Are you open every day of the year?


We are open Monday to Friday every week of the year, except for Bank Holidays. We may sometimes close for extra days between Christmas and New Year but we would give advance notice of this. Please check our nursery calendar for full details. You can choose to attend on either a ‘term time only’ basis, or on an ‘all year round’ basis.

Do you have session times?


Yes and no.

For children aged 3 to 4 years old, we do not have session times. You can choose to attend any time between 7.30am and 6pm, starting and finishing on either the hour or ½ hour. The minimum time slot is 3 hours. Booked days and times must be the same each week, but you can book different times on different days.

For children aged between 2 ½ and 3 years old we do have session times. You can book either 8am to 2pm, 9am to 2pm or 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

If I am ‘term time only’ can I still book in the holidays?


Yes you can, although it will depend on availability. If you want to guarantee a space then we advise you to book an ‘all year round’ space.

Can I pay to book extra days or extend my hours?


Yes you can – as long as we have the space we can book ad hoc days / hours for you. Sometimes we may not be able to confirm until nearer the time of your request, due to staff availability and child attendance. These ad hoc / extra hours can be cancelled up until the Wednesday of the week before the booking. If not, the extra hours will be charged in full. For example, if you book an extra day on Friday 30th September, you would need to cancel by Wednesday 21st September. Regular booked days cannot be cancelled unless it is a permanent cancellation (4 weeks’ notice required).

If I am term time only, which term dates do you use?


Please refer to our calendar on our website or on display in the preschool. The preschool sets its own term dates based on the weeks in which Kent County Council (KCC) allocates the funded hours.

Why are your term dates different to schools in the local area?


Footprints preschool sets its own term dates based on the weeks in which Kent County Council (KCC) allocates the funded hours. Our term dates are set in accordance with this structure set by KCC. Please refer to our calendar on our website or on display in the preschool.

Can my child attend on different days or with different times each week?


No, your booked days and times must be the same every week.

Can I make any changes to my child’s weekly booking?


Yes, you can change your booked days or times if it is a permanent change, but any changes require 4 weeks’ notice.

Do you offer a Holiday Club or an After-School Club for 5- to 11-year-olds?


No we don’t.

Can I come to visit the preschool?


Yes, we can book you in for a show-round so that you can see the preschool and ask any questions that you have. You can bring your child/children as well.

How do I book a space at Footprints?
 

Please complete a Footprints registration form, available at the reception desk, and return it to us. We will also need to see your child’s ‘red book’ if you have it. We will then check availability and book you in if we have the space. Your space is not confirmed until we have received a completed registration form and you have received a booking confirmation form. 

Funded spaces:
 If you would like to book a funded space, we will need to see your child’s original birth certificate or passport. For ‘Free For 2’ funded hours, we will need to see your eligibility confirmation email and / or your voucher code, along with any supporting documentation if applicable. To use your Working Parent Entitlement, we will need your eligibility confirmation code (usually starts 500….), plus the National Insurance Number and Date of Birth of the main applicant. We will give you a form to complete with this information.
Once you are booked in, you will receive a booking confirmation form. If any deposit is due, then this will need to be paid before your child can start.

What should my child bring to preschool?


We recommend that you bring a bag with some spare clothes, plus weather appropriate outdoor wear (wellies/hat/scarf/sunhat etc.). You can provide a bottle for water, a dummy and / or any comforters if needed. Please ensure that all items are labelled. If your child requires medication, an inhaler or creams, please do not leave them in their bags, and speak to management or the reception desk.

What time is food served?


We have set mealtimes which are… breakfast at 8am, snack at 9.30am, cooked lunch and pudding 12 noon, and tea at 4pm. Our menu is on a 4-week rotation and is displayed in the preschool and on our website.

When can my funded hours be used?


You can only use your funded hours during our term times (38 weeks a year). Some childcare providers offer ‘stretched funding’ where you can spread the funding over the year, but with fewer hours per week. We don’t offer this at Footprints. You can choose to take your funded hours any time between 7.30am and 6pm, starting on either the hour or the ½ hour.

