Funded Childcare at Meadows Day Nursery, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
As of September 2025, eligible working parents in England can access 30 hours of government-funded childcare per week for children from 9 months up to school age, usually 38 weeks per year. This expands to 1,140 hours per year, designed for registered providers, with applications made via the GOV.UK childcare account system which includes a full explanation of the government funded childcare voucher scheme.
Key Details on 30 Hours Funding
- Eligibility: Generally, each parent must earn at least the equivalent of 16 hours a week at the National Minimum Wage, but less than £100,000 adjusted net income per year.
- Age Range: From the term after the child turns 9 months old until they start school.
- Hours & Timing: 30 hours a week over 38 weeks (term-time) or stretched (e.g. 22-24 hours) over 52 weeks.
- Application: You must apply for a 11-digit code through https://www.gov.uk/free-childcare-if-working/check-youre-eligible.
- Validation: Parents must reconfirm their eligibility every 3 months through their childcare account.
- Costs: The funding covers education and care, but providers can charge for meals, consumables (e.g. nappies/sunscreen), and extras like trips, enrichment activities etc…
Due to being a private nursery, we do have additional optional charges for Essentials, Extras and Experiences (EEE) which are above and beyond the requirements of the Early Years Statutory requirements, which all children benefit from, if you wish to opt out please talk to our Meadows Team. See below for our Essentials, Extras and Experiences costs.
At Meadows Day Nursery, we put a great deal of care and investment into creating an environment where every child can truly thrive. Each year, we enhance our core nursery provision so that all children enjoy rich, high‑quality experiences that spark curiosity and joy. Our activities are thoughtfully designed to reflect each child’s unique interests, needs, and stage of development, helping them feel valued, engaged, and excited to learn.
We are required by the Government to clearly breakdown any charges made for your childcare with us. Government funding is to cover the basic Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provision which includes such things as: -
- Small world figures, role play, puzzles, books and basic craft supplies
- Sand and water play
- Loose parts and construction toys
- Staffing levels that meet the minimum Government ratios.
Our EEE / Meal & Snack charges allow us to:
- Provide fresh, nutritious meals and snacks each day.
- Supply nappies, wipes and creams for children up to 2yrs old.
- Offer a range of enrichment activities, including gardening, cooking and additional art materials.
- Fund special events and celebrations throughout the year.
- Cover the cost of other essential consumables.
The nursery promotes the provision of on‑site meals for all children as part of our commitment to supporting their health, wellbeing, and social development. We employ a dedicated chef to prepare fresh, nutritious meals and snacks for your child each day they are with us. Shared mealtimes provide important opportunities for social interaction, encourage positive eating behaviours, and ensure that every child receives a consistent standard of nutritious food throughout the day. Our meal provision includes a morning snack, a fully cooked lunch with dessert, a mid‑afternoon snack, and an early afternoon tea. Menus are displayed daily at entrances for parents to view.
Packed Lunches – If you choose to provide a packed lunch, please ensure it contains no nuts or any other known allergens. Please provide a healthy packed lunch; crisps, chocolates, sweets and fizzy drinks are not permitted. All food must be ready for your child to eat as we cannot reheat food, and all fruit must be ready prepared. We do not have storage facilities for lunch boxes to be refrigerated, so an ice pack must be used and the maximum length of time this can be stored out of a refrigerator is 4 hours. Please refer to Meadows Lunch Box Policy for further details. If any food provided is deemed unsuitable, Meadows will supply alternative food, and the cost will be charged accordingly. Parents must abide by the Safer Eating reform as do Meadows, as in the link below:
https://www.thesaferfoodgroup.com/knowledge/eyfs-2025-safer-eating-in-early-years-settings/
And the NHS Better Health – Healthy Families -Healthier lunchboxes guidance:
https://www.nhs.uk/healthier-families/recipes/healthier-lunchboxes/
And EYFS guidance:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6839b752210698b3364e86fc/Early_years_foundation_stage_nutrition_guidance.pdf
Experiences
- Mothering/Fathering Day
- Royal Events
- Lunar New Year
- Valentines Day
- Spa Day
- School readiness
Other Celebrations
- Shrove Tuesday
- Easter egg hunts, cooking, and craft
- Christmas Party/Santa visit & gift
- Spooky Week
- Harvest
Outdoors
- Summer Parties/Leavers Parties & Ice Lollies/outside professionals.
- Campfire & Den Building Gardening & Growing
Science
- Caterpillar/Frog Experience
- Science Week Baking
Food & Sensory Activities
- Homemade Playdough/ Clay play/Salt dough/Moon Dough
- Sensory Activities using Rice, Cornflour, Pasta or other food items to extend activities.
FREE Experiences
- Where we can throughout the year, we work hard to source free materials – we also warmly welcome any donations from parents to support our activities and resources.
- We have a close relationship with our local Vicars, and they visit at Easter & Christmas to read/do a short service with the children and are happy to come into visit and read a story, wherever possible.
- Outside experiences – Visit to garden centre, Christmas Tree Farm.
Our nursery operates for 52 weeks of the year with closures over bank holidays (bank holidays are not charged for).
Food & E.E.E Charges (Funded Hours)
| Funding Age Group | 9mths - 4yrs |
|---|---|
| All Meals & Snacks charge price to pay per funded hour | £0.80 |
| E.E.E charge price to pay per funded hour | £1.00 |
| All Food & E.E.E charge per fully funded All Day Session | £18.00 |
