Our Fees
Exceptional Childcare London
Our Fees
A non- refundable registration fee of £85.00 is payable in order to reserve each child’s place at Brown Bears Nursery. We will also require a £350.00 non-refundable deposit to secure your space. This deposit will be returned during your child’s last month at the nursery.
Consumables and Experience Charges
Your Funded Nursery Hours Fee Explained
Brown Bears Nursery is a private nursery funded by parent contributions alongside government funding. As a private nursery, the government funding for free hours does not cover the full cost of providing high-quality childcare. We therefore charge a small consumables and experiences fee to cover items such as nappies, wipes, food, craft and sensory materials, cooking ingredients, celebrations, and enrichment activities that go beyond the basic Early Years statutory requirements.
The government allows nurseries to charge for these additional costs, as funding only covers the core childcare provision. Our £1 per hour consumables and experiences charge (applied during funded morning and afternoon sessions) helps ensure all children benefit from a rich, engaging, and high-quality nursery experience that supports their individual needs and development.
At Brown Bears Nursery, to continue to offer funded places relies on parents opting in to the consumables charge. Without this contribution, we may need to reduce our enhanced provision or limit funded places in the future. This charge helps us maintain the high-quality care and learning experiences that families choose Brown Bears for.
This is not an exhaustive list but it provides examples of what the nursery pays for your child to ensure they have the best nursery experience.
Daily - Weekly and Monthly Experiences
The following are experiences and consumables we buy on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.
Self-Care and Food
We provide all nappies and wipes, as well as breakfast, mid-morning snacks and afternoon snacks, depending on your child’s session.
Baking Experiences
Children take part in baking at least twice a month. We provide all ingredients, equipment and decorations for both sweet and savoury baking activities.
Yoga
A qualified external teacher delivers weekly children’s yoga sessions, supporting wellbeing, balance, coordination, focus and relaxation.
Stickers, Rewards & Certificates
We purchase stickers, stamps, reward charts, certificates and prizes throughout the year to celebrate children’s achievements and positive behaviour.
Outdoor Play – Sand & Child-Safe Soil
We regularly replace indoor and outdoor play sand and child-safe soil to ensure it remains clean, safe and suitable for children’s play and gardening activities. We provide sensory materials, water-play equipment, and treats in the summer such as ice pops.
Homemade Playdough & Crafting Clays
We make fresh playdough weekly using flour, oil and salt, and provide added materials such as glitter and sequins. Crafting clay is also purchased for take-home creations.
Annual Experiences
The following are experiences and consumables we buy every year:
We celebrate a wide range of cultural and seasonal events throughout the year, including Chinese New Year, Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, Diwali, Eid, and Graduation. For each celebration, we provide additional resources, activities, and materials, and at times entertainers as well as opportunities for children to make gifts and surprises for their families.
Cultural & Seasonal Celebrations
Children enjoy age-appropriate activities such as crafts, baking, storytelling, sensory play, colour mixing, and cultural learning for events including Chinese New Year, St Patrick’s Day, Holi, Valentine’s Day, Easter (including Easter eggs and Easter party for all the children), Halloween, Christmas (including annual Christmas party with entertainer), and religious festivals.
Cooking & Baking Experiences
We regularly provide cooking and baking activities using real ingredients, including Shrove Tuesday pancake making and themed treats for special occasions.
Science & Nature Experiences
Children take part in hands-on science activities, seed planting, gardening, and lifecycle learning (such as caterpillars growing into butterflies), with all equipment and materials provided by the nursery. We also bring in outside companies to help us educate our children about animals and the natural world.
Special Family Celebrations
For Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, children create keepsakes using additional craft resources and printed photographs supplied by the nursery.
Trips & Outings
Each year we organise a nursery trip (such as a farm or zoo visit) and a pantomime for preschool children. These experiences involve transport, tickets, and refreshments, and the nursery covers costs beyond parent contributions.
Graduation & School Readiness
Graduation includes gifts, certificates, photographs, refreshments, and an entertainer for the graduation party. We also purchase additional books and resources to help prepare children for the transition to school. We have an outside person come in to teach our children phonics to preschoolers to get them school ready.