Nursery and pre-school

If you are having to put your child or children into childcare in order to work to support your household expenses, then hopefully this website can demonstrate how it's possible to earn from your home PC instead through Make Money, which you can fit around your children's needs. Combine this with the Save Money pages of this website to slash your expenses without significantly comprising your lifestyle, and all being well you can ditch your job, and so your childcare expenses. If you are considering or are engaged in full-time working and full-time childcare in order to bring in the maximum income net of childcare expenses, then be aware that the latest research warns that babies growing up in nurseries are at risk of behaviour problems and mental health issues later in life. At home, babies have hundreds of exchanges a day with their parents and grandparents which produce a strong sense of safety, love and comfort. Paid carers in nurseries miss these interactions more than two thirds of the time, particularly as they are generally both underpaid and overworked. Levels of the stress hormone cortisol are twice as high in nursery children as in those cared for at home.

Aim to care for your children yourself until school age, and use this site to help you finance that. If that isn't feasible then use what's out there to help reduce your childcare costs. Firstly, there is the Childcare Voucher scheme which allows parents to buy vouchers out of their gross salary to pay for childcare, thereby avoiding having to pay tax and NI on it. If your employer doesn't offer this then harrass them to sign up to the scheme.

You can also claim Working Tax Credits from the Government, which contains a childcare element. How much you get back will depend on your income, working hours, number of children etc.

Finally, the Government entitles children aged 3 and 4 to 12.5 hours of free nursery education hours per week for 38 weeks a year. This free education is delivered through various settings including pre-school groups, children's centres, accredited childminders who are part of networks approved to deliver early education, nursery and reception classes in primary schools, nursery schools and private nurseries. Find out where this is offered locally to you.

A degree for free

Open University funding is very generous, especially for those with children. In most instances you can earn up to £30k and still receive some funding, and depending on how many kids you have, over £20k and still get full funding. Anyone who is on state benefits such as income support, council tax benefit, housing benefit, etc. automatically qualifies for funding. You also get a £250 grant towards study costs and can claim for internet costs, printing & postage costs, childcare costs while studying, travel costs for tutorials, pens, paper etc. On some courses you can also get a £250 grant for the purchase of a PC. These funding arrangements only cover people who don't already have a degree. It is possible to get a free degree out of the Open University whilst working and/or bringing up kids. Try the Ready Reckoner at this link to assess what funding you would be eligible for.