Mill Hill
FAQ’s

Tax-Free Childcare is a government initiative that helps working parents with childcare costs. For every £8 you deposit into your online childcare account, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year—or £4,000 if your child has a disability. This money can be used to pay for your nursery fees with Little Bicks.

Eligibility Criteria
To qualify, you must:
• Be working (including self-employed) and earning at least:
◦ £2,379 over the next 3 months if you're 21 or older
◦ £1,788 if you're aged 18–20
◦ £1,331 if you're under 18 or an apprentice
• Earn less than £100,000 per year (per parent, if applicable)
• Have a child under 12 (or under 17 if they have a disability)
• Be a UK resident with a National Insurance number

Note: You cannot use Tax-Free Childcare if you're receiving Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit, or childcare vouchers

Tax-Free Childcare can be applied for through the government website:
https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-tax-free-childcare

Your child becomes eligible on the term AFTER they turn 9 months old. This means they must be 9 months old before 31^st August for an Autumn term start, before 31^st December for a Spring term start or before 31^st March for a Summer term start. If they turn 9 months old during a term the funding is not available until the following term.

1. Create or Sign In to Your Childcare Account: Visit Childcare Choices and select “Apply now.” You'll need a Government Gateway user ID. If you don't have one, you can create it during the process.

2. Complete the Application: Provide details such as:
• Your National Insurance number
• Your partner's details (if applicable)
• Income information
• Your child’s date of birth
• A valid UK passport, P60, or recent payslip for identity verification
 
3. Receive Your Eligibility Code: If eligible, you'll receive an 11-digit code (often starting with '500') in your childcare account. HMRC will notify you via text or email when it's available.
 
4. Send that code to Little Bicks: Give the code, along with your National Insurance number and your child's date of birth, to Rochelle (head@littlebicks.co.uk). She will validate the code and confirm your child's place.

Apply up to 16 weeks before your child becomes eligible. Ensure you apply by the deadline corresponding to the term you wish your child to start.
Spring Term: Apply by 31 December
Summer Term: Apply by 31 March
Autumn Term: Apply by 31 August
It's recommended to apply at least 6 weeks before the deadline to allow for processing time

Every 3 months, you must reconfirm your eligibility through your childcare account. HMRC will send reminders via email or text. Failing to reconfirm may result in the loss of your childcare place.

We need you to complete the parent declaration form which will be sent to you by Rochelle. We also need you to let us know which funding pattern you are choosing for your child along with the specific days you require.

We also offer private places for all age children. Please contact us so we can discuss this through with you.
All children are eligible for 15 hours funded childcare from the term AFTER they turn 3 years old and the funding packages we offer for this are in our funding pricing document.

The funding is not allocated equally between the 3 school year terms that run from September to August. Therefore if a child joins the funding scheme part through the year they will have already missed some of the hours so there are less hours left to share out in the remaining weeks.

We offer two options for our families. We are open for 38 weeks a year (term time) or 46 weeks a year (extended year). These must be decided when you confirm your sessions with and we require a terms notice to change them.

We offer an optional Enhanced Provision for families who wish for their child to benefit from additional activities and experiences that go beyond the standard Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum.
This contribution supports the cost of enriching activities we provide weekly, monthly, and termly. These include experiences such as:
• Israeli music sessions
• Professional sports coaching
• Forest school
• Woodwork
• Foreign language exposure

While these extras enhance your child’s early learning journey, they are not covered by government funding, which only finances the core EYFS provision. Therefore, we ask for a voluntary contribution from parents who choose to opt into this extended offering.

Important: If you choose not to opt in, your child will still receive a high-quality early years education. We are fully committed to ensuring that every child feels included, engaged, and supported, regardless of your decision.

For full details of what’s included, please refer to our Enhanced Provision document.

We provide nutritious meals and snacks for children based on their attendance hours:
• 8:00am – 5:00pm session:
Children will be offered:
◦ Breakfast
◦ Hot kosher meaty lunch
◦ Afternoon snack
◦ Light dinner
• 9:00am – 4:00pm session:
Children will be offered:
◦ Hot kosher meaty lunch
◦ Afternoon snack
• Morning Snack:
Please provide a fresh fruit or vegetable snack for your child each morning. This supports healthy eating habits and ensures consistency across the setting.
• Formula Milk:
If your child requires formula milk during the day, we kindly ask that you supply it daily, clearly labelled. We will feed your child according to your instructions and preferences.

As we are open for 46 weeks of the year, we stretch the government-funded childcare hours across the year to help make childcare more affordable and consistent for families.

Attendance and Funding Options:
• Extended Year Option (Stretched Funding):
Children on this plan can access their full entitlement of funded hours, spread out evenly across the 46 weeks we are open. This allows for consistent attendance and support throughout the year.
• Term-Time Only Option:
For families choosing term-time attendance, we do not claim funding during school holiday periods. Your child’s funded hours will only be applied during standard school terms.
• 15 Hours Funding:
The 15 funded hours are available on a term-time basis. If you select this option, the hours will be allocated over 38 weeks per year in line with standard school terms.