Nursery place comes with free annual farm pass

[HelloKittyGirl]

I’m seeing this more and more. Blah Blah Farm Nursery comes with a free annual family pass to Blah Blah Farm.

Am I the only one who finds this a bit odd?

Are people supposed to want the nursery place or the pass? They’re totally different things. Why link them?

Presumably it’s supposed to be an incentive to choose that nursery? Surely that’s not a good factor to base your decisions on though? Does it really influence people do you think?

What if you want the nursery place but not the pass? Can you have a discount? I imagine not. What if your DC are so sick of Blah Blah Farm after a whole week of wraparound hours at its nursery that they don’t want to be dragged back there at weekends too?

"I’d think it very off indeed if an independent school did something like this"

LOL. Independent schools DO do this... Just more subtly... Look at our FABULOUS pool, and our state of the art gym, and wowee have you seen our sports hall, and look we play concerts at this amazing venue... Ooh look at our Scholars and Bursary programme of you don't think you can quite afford to send your sprog here...

The only one I know if that does this is on a farm, when we've taken DS there we've seen the pre school class helping to feed the chicken's etc. Also it's not advertised, but my colleagues' children go there and she said they get the free farm pass so they can visit on other days.

I’d rather a cheaper nursery place which doesn’t come with an extra I don’t particularly want.

Well that's not on offer. Soz.

It's a marketing incentive, presumably beneficial to both the nursery and the farm. Take it or leave it.

If you're not interested in the farm pass, then you simply compare their fees with your other options, and if they are more expensive, choose a different nursery. I bet they aren't though. Could friends also use the pass if you don't want it?

Look at it the other way round. If it wasn't free to visit, would nursery parents ever pay to go somewhere their child already is every week? Would it not seem a bit of a piss take to be charged more at the weekend when you're already paying £££ a week?

Cost of a pass (or realistically the coat of a few day tickets, child is at nursery so you're not going to be using the pass every day) is a drop in the ocean compared to nursery fees. It won't cost them extra to provide unless you happen to go when they're at capacity and they might make more selling you coffees.

An annual pass itself is a 'if you're here this often we won't charge you extra to come more' gesture; why would attending the nursery /not/ count as being there this much?

I don't know any kids that get bored of a farm

Even if it takes your child all the way up to reception? The term ‘free’ is misleading here as the cost of the ticket bumps up the fees, effectively forcing people to make an additional purchase they may not want or do justice to.

What's the cost of that nursery vs another local one which doesn't offer incentives?

Yes YABU OP
I doubt parents are choosing to send their kids to a shit nursery on the basis of a free farm pass. I was stuck between a choice of two nurseries for my DD, both seemed great and very similar in lots of ways. Neither had a free pass, I’ve never heard of this before, but if one of them had offered this that would have helped me decide. I think it’s a good marketing tool to give them an edge.

Is it because they go to the farm sometimes during nursery hours? My daughters nursery does days out to a local museum and farm about once a month (more in the summer) and thus her pass is included in fees

probably a marketing tool for the farm rather than the nursery?
they may give the nursery the free passes, on the basis that they can sell coffee / soft drinks / bags of animal food to visitors / take friends as paying guests.
the nursery gives you the passes, they don't force you to use them.

Nurseries are supposed to be fun as well as" educational " passes sound a brilliant idea you sound a bit too serious op do you not take your Dc on days out ? I used to work at a childcare nursery that had a soft play attached the parents got discounted tickets .

[quote HelloKittyGirl]@luxxlisbon actually it does into the equation for me and I’d rather a cheaper nursery place which doesn’t come with an extra I don’t particularly want.[/quote]
So go with a cheaper nursery.

I don't understand what your issue is. Either you like the nursery and the fees are right for you or not. The pass is a red herring.

Blimey.
Where we used to live, the local children's farm was fabulous. It now has a nursery. I would imagine that the marginal cost of throwing in a farm pass was easily offset by the spend on a cup of tea and a bun.

Our local farm park has a nursery attached. Fees are slightly more expensive but they provide everything from nappies to waterproofs and wellies. Only thing you need to remember is a change of clothes for accidents etc.

Free annual pass included and discounted passes offered for siblings and parents. Means the whole family benefit and offers child a slightly different take on preschool education.

FFS, some people really do go looking for things to moan about.

PP saying it's just marketing are right. Even if the nursery goes all the way up to reception, it's fundamentally childcare, not "choosing where to educate your child". They're running a business.

Some families are too poor to be able to afford to do those things so having a nursery that cares about children's wellbeing outside of nursery is quite nice.

I read your title thinking “Brilliant, what could possibly be the problem?” and I still think that.

Our nursery offers all sorts of stuff – tennis, dancing, mandarin – and lays on activities (this week is a PRIDE tea party, pancake making, and World Book Day library session), but they’re all for the kids, I’d love a farm pass so I can have fun too 😂

Private nurseries are commercial entities and I think many are struggling post-Covid – ours certainly is as fewer parents need the extra early sessions as not commuting, lots of staff have left and are rethinking careers in the big pandemic life shuffle – of course they showcase all the things you can “get” on top of basic childcare. We chose the nursery we “clicked” with best that had the best outdoor space and least depressing rooms given DD would spend full time there, but we also considered all the extras and activities she could get as well.

I’ve never seen this, but it seems a really bizarre thing to get exercised about. It’s also extremely unlikely that the free pass is the difference between the nursery being able to offer a cheaper a rate and the actual rate they charge.

I've only seen this when the nursery is inside an attraction. In which case it makes perfect sense! They are private businesses so can do as they wish, and if you don't like them, you are welcome to not use their services

choosing where to educate your child
Oh dear!
It's a nursery. Their job, imo, is to give your child a safe happy place to play and rest.

@SkankingMopoke That nursery sounds like an absolute dream! What a lovely experience for your DC.

It won't add anything to the coat of nursery. The farm will have offered the passes as a way if drumming up custom. They will rely in secondary spend to make up the coat to themselves - and most people would be more likely to buy a cup of tea and a cake during a free visit, so it works.

Take a deep breath. You've got worked up over nothing.

What an incredible weird post/view

What an odd thing to get worked up about.
It won’t affect the fees. If you don’t like farm parks, don’t go.