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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

nursery open christmas eve

63 replies

bananaandcustard · 21/12/2015 21:51

I work in a nursery and last year a parent was late picking up on Christmas eve. We shut at 6.15pm
Am I being unreasonable to remind parents to be on time ?

OP posts:

DonkeyOaty · 21/12/2015 21:56

Well is it your place to? I mean, if you are the manager/room leader, maybe.

ReallyTired · 21/12/2015 21:57

Parents who fail to pick up children on time should be fined by the nursery. If fining does not work then the nursery should give notice to the parents. It is understandable that a nursery is open on christmas eve as many parents have to work, but it is unacceptable for a parent to be late unless something really bad has happened. (Ie. a car accident or possibly extreme weather conditions) In the event of a parent being late I would expect them to contact the nursery and explain what was happening unless the parent was unconcious (from serious accident not drinking!)

BatsUpMyNightie · 21/12/2015 21:57

What part of reminding parents to be on time do you feel is unreasonable? Try as I might I can't find an AIBU here.

Sirzy · 21/12/2015 21:58

It wouldn't be unreasonable for the management to politely put out a reminder.

andadietcoke · 21/12/2015 22:00

Our nursery is open on Christmas Eve but asks parents to collect their children by 4pm so their staff can get home to their own families. Seems completely reasonable to me!

Want2bSupermum · 21/12/2015 22:27

Here in the US, our daycare will keep your child for 30min past closing time. After that your child is picked up by the police and they look after them until you collect. Needless to say no one is late. I buddy up with another family who lives opposite me and we cover each other when we are running late. Between the four of us (parents that is), we manage to collect the DC before closing time.

TeaFathers · 21/12/2015 22:29

YANBU.
its not on.
of all the days in the year, this is the one that they should be on time for.

hatters · 21/12/2015 22:33

YANBU 6pm is very late to be open already!

I heard that fining can make more parents show up late because they feel like they are paying for the extra time, so it's not such a problem.

ftmsoon · 21/12/2015 22:34

I think it depends on the reason for being late. I have to stay at work until we are done on Xmas eve, one year it was gone 7pm. Not everybody can just waltz off early when they feel like it. I am lucky DH does the pick ups, but if I was on my own I don't know how I'd manage.

ReallyTired · 21/12/2015 22:36

Depends how steep the fines are. If the parents are paying £2 a minute then that focuses their brain cells to be on time.

remembermewhen · 21/12/2015 22:38

What difference does it make that it's Christmas Eve?
Parents should be on time every night.
If you have beef take it up with your employer not your paying customers.

PennyHasNoSurname · 21/12/2015 22:41

Christmas Eve is just a normal working day. It isnt a bank/national holiday, so any reminder for parents to be on time should be issued regularly, not just for that day.

Chilledmonkeybrains · 21/12/2015 22:41

Read a book card Freakonomics. Explains really well why fining doesn't work.

Chilledmonkeybrains · 21/12/2015 22:41

Called

Sixweekstowait · 21/12/2015 22:47

Michael Sandal's book 'what money can't buy' also deals with the this issue and many others - fining is not the way the to go. I rather like the idea of using the police

Gwenhwyfar · 21/12/2015 23:06

"Christmas Eve is just a normal working day."

Not really. It's not a bank or public holiday, but many workplaces like offices will be much quieter as some staff will be on holiday. Many offices close at midday on Christmas Eve. Bear in mind that people need to travel to their families if they're to have Christmas Day together so I don't think it's just like any other day.

ImtheChristmasCarcass · 21/12/2015 23:06

Want2be Yep, I remember those rules! Mine are grown now but I remember it was 6pm closing and if you didn't pick up on time they charged $5.00 for the first 10 minutes then $1.00/minute thereafter with the police being called at 6.45.

Between DS1 & DS2 we used them for about 6 years and never paid a late charge.

BrandNewAndImproved · 21/12/2015 23:11

I wouldn't put my dc somewhere where they charged me.

I'm not a a late person but the unavoidable happens sometimes. In the 6 years of school and the rest of nursery I've been late a handful of times because of real emergencies. If you've been involved in a car crash or had to take your nan to hospital and was late because of that and all they were concerned about was making money off of you I wouldn't put up with up.

If your in that job you know the unavoidable happens sometimes.

SantasLittleMonkeyButler · 21/12/2015 23:11

I'm sorry, but I don't see why you should be doing extra reminding for Christmas Eve. Of all of the parents I know (many), none would leave their DCs at nursery any longer than absolutely necessary on Christmas Eve of all days.

That said, some people do have to work a normal full day and then travel in Christmas traffic to get to you.

As a matter of course, I think parents should be reliably collecting their DCs from you at the appointed time all year round - with the odd lateness for unforeseen circumstances, but why is Christmas Eve different? Just because you would prefer to rush off doesn't mean your customers are able to abandon work any earlier.

nokidshere · 21/12/2015 23:18

I'm a childminder and I have been a working (outside home) parent. I don't charge late fees because ime lateness is usually for reasons out of the parents control.

Traffic Jams, accidents, a trolley full of goods needing to be checked out but arriving at your till 3 mins before you are due off... Etc etc

Christmas Eve is a normal working day for many people, the nursery should have a policy to deal with that on all occasions not just one night. If you want to make sure you are home early on Xmas eve then book an afternoon iff

UkmmTheSecond · 21/12/2015 23:27

Absolutely not unreasonable OP. Every year we have at least one late on Xmas eve, not just a few mins, at least an hour.

Delays can happen, traffic can be busy, but the times I've been held up it's because they are wrapping stuff up at home, having a nap to sleep Xmas drinks off, or in one case, in the pub and told me I was a "selfish bitch" for pointing out nursery closed two hours ago and no, he can't have one more round with his mates then come collect his son!.

He ended up getting grandma to collect him, (who was very angry and embarrassed with her adult son, and we finally left three hours after closing. I finally got home at 11.30pm as buses had stopped running direct home and I had to get four different ones. Child didn't return after Christmas either as he told boss to fuck off when she said he can't speak to staff how he spoke to me and if he did it again he'd be asked to send his child elsewhere.

Leelu6 · 22/12/2015 07:37

YANBU. If people are using you as an out of hours childcare option than they are dicks.

Do send the parents a polite email/text.

AngelsWithFilthySouls · 22/12/2015 07:46

This is why we picked a nursery in the city centre as even if stuck in a meeting we could run out and collect DS without being late so as not to leave people waiting after hours.

However, our nursery closed early yesterday and doesn't re-open until 5th January so they definitely have no Xmas Eve concerns.

CrohnicallyAspie · 22/12/2015 07:47

brandnew my DC's nursery fines if you're late. But there have been a couple of occasions where I have been unavoidably late (held up at work, stuck in snow, horrendous traffic due to an accident), I've phoned up as soon as I've realised I'm going to be late and they've waived the fines. So it's more of a deterrent/to make sure you contact them, it's not a money making thing.

BondJayneBond · 22/12/2015 07:48

Of course it's not unreasonable to remind parents to pick their children up on time. I can't see how why it wouldn't be.

DS2's nursery closes early on Christmas Eve (1pm instead of the normal 6pm), so I'm sure they'll be reminding all parents in case anyone's forgotten the change in opening hours.

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