About paying twice for activities at nursery?

[Ilovemydogandmydoglovesme]

My dd attends a nursery group two mornings a week. She does three hours each time at a cost of £5 an hour. Someone has very kindly offered to run a dance/play group in the room next door during the nursery session so the children can attend and join in. Which is fine and lovely but the lady running the group is separate to the nursery, I understand it's a public room which anyone can use, and wants to charge £3 for an hours dancing, playing etc.

Now dd would probably enjoy it, and if it was in addition to the three hours at nursery I wouldn't have a problem, but I don't really want to have to pay twice when I've alread had to pay for all her nursery sessions. The nursery charge by the term so I have already paid and they don't refund just because you can't make a session. I'm therefore paying twice for the same time.

The lady running the group has booked the room to coincide with the nursery group so she has a ready supply of children that might attend. AIBU or is it a bit cheeky to expect us all to pay extra when we've already paid for the nursery? It's only £3 a week and dd would enjoy it but I feel a bit about it all. And I'm also not sure whether she would then be supervising them or whether the nursery can spare someone.

Is this a nursery group or a community preschool? Plus is the extra session compulsory or something extra?

I would be expecting the preschool or nursery to be doing playing anyway - but if you decide to include her in the extra sessions I would expect her to be with one of the preschool team in loco parentis. Ask more questions.

The nursery should absolutely be supervising your child during the specified paid for hours. It sounds like an unusual set up and I agree you need more info. Our nursery offers a music class which is done by an external company and costs extra but it is voluntary and nursery staff supervise the children.

If its optional I don't see what the problem is.

I say this a parent whose nursery does something similar. They run music sessions which cost extra as they have to bring in somebody from outside to run the sessions. I don't pay, so ds doesn't attend.

You just need to ask the nursery, what the children who don't attend the music session will be doing, which staff will go into the music session and which will stay out, etc.

I wouldn't pay for my child to do two activities at the same time.

If I wanted her to do a dance class I would find one that took place at a different time.

It isn't compulsory.

I doubt if many parents will take it up TBH.

You're not paying for two activities. You're paying for your child to attend an extra curricular class while she's attending nursery.

Do you expect the nursery to provide this free of charge out of their own probably very tight budget - or is the "very kind" lady expected to "very kindly" give her time for free and hire the hall out of her own pocket?

You have three options, I think. You can either refuse to pay and your daughter doesn't attend the class, or you can pay and allow her to take part - you say she'll enjoy it. Alternatively, you can withdraw your child from nursery and find another nursery that doesn't put on extras and source and pay for your own dancing classes separately (it'll probably cost more than £3, though).

My DD has a music class at nursery which we have to pay extra for, £3 a go I think. It is a bit irritating but I
figure there's nothing like that on when I'm at home with her and I think she does benefit from it.

If it's not something you want her to take part it, don't feel obligated.

Well thanks. I think I might let her do it, £3 won't break the bank, but I'm paying for her to do something extra in time that I've already paid for. It is a bit irritating. We didn't ask her to do this and she's nothing to do with the nursery.

I'll definitely check that the nursery people are supervising though.

I would definitely expect the nursery to continue supervision during that time because that is what you are paying them to do, but I think that £3 is a reasonable price, if it's just once a week.