Rip off Nursery Fees or perfectly reasonable?

[MommaE]

Just started my own business so need a nursery for DS3. Rang round a few and they all seem to charge the same so chose the one nearest my other DCs school.

They sent me an information pack including fee sheet (£55 per day not even nappies included but they reduce it by £1.30 when he's 2 so that'll be a saving . No mention of any additional costs at all in the pack.

Go for the tour this morning, very pleased with it. Then just as we are about to leave the manager tells us that we will need to pay a £50 administration fee and a £100 deposit which will be returned when DS leaves (er, in 3 years) providing we give them the full months notice. Oh and a month's fees in advance of £715 (no negotiation) and that's for only 3 days a week. So we will have to find £865 upfront. We will get some tax credit help but that will probably take weeks to come through and being self employed, god knows how long it will be until I actually make any money. Even if I worked for an employer, I would have to wait a month for wages anyway.

How on hell's earth can anyone afford to go back to work/work for themselves when just the startup costs are prohibitive? AIBU in thinking they are taking the piss or am I just used to being poor and this is not really all that much money?

I pay £69 per day on the London/Middlesex boarder. That doesn't include formula, wipes or nappies. If DD was full time then nappies and wipes would be included.

I also pay £16.50 per day for an after school childminder for DS, as a consequence we are extremely poor

My childminder is £4 am hour and the nursery I'm starting my toddler at is £40 a day (I think?! Leaflet downstairs...) either way I think it works out roughly the same, however I have two children to pay for.

On another note, £70 per day?! £90?!

Nurseries do charge a ridiculous amount. Having spoken to people who work there, you realise not enough of your hard earned cash is going towards the staff, equipment and food. Now that both my kids are at school, I have also come to realise how much money I had spent on childcare. Like many working parents we had no choice but to use a nursery.

Ours is about £46 per day now DS is over 2, was £49 before I think. £150 deposit too. I need to put DS2's name down and I'm hoping I can get them to waive the deposit for him. We have to provide nappies / wipes / creams. They provide all food / snacks and milk.
This is in North London, BTW. Tis a very expensive business is childcare

Childminders are also expensive too. £7 plus seems to be the norm around here,

I've got 3 DC's all of whom have been / are in nursery, and I've never heard of any admin charge or deposit

Wow. Am in Midlands. DS's nursery is Ofsted Outstanding and he's really happy there. He goes one day a week, but it's a long day... 7.15 until 5pm. It's £35 a day, including three meals, snacks, drinks, sun cream, nappies, sudocreme... in the summer they often take them out to the park or local farm, for no additional cost.
When he moves up to the next group (when he's 3) they also take them swimming, for £1.50 a session!
I had no idea how lucky I was!
No admin charge, no deposit and no fees in advance, as we pay through a voucher scheme and the receipt for that was confirmation enough for the nursery that we would not drop out.

OMG! Ours is £78 per day! I WISH I only had to find £800-odd upfront. We have to stump up nearly £1750!!!!

DS is my PFB and I was completely horrified to find out that almost all of my salary would be going on nursery fees. Unfortunately, what is left over is just enough to keep our heads above water.

Sadly, childminders cost roughly the same where we live (at LEAST £10 p/h)...

Sounds about right to me. We had to pay a £60 (non-refundable) registration fee and a £300 deposit which will be deducted off the final bill. It is £56 a day for 8am-6pm and all food and nappies are included. The nursery is attached to the primary school we want her to go to so it will be another 10 years before we see that £300 again.

If it was London, 55 would be very cheap.

75-80 a day here - London zone 2

Ours works out at around £33 per day once you factor in that DD is term time only. Includes everything except nappies and uniform (not required in full until Pre school)

£50 admin fee and we pay monthly using childcare vouchers solely.

I wouldn't be happy with the admin fee or deposit. They are running a business of course there will be admin. In my opinion admin fees ate if the company is asked to do something extra over and above the normal running.

The months fees in advance is their deposit!

My nursery starting charged £25 if Direct debit failed or was cancelled without correct notice. I made it perfectly clear that was fine but only when they sorted out their end and started charging me right (hundreds of £££s incorrectly! Charged regularly)

I'm starting to be thankful I live in the back end of nowhere. We're Cornwall.

Our nursery has differing pay scales depending on how long your child is in for (£37 for a day,8-5; £29ish for a school day, 8.30-3.30; £17.50 for a morning or afternoon). That includes snacks, a hot meal in the middle of the day, and drinks. It is also attached to a big soft play centre that the chldren have access to when it is closed to the public, at no extra cost. We provide all nappies, wipes, suncream etc etc.
No deposit, no admin fee. People pay up front if their child is in all the time - I pay when I collect her as we only do odd days here and there depending on when I'm working (so one week she might be in for three days, the next none and the week after that one. And the days themselves vary). So they are incredibly flexible too.
Your prices would be unaffordable for us.

Sounds normal to me.

You really need to check the notice period as well OP - don't assume it's four weeks. DD1s first nursery was 3 months. £1400 per month, for four days. Seven years ago!

Mine is £50 per day and then starts to drop once they hit 2. Although that does include all meals, sun cream, nappies, wipes etc etc. I think yours sounds not unreasonable but then I am in a rather posh area ....

Oh, and work it out on a per hour basis. DS was at nursery from 8am - 6pm (10 hours) when I was at work so although then the fees were cheaper in today's money that is £5 per hour. Not unreasonable for the care they get, I would have said. DD goes fewer hours so that is more expensive for us, but our choice not to have her there as long.

Sounds normal to me too