Effective as of 1st March 2026, the enrolment fee is a one-time admin charge that families pay directly to tiney when they enrol with you. It covers our work in registering the family, setting up their account, and giving them access to the tiney app and family benefits. The cost is determined by the type of contract required.
How much is the enrolment fee?
The fee is set automatically depending on the type of contract being set up:
Contract type | Enrolment fee |
Standard childcare contracts | £65 |
Wraparound care only (before and/or after school for school aged children) | £35 |
Short-term contracts (under 1 month) | £35 |
Funded hours only (care paid for entirely by Local Authority funding, with no hours paid by the family) | £0 |
Families experiencing financial hardship, and families where one of the guardians is a tiney childminder or assistant, are exempt from this fee. To apply the exemption, please contact us via the app.
Key point: The enrolment fee is completely separate from any settling-in fees or deposits you may arrange directly with families.
Discussing the enrolment fee with families
When should I mention it?
Early. Bring it up in your first phone call or at the start of your home visit. This keeps things transparent and avoids any awkwardness later.
Don't wait until it's time to set up the contract to mention an extra cost.
How to introduce it
Here's a simple way to explain it:
I'm part of tiney, the country's biggest Ofsted-registered childminder agency. They're my regulator, and they provide all the quality assurance and family benefits you'll get as a parent. There's a one-off enrolment fee that covers your registration and access to those services. For standard childcare it's £65. I can send you more info, or you can get in touch with tiney directly if you have questions.
The resources
When you mention the fee, offer to send:
The one-page explainer, which covers what the fee includes and why it exists
The tiney family pack, a full guide covering everything families need to know, including the enrolment fee
tiney's contact details:
Phone: 020 4579 9034
Email: community@tiney.co
A few things to keep in mind
Don't apologise for the fee. It's in place to support tiney's work and services.
Don't offer to waive or discount the fee. Unless the family is experiencing financial difficulties, we can't adjust or remove the fee.
Don't get into detailed billing discussions. If parents have complex questions, point them to tiney's support team. That's what we're here for.
Common questions and how to respond
We're happy to answer any questions families may have, but we've compiled some info below to help you field some common queries directly.
"Why do I need to pay this?"
"Why do I need to pay this?"
The enrolment fee reflects the quality and regulatory support behind tiney. tiney childminders are part of a quality-assured network with professional oversight and annual inspections, and families get support services and benefits that aren't available with independent childminders. The fee goes toward the cost of our central admin in onboarding the family.
"This seems expensive"
"This seems expensive"
tiney's enrolment fee is in line with the admin fees charged by most nurseries, and is only charged once per family. Families registered with tiney childminders get full transparency through the app, benefits like free GP appointments for the entire family, and the peace of mind that comes with knowing their childminder has annual quality inspections.
"I previously enrolled with you and didn't have to pay a fee"
"I previously enrolled with you and didn't have to pay a fee"
It may be that the family's previous contract was exempt. As of 1st March 2026, the enrolment fee applies to all families signing a new contract (unless they fall into one of the exemption reasons listed above). The fee is only charged once per family, so any future enrolments won't incur a second charge.