Fees and Funding

Happytots Pre-School fees are set at a competitive level in order to maintain a sustainable and well-equipped pre-school setting.

The standard session rate will apply to children from the age of 2½ years, up until they qualify for Universal Funding. Universal Funding of up to 15 hours per week is available to all children the term after their 3rd birthday. More details about Universal Funding can be found on this page.

  • Fees are due every half term in advance. Fees will be invoiced prior to the start of each half term where funding does not apply.
  • Fees are payable in advance for all sessions, including absences due to illness or holidays.
  • Fees are reviewed annually. We will provide notice of at least 1 term if fees are increased

Feet Funding up to 15 hours

Funded Early Education for Two Year Old’s (FEET) offers eligible families up to 15 hours of funded early education and childcare per week, for 38 weeks each year. You can find out if your child can get FEET by checking the financial and automatically funded criteria below.

Automatically Funded Criteria: 

If your child is in one of the groups below they will automatically be eligible for FEET:

  • Child looked after by Surrey County Council.
  • Child who has been adopted or has left care through special guardianship or child arrangements order.
  • Child with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
  • Child receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

Financial Criteria: 

If your family receives one of the following benefits then your child may be eligible to claim FEET:

  • Income Support
  • Income based Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Income related to Employment and Support Allowance
  • Support through Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
  • The Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
  • Child Tax Credit and have an annual household income up to £16,190 before tax
  • Working Tax Credit and have an annual household income up to £16,190 before tax
  • Universal Credit if you and your partner have a combined income from work of less than £15,400 a year after tax

Your child can continue to receive FEET until the term after their 3rd birthday when they will become eligible for Free Early Education for 3 and 4 year olds (FEE Funding)

For a full list of the FEET criteria, and to find specific advice about your particular circumstances, visit the Surrey County Council FEET page.

Universal Funding (up to 15 hrs)

In England, all 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to up to 15 hours of Funded Early Education. This is to give children the opportunity to take part in planned learning activities, and help prepare them for school through the Early Learning Goals set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This is a universal offer and is available to all children regardless of their family circumstances.

  • Children can get the Free Entitlement from the term after their 3rd birthday until they either start in a reception class at a local authority maintained school or reach compulsory school age, which is the school term after their 5th birthday.
  • To claim the Free Early Entitlement, you will be required to complete a registration form, which we will provide, we will need to see your child’s birth certificate or passport as proof of identity.
  • You will also need to complete a Free Early Entitlement Declaration Form at the beginning of every term, stating the exact number of hours your child will be attending.

Extended funding (up to 30 hours)

All 3 and 4 year olds living in England are entitled to 570 hours of Funded Early Education and childcare a year. This is usually offered as 15 hours a week for up to 38 weeks a year and is a universal entitlement.

Since September 2017 working families who meet the eligibility criteria can also claim an additional 15 hours of Funded Childcare a week. This means that eligible children will be able to receive up to 1140 hours of funded childcare a year. This change was introduced as part of the Childcare Act 2016. The extra funded hours will be made available to families where both parents (or the sole parent in a lone parent family):

  • Are working and earn on average a weekly minimum amount equivalent to working 16 hours at either National Minimum Wage (NMW) or National Living Wage (NLW) have an income of less than £100,000 each per year
  • Live in England (parents who are non-EEA nationals must have recourse to public funds to qualify)

You may still be eligible to apply if you or your partner;

  • Are taking paid time off work, such as maternity leave, paternity leave or sick leave
  • Are temporarily away from England for a period of up to 6 months, such as on military duty

You can also apply if either you or your partner are employed or self-employed and one of you gets one or more of the following benefits:

  • Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance
  • Carer’s Allowance
  • Incapacity Benefit or long-term Incapacity Benefit
  • Severe Disablement Allowance
  • National Insurance credits because of incapacity or limited capability for work
  • You’ve been assessed as having limited capability for work for Universal Credit purposes

How can I check if I am eligible?

Eligibility for the 30 hours can be checked through the Childcare Choices website or by using the Childcare calculator.

If you are eligible for the 30 free hours, you will be given an 11-digit code and will be told when you can start to use your funded hours.

You will be required to give us your eligibility code in order for us to claim the funding from Surrey County Council.

If you have any problems when applying for the 30 free hours children, you can contact the government’s Customer Interaction Centre on 0300 123 4097.

Voucher schemes

We are currently members of the following schemes:

  • Edenred Voucher Schemes
  • Busy Bees Benefits
  • Computershare Voucher Services

Tax free childcare

The government’s Tax-Free Childcare scheme enables eligible working families to save 20% of their childcare costs. It is available for working parents with children under 12 (or under 17 for children with a disability). For every £8 you or someone else pays in to the account the government will add another £2 up to a maximum of £2,000 per child per year (or £4,000 for children with a disability). This means that families will receive an extra £20 for every £80 they save towards childcare costs, totalling £100.

The scheme is available for working families where:

  • Both parents are in work or it is a single parent household
  • Each parent earns at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week and no more than £100,000 a year
  • Parents aren’t already receiving support through Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Universal Credit or childcare vouchers.

It can also be used by parents who are:

  • Self-employed (newly self-employed parents will not have to earn the minimum income levels during their ‘start-up’ period)
  • On paid sick leave
  • On paid or unpaid statutory maternity, paternity or adoption leave

If you’re not working, you may still be eligible if your partner is working, and you get Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance.

How can I register for the scheme?

You can apply for the scheme through the government’s Childcare Choices website. You, and your partner, if you have one, will need your:

  • National insurance number (s).
  • Details of one or more of the following – your UK Passport, tax credits, P60 or a recent payslip.
  • In some cases, additional checks may be needed to confirm whether you’re eligible. If you are found ineligible you will be told why.

Once you have opened your account it can be used to pay in money to use towards your childcare costs with a childcare provider who has also registered for the scheme. Grandparents, other family members and employers will also be able to pay into the account if they choose.

You can find additional information about Tax-Free Childcare on the gov.uk website.