Help! Nurseries/childcare
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Our nursery is fully booked until 2027 and I’ve had our place since I was pregnant…
It depends so much on where you live tbh. Because mat leave is usually 9-12 months in the UK, most babies start around then. Some start younger. I didn’t start looking until around she was about 11 months old (I wanted to be SAHM but shit happens), people were aghast and kept saying I’d never find her a place, but most nurseries in my town (including my top choice) had places for 1-3 year olds available.
Yeah I mean I don’t plan on sending that early, but as you said plans do change, so I don’t want to book something and not need to use it. But I always know if I don’t work I’m not eligible for the 30 free hours of child care, and to be honest I’m trying o educate myself on the gov website and I’m finding it all very confusing. (I’m in the uk btw)
All children are eligible for 15 hours the term after they turn 3, so most people who don’t go back to work tend to wait until then. If you wanted nursery before then then you’d have to pay full price unless you went back to work, as all other hours rely on the parents working. The hours for all of these are term time only funding.
In London put your name down when pregnant! You can always revise nearer the time your hours and start date (within reason) but I would get your name down asap!!
Baby will be able to have 15 hours free childcare from the term after they turn 9 months. I believe this goes up to 30 from September ‘25. However that is for working parents so you do need to be reaching the minimum income to get the hours. You will need to decide and get a nursery place sooner rather than later as many are getting or are full due to the funded hours and I imagine when it goes up to 30 hours for all 9 months olds + that demand will be even higher. By not working I don’t think you are entitled to anything much till the child is 3 unless you are on benefits. This website has a calculator thing that you out info into and it tells you what you are entitled to: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/?utm_source=Search&utm_medium=keyword&utm_campaign=Childcare_Choices_2024&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAowZrsmMQhw8WlPaa2mYbEqneSyBD&gclid=Cj0KCQjwlIG2BhC4ARIsADBgpVSbT2oJGu49CsaHTkcFE1-dudITz81Zbcnf6RMpV_CHJ7lO0bohJSEaAvDIEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Where I live in Canada you usually go back to work after either 12 or 18 months (if you’re going to) and you pretty much need to get on daycare waitlists the minute you get a positive pregnancy test
I think it depends on where you live. Where we are in the UK we’ve already had to start looking and I’m only 30 weeks. Some of the nurseries are shocked that we’re looking so early and others are already booked through August 2025 so they want us to reserve a spot asap. I’m also going back to work at 9 months. Most of the nurseries around us will take at least that young (even if they only advertise a year or higher). Some will take even younger. I think I’m planning to go back at around 6 months, just 2 or 3 days a week, then full time at 9 months. But my situation is weird. I’m a teacher, so I have to be back full time in September 2025, which is the 9th month for me. So we can’t afford to wait. We need a spot reserved.