I don't understand childcare pricing / paying for holiday

[anxiouswaiting]

Currently looking at nurseries for my son and of the 8 I have contacted 7 are telling me I pay them for bank holidays despite them being closed and a couple also charge for other weeks in the year when they are closed.

I don't get it, they aren't looking after my son so why am I paying them, plus also paying a babysitter to cover the fact they are not working ?

I understand if they are closed, thats not my issue. And of course everyone is entitled to paid holiday but why is this cost not built in to childcare as a whole in their daily/hourly rate, why is it just parents who have to work bank hols/ Mon and Fri who have to cover their holiday costs?

So the average I am looking at is £60 a day, say there are 10 bank holidays a year, I am paying £600 a year for nothing at all.

I don't know any other services that charge like this. If I have a cleaner on a Friday she doesn't tell me she takes bank holiday Fridays off but I have to pay her anyway. She charges her rates taking into account that she needs to have time off over the year and cover the cost of this. The cost of her annual leave is spread over her clients.

So if I choose not to have childcare on a Monday or Friday I don't contribute to staff holiday costs but other parents do. I just don't get it?

It's just the way it is. Ours is 51 weeks of the year. So your weekly fees x 51 / 12 for the monthly amount. In comparison to some of the others this feels very fair.

But generally this seems to be the done thing for childcare.

That’s odd. I’ve never known a nursery charge for days they aren’t open. Ours is open 50 weeks of the year (closes bank holidays and at Xmas) - we pay a monthly charge which is the (weekly cost x 50)/52 x 12. We pay irrespective of whether we use the place so still pay when we are on holiday etc.

Its balanced out over the whole year so you pay the same each month.

I don't i pay for bank holidays technically, but i pay the same that month regardless.

Same as you have to pay when you donXt send your child in

I actually do pay my cleaner for bank holidays. And I get paid for bank holidays. I guess it’s not crazy that your childcare gets paid for bank holidays too - it’s not their decision that they exist.

You said you don’t know why they don’t build it into their running costs, but that’s the same thing. Whether they’re openly charging you for bank holidays or charging you a higher rate for non-bank holiday days, you’re still paying the same.

It's pretty standard. If you don't like the terms of the contract then choose another.

My childminder gives me a day free in lieu for Bank Holidays. I was very surprised when she told me that as I had expected to pay.

I’ve never understood the rationale either. Like you say, staff get paid holidays and BH, but that would be better factored into the pricing and shared amongst all customers.

FWIW all my kids nurseries charged me for BHs, but not for 2 weeks closure at Xmas. I now run a childcare provision and I don’t charge for BHs.

They've factored the closed days into the pricing.

It can be done the other way, with a higher daily rate, but a fewer days billed for.

You'll end up paying the same whichever they choose.

A bit like teachers could be paid termly for they days they actually work. But are instead paid every month, based on yearly salary. Same remuneration, just different scheduling.

I’m a nanny I get paid for bank holidays but I don’t work them.

YABU- why should childcare workers not be paid for bank holidays? Standard practice.
I in an office job get paid not to be in.
Same for when i take a weeks holiday and take my LO out of nursery- i think its perfectly fair.

Standard to pay for holidays but- DS2 was doing two mornings a week last year, just Mondays and Tuesdays.

It really annoyed me that his fees were calculated pro-rata per month but all the bank holidays fell on his days and on one occasion the nursery randomly took an extra Monday off after mid-term too.

So the child “sharing” my DS’s place (i.e. the child going Wed, Thurs, Fri) was able to avail of all his days, whereas DS wasn’t and we paid the same pro-rata. Annoying.

It’s standard where I am. You would usually use the day (say a Monday) but they are entitled to have that day off and still be paid. So you pay them.

@VivienneHolt I clearly said I understand they need paid holidays, I don’t begrudge them that at all. What I am trying to understand is why some parents pay for it and others don’t. Your cleaner is lucky then I guess, but I am sure I can think of other situations where if you don’t get the service you don’t pay.

