these sessions is permitted per week.
Where funded parents wish to purchase hours in excess of Funded Hours, this must be done so that the attendance for the day starts at 8am or finishes at 6pm (in some of our nurseries it is also possible to finish at 1pm). The weekly charge for these hours is calculated using the Hourly Rate table below. Please Note: This rate will be greater where the booked attendance day starts after 8am or finishes prior to 6pm (shown below as the “higher rate”). Parents attending for funded hours only must do so for the full funded hours on offer during the day up to the maximum available.
Where Attendance Hours are less than 20 a surcharge will apply. The surcharge for this would be double the weekly charge (so you would pay 3 times the usual weekly price). We therefore highly recommend selecting an attendance of over 20 hours per week when not eligible for funding or taking chargeable hours in excess of funded hours.
Admissions Policy
Our admissions policy (available upon request) prioritises those who wish to attend the greatest number of hours with us, and those that have attendance starting and finishing at the nursery opening and closing times (8am – 6pm).
Registration Fee
To place your child on our waiting list a £60 registration fee is required which is non-refundable. This is not applicable for funded-only parents, but you cannot select more hours/days than available for your eligibility, and you must provide proof of eligibility with your registration.
Table 2: Funding Rates from Buckinghamshire Council:
NB. Funding rates change with each tax year, based upon the decision of the schools’ forum.
Table 3: Buttercups Hourly Rate Table
