Nursery e-mails me 5 pm...

We have had this twice, once with DD1’s wraparound care, there were no other providers so we (luckily) rearranged both of our working hours so DH could drop to school and I could pick up. We were so lucky that our employers were sympathetic and flexible.

The other time was DD2’s entire nursery, they had told us they were struggling, but the day the lockdown was announced I went to pick her up and all the staff were crying and her key worker handed me her folder. I asked why and she told me they were closing that day.

The Government keep announcing these “free” places which is great for parents but they don’t pay the nurseries enough to offer the places and pay their staff, it’s shocking.

I work in nurseries. This will be down to lack of qualified staff as legally, you need a level 3 in each room, then half need to be level 2, the others can be unqualified. Nursery often mixes rooms to resolve this but not always suitable to do so.
Sorry this has happened. When this new funding comes into place, the situation will get even worse. Nobody wants to work in nurseries anymore. The pay is laughable, the hours are ridiculously long and the challenges are endless. Many nurseries are only operating because they are using qualified agency staff to cover the gaps.

Oh how awful OP, that must be so stressful.

I guess you're working the phones this morning, but if you have time when things calm down please consider contacting your MP. The early years sector has been treated with contempt over the past decade (at least), and isn't working for any of the stakeholders. Politicians need to be told this time and time again.

Government urgently needs to get a grip on this- the shortage of childcare will impact significantly on the wider economy and make inflation worse (parents having to pay more for limited childcare spaces) and impact productivity (parents not being able to work effectively

Would be nice if they cared about the moral and social aspect of high quality childcare and early years learning but economics seems to be the only thing they care about (and that's not going well either)

Our nursery keeps having repeated room closures for those exact reasons - if someone is sick, they don't have the ratios so they legally cannot open.

They sent an email last week apologising and saying that they are doing their best to recruit, but the reality is that the supermarkets pay more. So why would you go through the stress of having to deal with the legalities/safeguarding/training when you could earn more in the local shop? Especially as the career progression/earning potential doesn't increase.

It's great that minimum wage has increased in recent years, but the reality is that when the unskilled jobs start to pay more than skilled jobs, it's basic logic that those skilled jobs will suddenly become very difficult to recruit for

What a nightmare! Hope you find something else without too much trouble. In our area that would be impossible 😫.

Our Nursery burnt down one night. A large (private), well run nursery, with lots of kids and a fantastic reputation - the manager was lovely. Was arson - Fuckers.

The scramble for alternative child care was horrendous. Ended up at a horrible place - felt bad leaving DS there but had no option - had to work. Fortunately it wasn't for very long.

Advice - get on the phone and get ringing around as there are not normally many nurseries running with a load of spare capacity - and the nurseries will only hold a place with a large deposit.

They will be sent home. If anyone thinks “I didn’t get the email” is going to magic provision they’re deluded.

Only if there’s no mention of sudden/unexpected closures on in the contract. Which most will have to cover payment terms on unexpected closures for weather and the likes.

You aren't in Liverpool at all? My friend had this happen recently.

No constructive advice, but just my sympathy, OP.
We had something similar in 2015. We received an email at 5pm on the Friday of a Bank Holiday weekend saying they were closing and we were given one weeks notice.

We were absolutely gutted because we loved the place. We struggled for several weeks before we found somewhere by exhausting our friends and family members, but not everyone is fortunate to have that.

They’re still in breach of contract.

So what do you think the solution is? Open illegally? Just let the kids run about with no supervision? Maybe they could get the older kids to supervise the babies?

I mean, you can ramble on about breach of contract all you like but if they can't open, they can't open. There's no magic pool of money or staff for nurseries to just dip into!

What is it you expect them to do? Open the room and let the kids have a free for all. I know nursery is mostly there so parents can work but the quality and safety of the provision has to be there and focused on the kids!

A £25000 isn't very much - that's only going to cover staffing costs for 1 month for a small nursery.

Nurseries need to have greater reserves than that.

We had a similar situation when the nursery went out of business

it worked itself out but I feel your pain

Moving to other rooms can also be impossible due to space as well.

if you’ve already got, for example, 25 3-year-olds in a room with you can’t necessarily stick the 9 babies/toddlers from another room in with them as well even if staff numbers worked out somehow

They’re still in breach of contract.

why should the OP suffer because they’re unprepared. Iif the OP left with no notice they would absolutely be charging her.

@underneaththeash and if they can't find any agency staff? And can't afford to suck up the cost?

I'm glad the nursery you worked for turned such a profit but I doubt once that's closing with no notice just has a random 25k sitting about 🙈

And moving a child "down" to babies isn't going to be good for their development

Oh, what a shock for you! Unfortunately I think this is going to happen more and more often.

Nurseries near me are really struggling to recruit qualified staff - and you have to have at least 50% qualified staff I believe.

Why would you want to work 50 hours a week for £10.50 an hour managing a 20 place baby room for example, when M&S will pay you more to sit on a till?
The money just doesn't make sense for the level of skill, training and responsibility required.

I imagine the government response will be to up ratios of children to adults and reduce qualification needed - just get in a series of short term school-leavers on peanuts to watch 5 or 6 children each, recruit new ones every year.

Scatter them elsewhere?! The other rooms will be full to the ratios too.

As if they’ve closed without considering that… there’s a mass shortage of nursery staff. Including supply. If they can’t get staff they can’t get staff.

There are very few agency staff. Less than are needed.

@cinnamonfrenchtoast @YetMoreNewBeginnings ah yes that does make sense regarding the amount of staff available. That’s so rubbish!

For example, DD just turned two in May. Surely if the room was closing due to staffing issues then they could move her up a room or down a room? Or maybe I’m living in dreamland

That wouldn't be possible due to the ratios. If they've made the decision to close an entire room then they clearly don't have enough staff in the other rooms to meet the ratios needed. If they had any additional staff they would have moved them rather than taking the drastic decision to close a room.