Fees and sessions

Little Dragons offers term-time sessions, 38 Weeks per year:

Mornings – 9am-12pm
Afternoons – 12pm-3pm
Full day – 9am-3pm

From 1st September 2025 fees will be

Fees:

Under 3s – £24.50 per session or £49 full day
Over 3s – £22.50 per session or £45 full day
A snack is provided, but you will need to bring a packed lunch for afternoon and full day sessions.

Late collection charge

At Little Dragons, children must be collected on time. If your child is still in our care after the session ends, a £20 penalty will be charged for every quarter of an hour (or part thereof) that you are late. When children are picked up late, staff schedules are disrupted and our insurance can be invalidated, so even if it is by just a few minutes, you will still be charged.

How to pay

  • Debit and credit cards can be used with no transaction charges, either at our reception or over the phone. We do not accept American Express.
  • Cheques should be made payable to St George’s CCP.
  • Standing order forms are available from reception.
  • We accept all brands of vouchers issued under the salary sacrifice scheme.

All fees are revised annually at the beginning of June and implemented at the beginning of September. Parents paying subsidised fees will be asked to verify their current circumstances and eligibility at regular intervals.

We require 4 weeks’ notice of any cancellation or amendment to your child’s sessions.

Subsidised places

St George’s has provided affordable childcare within our local community for more than 30 years. We are able to offer subsidised places to families in financial difficulty, so that their children can also have the best possible start in life. All subsidised places are made possible through our programme of charity fundraising; no contribution is taken from families who pay full fees.

If you or someone you know is in need of support, please contact us at childcaremanager@stgeorgeschildcare.co.uk to find out more about eligibility.

Free Early Education (FEE): 15 or 30 Hours for 38 weeks of the year 

The local authority provides Free Early Education (FEE) to assist with nursery or playgroup fees.

  • From September 2025: 30 hours for eligible working parents of children from the age of 9 months until they start school.

Age Eligibility Examples

  • If your child was born on 15th March 2025, you can receive subsidised childcare from the term starting after 1st January 2026 (as they will be 9 months old at that point).

  • If your child was born on 15th November 2024, you can receive funding from 1st September 2025 (as they will be 9 months old by then).

3–4 Year Olds

  • Universal 15 hours: All 3–4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours per week, term-time only (from the term after their 3rd birthday).

  • Extended 30 hours: Up to 30 hours per week (term-time) for eligible working parents.

How Funding Works

  • Funding is available for 38 weeks of the year (term-time).

  • If a child attends more than one setting, the funded hours are split between providers (up to the maximum entitlement).

  • Attendance registers are kept as evidence of attendance, showing the child’s arrival and departure times.

  • By Sept 2025: Eligible working parents can access 30 hours from 9 months old until school age.

To check your eligibility go to www.beststartinlife.gov.uk

Please enquire as to availability by emailing childcaremanager@stgeorgeschildcare.co.uk or call 01892 543982.

If you think you are not getting your entitlement please follow this read the latest Kent-Provider-Agreement- 01.09.2021