When will my child get their funded hours?


All 3- and 4-year-olds receive 15 funded hours from the term after their 3rd birthday. The cut off dates are 31st March for the Summer Term, 31st August for the Autumn Term and 31st December for the Spring Term.

Please refer to Free childcare - Kent County Council and www.beststartinlife.gov.uk for information regarding funding, eligibility and how to apply.

I am eligible for 30 hours. Do I have to use all 30 funded hours?


No, you can take anything up to the 30 funded hours.

If my child misses any of their funded hours, can they use them another time?


No. Your funded hours can only be used on your booked days and times. If you don’t attend on any day, then you lose the hours. 

Can my funded hours be switched from one nursery to another?


If your child has already attended another childcare provider during a term, you can’t switch your funded hours to a new one. The funding will stay with the provider that you started the term with. The only exception is if the other provider falls under a different local authority. You can contact your provider to see if they would be willing to transfer the funding to a new one, but this is their choice. You can however, split your funding between Footprints and another provider.

Is there a maximum number of funded hours per day?


Yes, as per Kent County Council, the maximum number of funded hours per day is 10 hours. Therefore, if you would like to book 7.30am-6pm on any given day, only 10 hours will be funded, and the remaining 30 minutes will be charged for. For non-funded hours, the maximum is 10 ½ hours per day.

What do fees include?


All fees include meals, nappies and wipes. Sun cream and formula milk is not provided by Footprints.

If using any Universal or Working Parent Entitlement, then a £6 surcharge will apply on all days that your child is using their funding. This will cover all meals while in attendance, as well as nappies and wipes if needed.
Alternatively, you can supply meals, nappies, and wipes on all funded days. We are unable to combine surcharges and own food options.

Paid hours will still cover all costs. If a booked day is covered by both funding and paid hours, the majority will apply.
Please see as follows a couple of possible scenarios to demonstrate…
For example,

Monday 10 hours – £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Tuesday 10 hours - £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Wednesday 10 hours - £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)

Or if you attend 30 hours over 5 days:
Monday 6 hours – £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Tuesday 6 hours - £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Wednesday 6 hours – £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Thursday 6 hours – £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)
Friday 6 hours - £6 surcharge (or provide meals, nappies, and wipes)

If my child is absent, do I still have to pay?


All fees are payable regardless of holidays, absence and sickness.

If you book any extra paid days or hours on top of your regular days and times, you can cancel or amend up to the Wednesday of the week before the booked day. After this date, the days will be charged in full regardless of attendance.

If you wish to cancel your child’s place or change your hours or contract, four weeks’ notice is required.

Do I need to pay a deposit to reserve a space?


A deposit is only required if weekly fees (or combined fees if more than one child) are £100 or more per week. If fees are £100 or more per week then a deposit of 4 weeks fees is required before a child can start their place. The deposit is then returned at the end of your child’s time at Footprints, once all fees have been paid.

How do I pay my fees?


Fees can be paid either weekly or monthly and you will receive a statement via email after each month-end showing the balance of your account. Payments can be made via bank transfer, over the phone or at our reception desk. We also accept childcare vouchers and we are registered for the government’s ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ scheme.
Please go to the Best Start In Life website for more information on Tax-Free Childcare and other schemes to help pay for childcare costs.

www.beststartinlife.gov.uk

How do I set up a tax-free childcare account?


Please go to www.beststartinlife.gov.uk and follow the instructions. Once you have set up an account, you will need to select Footprints Day Care as your childcare provider. To do this you will need our OFSTED number EY305659 or our postcode TN23 3SU. Once you have set up an account, we will need your child’s unique reference number so that we can look out for tax-free childcare payments that you make into our bank account. Please note that once you have paid money into your tax-free childcare account, you will still need to log onto your account to make a payment to Footprints.