@georgialondon well yes I will. Doesn’t stop me wondering why it is this way and don’t see why I shouldn’t ask the question to try and understand it.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers except if you read my OP you will see I clearly say I DO understand they need to be paid. When did I suggest they shouldn’t get paid holiday? My question isn’t about that, it’s about how the cost of their holiday is split between clients.

I know that if my child doesn’t go because they are sick, we are on holiday, just don’t fancy it or whatever then I still pay, no issue with that.
I am lucky that my employer has told me I can do my 3 days on whatever days I chose as they have a family friendly policy, but not everyone has that luxury.

My understanding is this –
Parent A works Monday and Friday, pays £120 a week for 50 weeks, so £6,000 a year. For this they get 90 days of childcare.

Parent B works Tuesday and Wednesday, pays £120 a week for 50 weeks, so £6,000 a year. For this they get 100 days of childcare.

So yes, either way you do pay the same, except parent B gets 10 days more of childcare a year. So it is not even is it? Especially if parent A also has to pay someone else for those days because they still have to work themselves, therefore their bill might actually come to £6,600. So they aren’t paying the same are they?

Maybe I am looking at it totally wrong and the combination of sleep deprivation and this heat is making me a bit stupid.

Just to be clear - I DO NOT THINK CHILDCARE WORKERS SHOULDN’T GET PAID HOLIDAY

Well, Parent B doesn’t need them on Bank Holidays, so might equally ask why they should pay for them.

@ChocChocButtons I don’t know much about nannies, but my understanding is that as a nanny the family employs you, so they are responsible for your holiday pay. So yes of course you get paid time off and they pay for that.

I love how nearly everyone has missed your point, OP!

I agree with you OP. Bank holiday pay is like electricity, business rates or sick pay. It’s an overall running cost that should be shared throughout the customer base. I think this is lazy billing but it’s common. I chose to have the children with my parents on Mondays and in nursery on Fridays so that I wasn’t shafted.

@TestingTestingWonTooFree YES! That is exactly what I mean!

@AnAC12UCOinanOCG I know right! Starting to question my own sanity!

CM doesn't work BH, I don't pay my CM for bank hols or any other days she doesn't have my DD but I do pay if we go on holiday or keep DD due to sickness etc on CM days.

OP you are completely correct in what you're saying.
It's why none of the part time staff in my office ever opt to work Monday, and why I imagine the nurseries are half empty on Mondays.

I do agree with you. It disproportionately affects part time workers who have to work on Mondays - lots dont get to pick and choose which days they take. Luckily my preferred nursery doesn't charge for bank holidays or a week they close at Christmas. It means the daily rate is a littl Holiday pay is part of the running cost of a business and it should be built into the pricing structure as a whole.

When I worked elsewhere I worked non-Thursday so got bank holidays off, a colleague worked tues - Thursday and got none unless Christmas and new year fell on them. Current work adds the bank holidays to annual leave and pro rata for pt so much fairer.

By the way there's 8 legal bank holidays.

OP I think it’s ridiculous as well. You don’t employ the nursery so why are you paying when they’re not open?
Unfortunately, ours were the same as well.

When I worked elsewhere I worked non-Thursday so got bank holidays off, a colleague worked tues - Thursday and got none unless Christmas and new year fell on them. Current work adds the bank holidays to annual leave and pro rata for pt so much fairer.

Your colleague should have got their entitlement added to their holiday leave pro rata'd.

It's why it's much, much better if you work three days to work Tue, Wed & Thur because you gain from bank holidays. Whereas if Monday (and Friday, but Monday is a bigger issue) is your day and the business is closed you end up owing time as you are not entitled to all of the BH's

@stucknoue oh yes of course there are I'll stand by what i said earlier, the heat and sleep deprivation are making me a bit stupid haha

Pleased that others can see what I am meaning and it isn't just my poor understanding of it all!