We've put together an article with some of our most frequently asked questions relating to upcoming changes to the way the tiney fee applies to funded hours offered under the new working parent entitlement for children aged 9 months to 2 years.
These FAQs refer to our updated terms and conditions which can be viewed here.
What is actually changing around tiney's fees in September 2024?
As we communicated in March, from September 2024:
Children of eligible working parents from 9 months to 2 years will be able to claim 15 hours of funded childcare per week
From September these hours will be subject to your standard tiney service fee
We are not making any changes to:
3 and 4 year-old funded places
Disadvantaged 2 year-old places
The tiney fee will not apply to these funding streams
Why is tiney making this funded hours change?
This change will ensure we can continue to provide you with the support, resources, and tools that define the tiney experience. It enables us to offer:
Sustainability: sustaining and improving the services and support you expect from tiney.
Quality Assurance: maintaining the high standards of care and education for children in the tiney community. All tiney services are covered by these fees, including all visits and regulatory costs.
Investment in our community: re-investing directly back into developing resources that benefit tiney childminders and the families you serve. This includes the tiney app, inset days, training resources, and industry partnerships.
What are the other changes covered in the T&Cs? And what do they mean for me?
The updated T&Cs shared this week cover all the details needed to put these changes into practice before September and ensure the community can offer and process funded hours easily. Key changes in the T&Cs include:
Details about the requirement to register with your LA if you intend to deliver funded hours.
They explain which funding streams the service fee will apply to, and which ones remain fee-free.
They explain that you can provide your LA with your dedicated tiney funding account details to make funded hours payments to if you want to.
They explain how the tiney fee will be charged in situations where you are unable to use your dedicated tiney funding account (e.g. because the LA has paid you directly).
They explain that tiney will make the termly headcount submissions on your behalf where possible. They also explain what you will need to do if your LA doesn’t currently allow tiney to do this or you choose to do this yourself.
Common questions we’ve received about these changes (Aug 24)
We didn’t know about these changes, why is it such short notice?
The updates to the fees for funded hours were communicated in the Spring. With regards to fees, nothing has changed since then. The updates to the T&Cs this week explain the details and technical elements of how we’re putting these changes into practice, ready for September.
We appreciate that it was a lot of information all at once, and we’re sorry if it felt overwhelming or included information you weren’t expecting. But nothing has changed in terms of our plans for fees since we first communicated the change earlier this year
Do I have to use the tiney wallet for funded hours? What if my LA won’t let me?
We are aware that some Local Authorities are not allowing childminders to change their bank details. Rest assured changing the bank details over to your dedicated tiney funding account is not mandatory. You will still be able to offer funded places.
Will you deregister me if I don’t sign the T&Cs?
No, we would never offboard a childminder without notice.
However, the new funded hours terms are a condition of you being able to offer funded placements at tiney. Therefore, if you want to offer funded hours but feel unable to agree to these terms, we would encourage you to raise your concerns with the team, if you are still not happy then you may choose to register elsewhere. In this situation, we will follow our standard deregistration processes, which involves discussing and planning the deregistration with you directly.
You will be able to continue operating as a childminder with tiney until your new registration is confirmed. However, you won’t be able to onboard new funded placements during this time until you have read, understood and signed the terms and conditions. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to talk through any questions.
How will you know what funded hours I’m providing?
We’ll calculate the fees based on the hours of care in your contracts and the rates paid by your LA.
Are funded places for 3 and 4 years old being charged?
No - as communicated in March, we won’t be charging the tiney fee on this funding stream
Are funded places for disadvantaged 2 year olds being charged
No - as communicated in March, we won’t be charging the tiney fee on this funding stream
Is there a risk that tiney might close?
Definitely not! We have just had a fantastic Ofsted inspection and have exciting plans and improvements coming over the next year. We are in a secure position and our brilliant community is going from strength to strength. Should you have any worries please talk to us directly.