Expenses need to be covered

You need to be clear about your outgoings:

• Rent — how much and do you have to pay for storage?
• Do you have to pay rent during the holidays?
• Is there any extra charge for heating and lighting?
• Are you providing refreshments?
• What will you need to spend on materials like paint, sand and glue?
• Do you need to purchase equipment?
• Are you a member of the Pre-school Learning Alliance? For more information about joining the Alliance, click here
• Insurance is essential and available with the Pre-school Learning Alliance. Contact the Insurance team on 020 7697 2585 for further information.

When you have added together all your costs and decided how often to meet, you can then calculate how much you need to charge for each session. Remember attendance may go up and down so weekly income will vary.

Looking after your money

• Make sure contributions are collected at each session.
• Keep the money in a secure place (such as a lockable cash box) during the session.
• You will need to open a post office, bank or building society account with at least two, and preferably three signatures.
• Keep simple accounts of incomings and outgoings.