Dartmouth Parent Information | Childcare Provider

Parent Information

Closure Dates

Christmas 2026
Closed 24th December 2026 to 3rd January 2026. Re-opening on 4th Jan 2027

Bank Holidays 2026
1st January 2026
3rd April 2026
6th April 2026
4th May 2026
25th May 2026
31st Aug 2026
25thDecember
28th December

Calculate Nursery Fees

Please use our fee calculator below to get an understanding on how much you could save.

Funding Information

Government Funding for Childcare

There are many ways of getting help with paying for your childcare. Details can be found here https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/childcare-early-years-education/

Please visit yourself to get the most up to date information.

(The current offer is explained here for those taking a term time only childcare place. Not all nurseries off term time only places so the funding is spread over the whole year meaning fewer hours per week, but the same total hours per academic year.)

Eligible working parents and carers of children aged 3 - 4 can get an additional 15 hours of childcare support, bringing the total support they can get up to 30 hours a week. Eligible working parents of 2-year-olds can also access 15 hours of childcare support.

Some parents of 2-year-old children may also be entitled to 15 hours childcare support, if they receive some additional forms of government support. Please note, if you’re eligible for both the working entitlement and the 15 hours for families receiving support, you cannot take up both offers, and should apply for the 15 hours for families receiving support. You can do this by contacting your local authority.

Your hours can be used per week for 38 weeks of the year (during school term time). You may be able use your hours for up to 52 weeks if you use fewer than your total hours per week. Check with your childcare provider to find out if this is something they offer.

You can use Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare whilst claiming your 15 or 30 hours of childcare support.

The Expanded Offer:

From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds can access 15 hours childcare support. By September 2025, most working families with children aged between 9 months and 5 years old will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support. (the child needs to be 24 months by the end of the previous funding period - 1/9-31/12, 1/1-31/3, 1/4-31/8)
The changes are being introduced gradually to make sure that providers can meet the needs of more families. This means that:

From September 2024:

15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents of children from the age of 9 months to 3-year-olds. (the child needs to be 9 months by the end of the previous funding period - 1/9-31/12, 1/1-31/3, 1/4-31/8)

From September 2025:

Eligible working parents of children from 9 months to school age will be entitled to up to 30 hours of childcare a week.
Like the existing offer, depending on your provider, these hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year (during school term time), or up to 52 weeks if you use fewer than your total hours per week.

How many hours childcare can you get per week, if using a term time only place?

Reduce 15 hours to 11 hrs for an all year round place and 30 hours to 22.5hrs for an all year round place.

Age 9 Months - 2 Years (Working Families):

15 Hours - Sept 2024
30 Hours - Sept 2025

Age 2-3 Years (Families Receiving Government Support):

15 Hours Now

Working Families:

15 Hours Now
30 Hours Sept 2025

Age 3-4 Years (All Parents):

15 Hours Now

Working Families:

30 Hours Now

Combining Schemes That Give Help With Childcare Costs:

Any of the following schemes:

Tax-Free Childcare:

Age 0 - 11 or 16 if disabled
Working Families: Get up to £2000 per child

Tax Credits:

Age 0 - 15 or 16 if disabled
Working families: Claim back up to 70% of costs

Universal Credit:

Age 0 - 16
Working families: Claim back up to 85% of costs

Can be used with:

15 hours childcare:

Age 9 - 23 months
Working families

15 hours childcare:

Age 2
Families getting some form of government support

15 hours childcare:

Age 3 & 4
All families

15 or 30 hours childcare:

Age 2 - 4
Working families

Tax Free Childcare

Tax free childcare is for working families including the self employed in the UK. For every £8 you pay in, the government will add an extra £2 up to £2000 per child per year.

Tax Credits

Tax credits are for working families and can pay up to 70% of childcare costs.

Employer Childcare Voucher Schemes

We are registered with various childcare voucher schemes.

Universal Credit

Is for working families claiming universal credit and covers up to 85% of eligible childcare costs.

Support while you study

This provides weekly payments from care to learn if you are at school or sixth form college. Help is available through your college if in further education or a weekly grant if you are in full time higher education.

Meals and Snacks

Healthy Meals

Cooking our own meals from scratch is a key part of our nursery experience. Each day the children are involved in preparing their snacks and lunches. They learn key skills such as chopping, peeling and grating which develops their hand eye co-ordination.

The dishes range from traditional English home cooking to more exotic tastes from international cuisines, and include properly-balanced nutritional elements. We are able to cater for allergies and dietary requirements.

Healthy and nutritious meals

We also believe an integral part of family life is enjoying a meal together, and likewise a most enjoyable social event is sharing a meal with friends. We carry this philosophy through the nursery and all children take their meals together.

Famly: Our early childhood platform

We love using Famly, an all-in-one early childhood platform, that gives you real-time updates on your child’s day straight to an app on your phone.

With Famly, you’ll be able to access pictures, videos, and announcements via the newsfeed, or your child’s profile. At the click of a button, you can update permissions, report sickness and holidays, pay your bill, and send direct messages to us whenever you need. At the same time, there’s a bunch of admin tools and support, that will give our staff even more time to spend with your children.

What’s expected from me as a parent?

Once you register your child with us you’ll receive a separate Welcome Email from Famly guiding you through how to set up your Famly account as a parent.

When you get the email, all you need to do is to follow these steps:

Activate your free Famly account by following the guide in the Welcome Email which you will receive. Your account will already be set up for you, and all you have to do is to create your personal password.
Confirm the info on your child’s profile. The first time you log in, we highly recommend that you go to your child’s profile and confirm that the information is correct. If anything needs to be changed, you can do this yourself directly on the profile or by informing us.
Set your account preferences and notifications. You can adjust your notification preferences within your profile settings on the app.

We love using Famly and are sure you will as well.

Parent Information

Calculate Nursery Fees

Funding Information

Meals and Snacks

Healthy Meals

Famly: Our early childhood platform

The Ark at Dartmouth Information

Policies and Procedures

Useful Information

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