Your existing families are often the easiest way to grow your business. They already know and trust you, their child is settled, and many of them aren't using all the funded hours they're entitled to. Offering a few more hours can be a win for everyone: more income for you, more consistent care for the child, and less juggling for the parents.
In the tiney app, you can now see when a child isn't using their full funded hours allowance, and send the parent a quick message to offer more. Before you confirm anything though, it's worth running through a few checks so the extra hours are paid correctly and you stay within the rules.
1. Check whether you can amend your funding claim right now
Each local authority (LA) has its own headcount dates and deadlines for changing a funding claim. Some let you amend hours partway through the term, others only at the start.
So before you offer extra funded hours, find out where you are in your LA's term. If the amendment window is still open, great. If it has closed, the extra funded hours may not be paid until the start of next term.
That doesn't mean you have to wait. You could:
agree with the parent that the extra funded hours start next term, or
offer the hours as paid hours in the meantime, if the family is happy to do that.
If you're not sure what your LA allows, check their provider portal or get in touch with their funding team. They'd much rather you ask than guess.
2. If the funding is stretched, only change it at the start of the term
Stretched funding spreads a child's termly hours across more weeks of the year. Because the weekly amount is worked out for the whole stretch, changing it partway through can leave you claiming more than the child is actually entitled to. If that happens, the LA will ask for the money back.
So with stretched funding, agree the new hours with the parent now if you like, but only update the funding calculation and your claim at the beginning of a term. Make sure the parent knows when the change will kick in.
3. Check your ratios and your space
Extra hours for one child can change your numbers on a particular day or session. Before you say yes, look at the days and times the parent is asking for and check:
how many children you'll have in each session, including your own children and any under 8s in the house
how many of those are under 5, and how many are under 1
whether an assistant will be with you for those sessions
You need to stay within the EYFS ratios for every session, not just on average across the week. The Children tab and your calendar in the app will help you see who's booked when. If the extra hours would take you over ratio, you might be able to offer a different day or time instead.
4. Update the paperwork
Once you and the parent have agreed the new hours, make it official:
Update the childcare contract in the tiney app so the new hours, days and (if relevant) fees are recorded and signed by the parent.
Update the parent's funding agreement form (sometimes called a parent declaration) with your LA. Most LAs need a new or amended form whenever funded hours change.
Keep a copy of both, in case your LA or tiney ever needs to see them.
Doing this straight away means your invoices, your funding claim and your records all match. It also protects you if there's ever a question about what was agreed.
A quick checklist before you confirm
Can I amend my funding claim at this point in the term?
If it's stretched funding, am I waiting until the start of the term to change the calculation?
Do the extra hours keep me within ratio for every session?
Have I updated the contract in the app and the LA parent agreement form?
Not sure? Ask
If you're unsure about anything, message us through the app and we'll help you work it out. Your LA's funding team can also confirm their deadlines and which forms they need.
Offering more hours is a great way to build a stronger, more stable business with families you already love working with. A few minutes of checking up front means you can do it with confidence.