From August 1st, 2025, there will be a small but important change to the way you book and pay for our holiday camps, after school clubs, and wraparound care.
As a social enterprise, every decision we make puts you, your children, and the wider community at the heart of what we do. That’s why we’ve made the decision to phase out our current ‘book now, pay later’ system.
What’s Changing?
Most families won’t notice much difference. You’ll still be able to:
- Book and pay at the same time
- Add funds to your account in advance to maintain a positive balance and make bookings as needed
However, going forward, you’ll need to ensure your account has sufficient funds before making a booking.
Why We’re Making This Change
- Supporting families’ financial wellbeing
We want to help families avoid unintentionally building up debt. As a mission-driven organisation that reinvests 65% of our profits into community initiatives, it’s vital we support long-term wellbeing – financial and otherwise.
- Protecting our financial health
To continue providing high-quality services in schools and communities – and paying our team the Real Living Wage – we need to reduce the number of late and unpaid invoices. This change helps us remain financially stable and focus our resources where they matter most.
- Preparing for our new booking system
Since we adopted our third-party booking system in 2022, we’ve heard your feedback – and we agree: it hasn’t always been the easiest system to use.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce we’ll be launching our own booking platform in Summer 2026.
This new system will be:
- More user-friendly and flexible
- Aligned with how many schools and nurseries already operate
- Based on a wallet-style payment model – meaning you’ll preload funds before booking
By introducing this payment change now, you'll have time to get comfortable with the approach while still using the system you’re familiar with.
Using Tax-Free Childcare or Childcare Vouchers?
We understand that many families use Tax-Free Childcare or Childcare Vouchers to pay for bookings, often before the funds have reached us.
To help with the transition:
- Please make sure your account is funded before making a booking
- Remember:
- Tax-Free Childcare payments usually take 24 hours
- Traditional childcare vouchers can take 7–10 days to reach us
Planning ahead will ensure a smoother experience for everyone.
We're Here to Help
We believe this change will make things simpler in the long run, while helping us continue to offer the trusted care and support your family relies on.
If you have any questions or need support during this transition, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’re here for you every step of the way.
Thank you for your continued support – and we look forward to bringing you an even better experience with our new system in 2026.