Coventry childcare provider handbook for the delivery of Early Education Entitlement Funding

Fee information checklist for childcare provider delivering early education entitlement funding

Does the provider's fee information:

• Include the provider's name, address, telephone, and email contact details?
• State opening hours and set closure periods?
• Make clear to parents that funded entitlement hours are completely free of charge during specified hours/sessions/days?
• Include details of the specific models of delivery offered for 15 or 30 hours,for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds, including the number of standalone places,times, days and sessions.
• Tell parents about the maximum number of funded weeks/hours in each term and academic year, and which weeks/dates are covered in each funding period?
• Highlight to parents that all children in receipt of 3- and 4-year-old funding must have taken up a place before the termly census/headcount date?
• Make clear to parents, the policy the setting will follow, where parents choose to relocate their child to a new provision, following the provider’s submission of termly headcount data to Coventry City Council.
• Highlight to parents who are in receipt of a 30-hour funded place, that they must re-confirm their eligibility every 3 months, as prompted by HMRC and the consequences, should the parent fail to do so.
• Set out contractual expectations relating to specific models which combine ‘privately paid for’ and funded hours? E.g. 8am -1pm  - An all-year round contract is made up of a combination of ‘privately paid for’ and funded hours during term time. However, the hours of 8am -1pm will be fully chargeable outside term time.
• Include charges for ‘privately paid for’ hours for all age groups?
• Clearly outline each of the funding entitlements offered for 2-, 3- and 4-year-olds and tell parents how they can apply?
• Highlight to parents that the provision of meals, snack, consumables, and services will be provided at an additional, voluntary cost to the parent, during the days/session a child is accessing a funded place. Cost should be stated.
• Highlight to parents the settings policy on how they will respond if parents are unwilling or unable to opt into the voluntary charge; or the circumstances when a parent may opt out before the agreed point. E.g. Child develops a severe allergy which impacts on the parent wanting to provide meals and snacks from home.
• State the terms, conditions and costs involved, for any parent wishing to purchase additional hours and any fees which will be incurred for late collection?
• Enable parents to easily reconcile fee information against their invoice, so that they can clearly identify what they have been charged for and why?
• State how parent can apply for and use a Tax-Free childcare account?
• Inform parents about additional funding payments such as Early Years Pupil Premium (EYPP) and Disability Access Funding (DAF)?

Invoices and receipts

Providers should ensure they have clear invoice/receipt structures in place which enable parents to easily reconcile invoices with charges detailed on the provider’s fee information. Invoices should be fully itemised to show a break-down of all aspects of the fee including funded hours, additional ‘paid for' hours, services, meals and snacks.

Please note, funded entitlement hours must not be presented as a monetary value and therefore must be shown as zero cost. This is to ensure that parents can see that their children have received funded hours completely free of charge at the point of delivery.

Checklist for invoices and receipts

Is the following information clearly detailed on the invoice/receipt issued to parents?

• Provider name
• Provider address
• Provider contact
• Invoice number
• Invoice date
• Nursery tel/email
• Parent name and contact details
• Child’s name
• Itemised pricing information which is clearly reconcilable with the information you have provided on the fee information
• The total number of funded hours and weeks allocated for the term
• The total number of hours contracted to attend in this invoice period (both privately paid for and funded hours). This is only required for providers who are not charging fees inequal monthly payments.
• The total number of funded hours claimed. These must be shown as hours and are not represented as a monetary value. E.g. 60 funded entitlement hours = £0.00
• Information shows whether funded hours are being used in a stretched or term time only model. Eg 60 funded entitlement hours (stretched model) = £0
• Additionally purchased ‘privately paid for’ hours are clearly itemised E.g. 10 hours @ £? (School rate)
• Charges for meals and snacks. It is recommended that meals and snacks are shown as separate items to ensure the reason for the charges are transparent and clearly understood by parents. E.g. 3 breakfasts, 2 lunch, tea and snacks @ £?
• Charges for consumables, special activities etc

Early Education Funding Delivery - Compliant Invoice Examples

Please see examples of invoices that would be considered compliant with government and Coventry City Council requirements, Providers should use these examples to ensure compliance against the requirements. We have included annualised invoice examples, which are used by some providers. Annualised invoice calculations are used to spread the total cost of provision over a set number of months, up to a maximum of 12. Where the examples refer to non-annualised invoices, this is where the provider calculates the charge based on hours attended in the invoice period.
Please note that all invoice examples have been set to refer to the month of April which has fewer funded days than a typical month.