Nursery requests payment during lockdown for a child not attending!!

[Abimz]

Urgent Question‼️⁉️
Hello dear mums, did anyone else get an email from their child's nursery asking for a 25% payment for a child that has not been attending nursery for over 2weeks in the month of March (which I think the nursery is owing me for unattended hours).

The 25% payment is for the month of April and nursery stated that they are offering parents 75% discount (of which the child is still not attending nusery as the nursery clearly stated that both parents are not keyworkers and child doesn't qualify to attend nursery till the stay at home period is over).

This is surprising as my child is at home with me and nursery is acting as if they are doing me a favour of 75% discount and for me to pay 25% rest of the usual nursery fees.

Please, does anyone know which government authority to report this to?❓
Any advise regarding the above?❓Thanks

Most nurseries are doing at least this if not asking for more payment. If you want them to still be in business and have a place for your D.C. after this I would pay.

Assuming you want your child to return to the nursery, you will have to pay the very reasonable 25%

Mine is asking for 40%. As far as can tell we just have to suck it up and pay.

25% is brilliant! Lots are charging 100%. They still have costs to cover.

Lucky you. Seriously

Go and check your contract and see what it says about payment for closures.

Please don’t use hyperbole about ‘reporting to government authorities’... Early Years settings have been woefully underfunded for years and survival for many of them will be at stake in this situation. As indicated above, a 25% contribution is not uncommon. We are very fortunate that final arrangements for ours have been confirmed as less but for a time it was looking as significantly more. Because we’re also still in the fortunate position where we’re both still earning as normal with job security and working from home, we’d have had no problem contributing more if that’s what would have been necessary to keep a brilliant setting afloat, and staff with an income, in completely unprecedented circumstances.

Yes ours is charging 25% which I think is very reasonable under the circumstances. I've heard of others charging a higher percentage. If you are not happy OP, hand in your child's notice, and you can go back on the waiting list when they re-open 🤷‍♀️

Last month, I already paid just a lil bit over a £1000 for nursery hours as they charge me more than full hours payment because my child didn't get full days hours for mondays and fridays.
So, I had to pay extra charges at £8 for extra 30mins(£16 per hour) to complete mondays and fridays as full days.

I already paid this in advance for the month of March.

I also cancelled the extra hours within the agreed time on the contract before the lockdown began.

Nursery acknowledged this and said extra hours have been cancelled and I will be refunded.

I have not been refunded for the cancelled extra hours and now, I get an invoice of unattended hours for April.

What would you be reporting?!

If there's a mistake on the invoice call them. If you don't want to pay the 25% retainer fee then cancel your child's place and take a risk on not being able to find one later. Most nurseries are charging.

You're essentially paying a retainer to keep your child's place when they reopen.

I imagine if you don't pay, you will need to give notice to cancel your place and remove your child permanently. My nephew's nursery is charging 25%, you can cancel your place and not pay but you have to reapply for a place when they reopen and will be subject to availability.

This is very standard. You are paying not for childcare, but to retain your child’s place at the nursery once this is all over.

You can remove your child if you wish & pay nothing (dependant on your contract terms), but then you may struggle to find a place at a new nursery after lockdown.

Some are charging full fees as a retainer, 25% is very reasonable.

Please, does anyone know which government authority to report this to

😂😂 Dont be so ridiculous. Report them for what exactly??

By all means dont pay them but dont expect them to take your child back when they reopen

What do you think you have to complain about?

Think the government may have bigger worries currently

25% is reasonable. Some are charging a lot more

I can't go to work because of this issue and I had to take unpaid time off work.
How do they expect me to sustain making the payments when I don't get paid myself as I have to look after my child.

At this point, I'm more than happy taking the risk of withdrawing my child from the nursery and I would find another one when all this is over, as the nursery as always been too money-focused.
I can't count the number of times, my child was not accepted to attend because they have a policy of your child can't attend nursery with 48hours of being administered calpol and they donot administer calpol to child, they always call me to come and pick my child from nursery in such situations and still charge me for the hours my child can't attend.

I have always wanted to withdraw my child from this nursery before this happened, this is just the best time to do this, thanks for all your advise.
I appreciate people's comments but not unreasonable comments. Thanks.

I would withdraw OP.

Dd is in a private nursery, Scotland. They will receive all funded places here. They will also receive all private places for key workers, and have been identified as local hub.

It took them some weeks and some parental pressure to confirm the position for non key worker private children and they have confirmed the place will be held and no fees will be payable. This was expected here as the terms and conditions are very specific about non payment if the nursery is forced to close.

Had they been charging, I would have had to withdraw.

I'm sorry you're in a tough situation, but I can't really see your issue. You can argue if 25% should be 20% or 30% but loads of places are doing this to remain viable.

I think the reason people are a bit is because you are coming across as I'd you think this is a new targeted thing at you. This is happening to lots of people over childcare because of the risk of these placements closing down.

Frankly withdraw or dont but you are coking across as dramatic and somewhat victim like whenever everyone is in the same situation.

Our nursery isn't charging during the shut down. I'd just withdraw her place.

25% is good! We've paid 50% for April and we're not key workers so child isn't attending.

Withdraw your child then, but check your contract as you'll still be obliged to pay fees to cover the notice period which is usually 4-6 weeks.

Ours is charging 30%, which I'm happy to pay as we want them there and fully functioning on the other side of this. However, we are both being paid in full, so I can understand that it isn't possible for everyone. Tbh, I would've been happier to pay the full amount and see the staff get fully paid too. As it is they've been furloughed, and I imagine for some of them that 20% hit will be brutal.

If lots of people pull out there will be lots of places available as and when they reopen. I'd do so if paying is unaffordable.