Admissions

If you would like to register your child for our playgroup please complete our Registration Form. Children can be registered at any time, just fill out our online registration form. We take children aged from 2 to 5 years of age. It is our priority to make our playgroup genuinely accessible to children and families from all sections of our local community (primarily Maidenbower, Worth and Pound Hill). We arrange our waiting list in date of birth order. Once a child is eligible to attend our playgroup but remains on the waiting list, the length of time on the waiting list takes priority over their date of birth. If appropriate it may be necessary to consider when each child will start school. We welcome all children to take part in the life of our playgroup.

Please be aware the attendance at Maidenbower Pre-School Playgroup does not guarantee admission to a Maidenbower school. All schools in West Sussex have a separate admissions policy, which will be communicated to you in the year before your child is due to start school. Admission to our playgroup is an ongoing process; as places become available, the parent / carer of the next child meeting the waiting list criteria will be contacted. Places offered initially may not be the sessions you requested, however, it may be necessary to accept these places and then request other sessions. Acceptance of places must be confirmed in writing. See our policies for more information.

Fees

For children not receiving funded entitlement, please contact us. Fees are payable half termly before the beginning of each half term. We accept payment by cash, cheque, internet banking and childcare vouchers. See our policies for more information.

Childcare Vouchers

Employers For Childcare Vouchers is the only Childcare Voucher provider that is a Social Enterprise, therefore 100% of its profits are reinvested into its charitable activities: advice and information services for parents on childcare and work-related issues. Visit their website or call: 0289 267 8200.

Funded Entitlement

There are two types of funded childcare for your 3 or 4 year old:

• Universal funding childcare - For all 3 and 4 year olds. Children can use up to 570 hours each year, up to a maximum of 15 hours over 38 weeks. A child moving to reside in England from another country is entitled to universal funded childcare on the same basis as any other child, regardless of whether they have British citizenship.
• Extended funding childcare (also known as 30 hours' funding childcare) - For eligible working parents of 3 and 4 year olds. Children can use an additional 570 hours each year, up to a maximum of 30 hours per week over 38 weeks (1,140 hours each year). Parents must apply online through the Childcare Choices website. If eligible you will receive a 30 hours funding childcare code and must re-confirm before the deadline.

There are also two types of funded childcare for your 2 year old. To qualify for LA Issued funded childcare under this criteria, the child must be of eligible age and the parent(s) in receipt of one or more of the following income-based benefits

• Income Support
• Guaranteed element of State Pension Credit
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• Universal Credit, and your household income is £15,400 a year or less after tax, not including benefit payments
• Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit(or both) and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax
• Working Tax Credit 4-week run on (the payment you get when you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit), and your household income is £16,190 a year or less before tax.

2 year old free childcare for working families
From 2 January 2024 applications opened for the new 2 year old funding childcare for working families. This offer is available for those who work the equivalent of 16 hours at the national minimum wage, or more per week.

You can apply if both parents are working (or the sole parent is working in a lone-parent family) and each parent earns:

• less than £100,000 per year
• more than the equivalent of 16 hours at the national living wage or minimum wage per week, for example, £120 per week if you are 25 or older. Apprentices are also eligible as long as they earn the equivalent of 16 hours at the apprentice minimum wage.

You may also be eligible if:

• you and your partner are employed, but one or both of you is temporarily away from the workplace on parental, maternity or paternity, adoption leave, or on statutory sick pay
• you are employed, but your partner either has substantial caring responsibilities, or is disabled or incapacitated, or vice versa (in other words, your partner is employed but you have caring responsibilities or are disabled or incapacitated) - this is dependent on you or your partner being entitled to specific disability or caring benefits such as:
  
• incapacity benefit
• carers allowance
• contribution based employment and support allowance
• severe disablement allowance
• you are self-employed or on a zero hours contract and expect to meet the earning criteria on average over the next three months - if you are starting up your own business, you will not be expected to meet the minimum earning criteria in your first year of trading
• you are not currently working, but are expecting to take up paid work within 14 days, as long as you expect to meet the income criteria over the coming three months.