Understanding what's included in your nursery fees
We want you to understand how your nursery fees work from the start, including what's covered by Government Funding and which additional services are optional.
What's covered by your nursery fees?
Our nursery fees reflect the care, learning and experiences we provide throughout your child’s day, helping them feel happy, supported and ready to explore.
What’s included depends on your nursery, booking arrangements and any Government Funding your child receives. Your nursery’s Fees & Funding Guide explains exactly what’s covered.
Understanding Essentials & Extras
Government Funding covers your child’s eligible childcare hours, but additional services such as meals, consumables and enrichment activities may be charged separately.
At Kids Planet, we believe these everyday essentials and experiences are an important part of providing high-quality care and education. That’s why we offer them through our optional Essentials & Extras arrangements.
You can choose whether to access these services without affecting your child’s funded childcare entitlement.
What can Essentials & Extras include?
From nutritious meals to everyday essentials and additional experiences, these optional services help support your child’s nursery day.
Meals and snacks
Nutritious meals and snacks, with allergies and individual dietary requirements catered for.
Everyday essentials
Practical essentials such as nappies, wipes and sun cream, tailored to your child's needs.
Activities and experiences
Additional opportunities to explore and discover, including enrichment activities and educational outings where available.
How do Essentials & Extras charges work?
If your child receives Government Funding, you can choose to pay separately for meals, everyday essentials and additional activities.
These optional charges apply to the funded hours of your child’s booking. If your child also attends for hours that aren’t funded, you’ll pay your nursery’s usual childcare rate for those additional hours.
How much do Essentials & Extras cost?
| Full day | Half day | Short day | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meals and snacks | £7.00 | £3.50 | £5.60 |
| Consumables | £2.00 | £1.00 | £1.60 |
| Activities | £1.00 | £0.50 | £0.80 |
| Total for all three | £10.00 | £5.00 | £8.00 |
An example of how it works
Imagine your child attends nursery for 11 hours, with 5.5 hours covered by Government Funding.
You’ll pay your nursery’s usual childcare rate for the remaining 5.5 hours. If you choose all three optional Essentials & Extras, you’ll also pay £5 for that day.
Although your child attends for a full day, the £5 optional charge in this example relates to their 5.5 funded hours.
Essentials & Extras are your choice
You don’t have to pay for Essentials & Extras to access your child’s funded childcare hours.
If you’d prefer not to use these services, speak with your Nursery Manager about the alternatives available. Depending on the service and nursery, these may include bringing your own consumables. Your nursery’s Essentials & Extras Policy explains your options and how to make changes to your arrangements.
Your nursery fees, explained
Fees and optional services vary by nursery. Find your nursery to view its Fees & Funding Guide and Essentials & Extras Policy and contact them directly.
Your questions answered
These charges are associated with funded childcare. If you’re paying privately for your child’s sessions, you’ll pay your nursery’s usual childcare fees. Your nursery’s Fees & Funding Guide explains the services included in those fees.
For babies under 12 months, Essentials & Extras can include standard formula milk of your choice. If your baby needs specialist formula, your nursery team can discuss your individual requirements with you.
Speak with your Nursery Manager, who will explain the alternatives and arrangements available. Check your nursery’s Essentials & Extras Policy for any applicable notice requirements.