Childcare costs, made clearer.

Start with the childcare pattern your family actually needs. We’ll explain current private fees, funded hours, what is included and any additional costs before you decide.

Request Availability & Current Fees Ask a Question

How fees work

A current quote built around your attendance pattern.

Publishing old figures creates confusion. The site therefore asks for the details that actually change the answer: age group, proposed start date, days or sessions and any funded entitlement you plan to use.

Child’s ageBaby, toddler and pre-school availability can differ.

Start dateAvailability changes over time, particularly in younger rooms.

Attendance patternTell us the weekdays and sessions your family genuinely needs.

FundingIf relevant, tell us the funded entitlement you intend to use.

Important: This build deliberately does not publish a numerical private fee table. Final fees, funding treatment and included items should be confirmed against the nursery’s current policy before launch.

Ways families may pay

Private, funded or a mixture of both.

The right pattern depends on eligibility, the child’s age, the sessions required and the places available.

Private childcare

Pay privately for the attendance pattern you need.

Useful where you need hours beyond a funded entitlement, are not eligible for funding or want a place before an entitlement begins.

Request the current fee
Confirm what meals and consumables are included
Ask about notice periods and deposits in the current terms

Funded childcare

Use eligible government-funded early years hours.

Funding can reduce childcare cost, but eligibility does not itself guarantee that the nursery has the sessions or start date you want.

Check your government eligibility
Apply or reconfirm within the required deadlines
Check nursery availability separately

Mixed pattern

Combine funded hours with additional paid childcare.

Many working families need a longer day or more weeks than the core entitlement alone covers.

Ask how funded hours are applied
Check additional-hour charges
Understand any meal, consumable or optional-service charges

Working-parent entitlement

Up to 30 funded hours for eligible families.

Eligible working parents in England may be able to access up to 30 hours of funded childcare a week from the term after a child turns nine months until they start school, subject to government criteria.

The commonly described entitlement is based on 38 weeks of the year. Provider patterns can differ, so parents should ask how funded hours are offered at Dickory Docks and whether any “stretched” option is available under the current policy.

Funding is not a place reservation. Eligibility and nursery availability are separate. Check the childcare place you need as early as possible.

Have this ready

Make the funding conversation faster.

Your child’s date of birth
Your preferred start date
The weekdays / sessions you need
Your funding code, if you already have one
Whether you need care across school holidays

What to ask about

Understand the full childcare cost, not just the headline hours.

Government funding may sit alongside provider charges for additional hours or extras. The nursery should explain the current policy clearly before registration.

Question	Why it matters	What to confirm with Dickory Docks
Meals & snacks	Food may be outside the funded entitlement.	What is included in the current private and funded fee policy.
Nappies & consumables	Baby and toddler requirements can affect provider charges.	What families provide and what the nursery supplies.
Additional hours	Funded hours may not cover a full working day.	The current charge for hours outside the funded pattern.
Holiday pattern	Entitlements are commonly expressed across 38 weeks.	How Dickory Docks applies funding across its 51-week opening year.
Breakfast Club	The planned early-start service is separate from the standard nursery day.	Launch date, eligibility and charges once confirmed.

Fees & funding FAQs

Questions worth answering before registration.

Do you publish the nursery’s current fees online?

This build does not publish numerical private fees because outdated prices damage trust. Families are directed to request the current fee for the childcare pattern they actually need.

Does a funded entitlement guarantee a place?

No. Funding eligibility and nursery availability are separate. The nursery still needs to have a suitable place for the requested age group, start date and attendance pattern.

Can there be additional charges alongside funded hours?

Government-funded childcare may not cover extras such as meals, consumables, additional hours or optional services. Ask for the current Dickory Docks fee and funding policy.

Can I use funding all year?

Government entitlements are commonly described across 38 weeks. Ask the nursery whether and how it offers any stretched pattern across its longer opening year.

What is the fastest way to get an exact answer?

Send your child’s age, proposed start date, required days or sessions and any funding information through the place-enquiry process.

Start with availability, then get the exact cost.

That keeps the conversation practical and avoids comparing prices for childcare patterns that are not actually available.

Check Availability & Fees