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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

about nursery fees?

31 replies

fakefuss · 13/09/2016 16:12

My DD almost 3 has been attending nursery since Oct 2014, 3 days per week at a daily rate of £60 per day.

I have now returned to work full time (Relationship breakdown, can no longer afford to work part-time), When I asked her key worker if she thought it would be possible for her to attend 5 days and she said checked with manager who agreed it was. She told me to write to the office to confirm. I didn't do this until I returned to work full time (stupidly). They have now wrote back to say that as I am changing her hours, I will need to sign a new contract at a different daily rate. This will make it approximately £200 more per month. I cannot afford this. It is already over the threshold that tax credit take into account.

WIBU to expect it to be at the same daily rate?

OP posts:
LagunaBubbles · 13/09/2016 16:15

Do you mean £200 more a month because shes going an extra 2 days or £200 more above what you thought going those extra days at £60 a day would take it to?

ClockMakerSue · 13/09/2016 16:16

Ours wouldn't do that-in fact the rate drops the more hours you do. It's clearly their policy about change of contract but is pretty rigid. Ahat is their reasoning for a different daily rate?

Original poster
fakefuss · 13/09/2016 16:18

£200 more per month more than what I thought the extra days would cost.

OP posts:
eightbluebirds · 13/09/2016 16:18

YANBU. Can you look at other options for those 2 days?

LagunaBubbles · 13/09/2016 16:18

Ive never heard of a nursery charging a different daily rate mind you depending on how many days child goes.

Iliketeaagain · 13/09/2016 16:19

Double check what would happen when she gets her free 15 hours. I think that reduced our monthly fees by about £150 a month (they averaged over a year rather than the school term only funding).

AppleJac · 13/09/2016 16:19

What????

They are charging £200 a month more than the singley day rate? I ve never heard of a nursery do this.

If anything nurseries give you a discount when you do a full week.

blamethecat · 13/09/2016 16:20

As she is nearly 3 does she get her funded hours soon ? will that help once she gets them ? I know it doesn't help now and it does seem a bit unfair that they have changed the contract but I guess it must be in their contract from the start.

LagunaBubbles · 13/09/2016 16:20

Thats bad then Clockmaker, what is their reasoning, that must make the daily rate for the extra days extortionate!

Original poster
fakefuss · 13/09/2016 16:20

They have changed to structure of the day, so instead of it being a flat daily fee, you pay extra for them to attend 'breakfast club' and 'afterschool club'.

My DD has always gone 8.15am-5.15pm. There was never any mention of breakfast and afterschool club before, just a flat fee.

OP posts:
MunchCrunch01 · 13/09/2016 16:20

that sounds nonsense to me - we get a 10% discount on the day rate for going full time, not a more expensive rate, sounds like a swindle. On what basis do they charge more for FT? They're not getting the free hours yet as your DD isn't 3.

Do you have other nurseries you can check into? Moving them is never easy but if you have to, you have to. i've moved mine a few times and it was OK.

LagunaBubbles · 13/09/2016 16:22

Afterschool club? For a 2 year old? They're at it.

MunchCrunch01 · 13/09/2016 16:22

if they've changed the structure of the day as a way of secretly netting more money, then your existing days would've been going to get more expensive there at some point. Honestly, I'd move her to a nursery that just has a flat day rate.

cheminotte · 13/09/2016 16:23

So are they saying you can stay on the old rate at 3 days but not 5. Is a childminder or family an option for the extra 2 days? Can you adjust your hours so you need the breakfast and after school every day?

Original poster
fakefuss · 13/09/2016 16:24

There is another nursery near me which would be £245 cheaper per month. I really don't want to unsettle her though, she doesn't take to people very well and I know she is ok there. It's so hard to know what to do for the best.

She will get her 15 free hours from January, which will obviously make it easier. Maybe I should just do my best to manage til then.

OP posts:
Figgygal · 13/09/2016 16:24

Can you look at changing her setting definitely something strange there

FluffyWuffyFuckYou · 13/09/2016 16:25

YABU, you neglected to organise the changes and just expected it to all work out, which was a big mistake.

Their charges will be all well set out, had you asked them what the full time fees were you would know all about them.

kilmuir · 13/09/2016 16:25

Cheeky sods

MunchCrunch01 · 13/09/2016 16:26

have a look at your budget - it's a tough call indeed - figure out the costs at both places from now til school starts and what you would use the extra money for/how badly you need that. I don't understand their justification though, unless they're only applying the new fee structure to new requests, in which case it makes sense.

MunchCrunch01 · 13/09/2016 16:28

i'm just saying: change is hard and best avoided with little ones, but paying a lot more for a year or more could be a sum of money that you could use to pay for something important.

Original poster
fakefuss · 13/09/2016 16:35

They are only applying the new fees to new requests. If I stayed 3 days per week, I would have continued at the same flat fee.

I know it's my fault, I just don't know what to do about it. I'm back full time, she is there now. She does not take change well, I guess I need to economise and make do until she gets her free hours.

OP posts:
pleasemothermay1 · 13/09/2016 16:36

Op * childminders are cheaper try a childminder

WhatWouldCoachBombayDo · 13/09/2016 16:36

Fuck 'em, move her, she will adjust, children do. Might be a nice change for her, meet new people, socialise with a new group. I'm tight though

opheliaamongthelillies · 13/09/2016 16:38

Child Tax credit will pay up to 70% of Nursery fees dependent on your earnings not what the nursery charges. Hth

oldlaundbooth · 13/09/2016 16:40

Talk about chancers! 'new fees to new requests' Hmm Whatever!

Please, just switch her, she'll be fine.