childcare fees

[Jollijo]

My daughters attends after school care at her school 2 nights a week. The school closed due to snow one week in Jan and she missed her two sessions that week - I now find I have been billed for the two sessions she missed as school say they still have to pay staff - am I being unreasonable when I say I don't see why I should as I feel I am being asked to pay for a service I didn't recieve, surely it is up to school to recompence staff in this case - what do others think?
Jollijo

I agree with you but don't really know where you stand legally on this one. It's rough tho!!

YOu have to look at the documentation you received initially, and any contract you signed.

Some child care places do require you to pay even if you did not attend.

If it is in the bumpth you pay it!

YANBU, but to think that the money should come out of the school budget is U. I guess they do still have to pay staff, so I don't know what the answer is. Presumably you having to pay in circumstances like these is part of the contract you signed?

I think this is pretty standard for all types of childcare. I was surprised to find our afterschool didn't insist on this last year. They nearly had to shut down because they lost so much money because of the snow. You could ask them for 2 extra sessions in lieu instead? This doesn't cost them anything, but gives you something you might like.

Check your contract with the afterschool club, and their terms and conditions. Ours state that if the child does not attend but the club is open then the session has to be paid for. However, if the club is closed for whatever reason (e.g. snow, heating, training) then the fees will be waived. So basically club open - fees paid, club closed - fees waived. But not every club is like this and it should be specifically stated in the contract/terms and conditions what the case is with your club. And if the answer is that you pay, ask why you have to pay for a service you didn't receive through no fault of your own. At the very least it will lead to clarification within the terms and conditions, hopefully it will get you the outcome you desire.

Thanks for your replies - not sure I even got an outline of terms & conditions when we started but will investigating and standing my ground!!
Jollijo

A lot of these clubs are run at a very low or zero profit margin and simply do not have the slack in the system to absorb the costs of a few snow-days. They are run at this cost level to keep it as affordable as possible for parents.

I am aware that this doesn't apply to all settings but it may apply to yours.

Would you be willing to pay more for the care in the first place to allow for them to cover costs in this type of unforeseen circumstances? If you and a number of other parents would prefer this arrangement then perhaps you should suggest it to the management when you express your concerns.