Minimum 2 full days including Monday or Friday.

We require a £75 non-refundable administration fee for all registrations who wish to take up a place. To secure your child’s place at Little Haven, we ask that a completed registration form is returned along with a refundable deposit.  A deposit is required, which is refunded from your final invoice once the requisite notice period is given.

Invoices will reflect funded hours allocated as per the booking pattern. The Government funding (15 and 30 hours) is structured for 38 weeks of the year (term time), our places are for 50 weeks of the year, and so the funded hours are stretched over the 50 weeks that we are open.

For information about free early education and funding, and other support with childcare costs such as Tax Free Childcare, visit Homepage | Best Start in Life

Fees with 30hrs Early Years Working Families Free Entitlement applied

Funding Entitlement for – 9-23 months

Funding Entitlement for – 24 – 50 months

Universal Funding 15hours

  Optional Charges 

Funding & Charges – Islington

This information is provided in line with Islington Local Authority Early Education Funding guidance and the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework.

Government-Funded Early Education
Islington Council provides early education funding for eligible children. Funded early education places must be delivered free at the point of access and cannot be conditional upon the purchase of additional services.

Funding is allocated based on the local authority headcount date at the start of each term. Children who are not recorded on this headcount are not eligible for funding until the following eligible term. Funding cannot be backdated or added mid-term.

Funded Children – Charges Explained
Funded hours are free at the point of access. Where a child attends for hours that are not covered by their funding entitlement, these unfunded hours are charged at £12.21 per hour.

Optional Charges
In line with Islington Local Authority guidance, providers may charge for optional extras such as meals, consumables, and additional activities. These charges are voluntary and not a condition of accessing funded early education.

Optional extras available include:
– Music Sessions (Music Monkeys)
– Cooking Classes
– Yoga Sessions (Beam)
– Storytelling Sessions (Little Supernovas)
– Consumables (wipes, nappy sacks, cotton wool, face flannels, tissues, creams)
– Meals Package (Breakfast, Lunch, Tea & Two Snacks)

Parents may choose whether or not to take up any optional extras.

Meals and Packed Lunches
Parents who choose not to purchase the meals package are welcome to provide a packed lunch. Packed lunches must comply with our Pack Lunch Policy, available within the Nutrition and Mealtimes section.

As we are a small nursery with limited storage space, we are only able to accommodate packed lunches where capacity allows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to pay anything for my child to access funded hours?
No. Funded early education hours are delivered free at the point of access. Any additional charges are optional.

Why am I being charged if my child receives funding?
Charges only apply for unfunded hours attended or for optional extras such as meals or activities, which parents may choose to purchase.

Can funding start part-way through a term?
This will depend on your child’s start date and whether they have been successfully recorded on the Islington Local Authority funding portal within the required timeframe.

It will also depend on the outcome of the Working Families validation check. If eligibility is confirmed for the current term, the child can then be added to the Term. The Islington system will take the child’s start date into account when calculating the funding.

What happens if my child is not eligible at the headcount date?
Your child will become eligible from the next funding period, provided they meet the eligibility criteria.

Do I have to pay for meals?
No. Meals are an optional charge. Parents may provide a packed lunch in line with our Pack Lunch Policy, space permitting.

Can my child still take part in activities if I don’t pay for extras?
Yes. Children accessing funded hours will not be excluded from the core early education provision if parents choose not to purchase optional extras.

Who sets these rules?
These requirements are set by the Department for Education and delivered locally by Islington Council. Childcare providers must follow this guidance.

Who can I speak to if I have questions?
Please speak to a member of the Little Haven Childcare management team if you would like to discuss funding or charges further.

Academic Year: September 2025 – August 2026

Little Haven Childcare is open for 50 weeks of the year, and our fees are calculated on this basis.

We offer Islington-funded early education hours on a stretched model across 50 weeks with additional hours, allowing families to spread their funded entitlement evenly and benefit from consistent monthly payments throughout the year.

Funded hours are applied in line with Islington Council funding rules, and any hours attended above the funded entitlement, or additional services provided, will be charged accordingly.

The maximum FEEE is 570 hours per year for the 15 hour per week entitlement and 1,140 hours per year for the 30 hours per week entitlement. We offer this entitlement stretched over 50 weeks of the year. This means taking fewer hours per week, stretched over more weeks of the year. Instead of receiving 15 or 30 hours only in term time, families receive 11.4 or 22.8 funded hours every week across the 50 weeks we are open. This applies to the 30-hour funding when accessed in conjunction with private hours.

Monthly fees are payable all year round and include bank holidays, inset days, and Little Haven closure days (12 days per year). Fees remain payable during these periods, as staffing and essential operational costs continue even when the nursery is closed.

Our Fully Funded Offer

We offer a limited number of term-time-only funded places (38 weeks), subject to availability. You can choose from 30 or 15 funded hours per week, which can be taken in different blocks depending on the days you select. For example: 15 hours per week could be spread over 3 days or 30 hours per week could be spread over 5 full days or other combinations to suit your family’s needs. While fully funded places cover your child’s nursery hours at no cost, optional activities and meals are available for an additional charge, as these are not included in government funded hours. We offer these to enhance your child’s experience and make their time with us even more special.

This will be discussed with you on completion of your registration form. Families accessing Funded Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) only will not be charged a registration fee. However, where funded hours are combined with additional paid sessions, a registration fee will apply.

While we strive to ensure continuity of your child’s fully funded place during room transitions, it may not always be possible to maintain the same funded place allocation as originally agreed.

Cancelling a Confirmed Nursery Place

Cancelling within three months of your child’s start date
If you no longer require your child’s place within three calendar months of their planned start date, we kindly ask that you inform us as soon as possible. In this instance, the deposit fee and joining fee are non-refundable. You will also be responsible for any fees due during the three-month notice period that exceed the value of the deposit fee.

Notice once your child has started at Little Haven
Once your child has begun attending Little Haven Childcare, we require a full terms notice (our terms run from January – March / April – August & September – December) to cancel their place. The notice period will begin from the date you inform us in writing, and fees will remain payable throughout this time. All outstanding fees must be settled in full before the contract ends.

The above information applies to the 2026–2027 academic year and may be subject to change.