to not want to pay nursery fees when it's closed?

[estornudar]

Nursery is closing on Monday, as many are. I have emailed Head Office to ask if the fees for that day will be taken off next month's invoice but it has been met by stony silence so far, and I am expecting an email saying no at some point.

AIBU to not want to pay nursery fees when it's closed? How are other nurseries handling this?

They are. It's just that the Op resents paying her fees gor that day and given that's how the business pays their employees, how would you think they do it?

YANBU to not want to pay, but you'll probably have to. It's annoyed me too, but it's in our contract that we have to cover the cost for BHs so I imagine this is included in that. What irritates me is that when we eventually will get funded hours, we will have to pay 14 quid a day in addition for food. So to me that means the building/staff etc costs the day rate minus 14 quid. I feel like it would be nice if the nursery just gave us 14 quid back for Monday as they won't have to pay for food for the day, but obvs they will have to pay salaries etc.

Where do you think the business gets its money from if not the customer?

Do the have a sideline in playing the money markers?

Do you know that the funded hours the government gives does not actually cover the costs. Its well known that the government under pays. Its why so many childminders/nurseries have closed down

That's comparing apples and pears.

If you gave the same customers massages every day and you were reliant on just those customers and not passing trade and they were reliant on you, you'd bet you'd set up a contract that safeguarded your income. Otherwise your business would not be viable and you'd close.

Ours is closing and full fees are payable, it's part of their Ts&C's for bank hols. Always felt it was unfair but I can see how the guaranteed income stream is useful for them for business/budget planning etc and all the other local private nurseries have the same policy.

That being said, this bank holiday is an additional one, sprung on us with short notice, and I feel really sad that for just one time in these exceptional circumstances they aren't willing to credit us with that extra day as a gesture of goodwill. I do a job on Mondays where I am sort-of self-employed, all my work for that Monday has been cancelled (public sector) so I've lost a whole days wage, also lost the ability to claim the childcare costs for the day as a work expense (which I can do in this role) and then have to pay £100 for my two kids nursery fees whilst it's closed and they don't go. Frustrating to say the least.

So my ex husband's business is in engineering, they're closing for the day and won't be undertaking any jobs, they rely on big contracts and essentially the same 3 massive customers. They won't receive any money for jobs not done that day, however they're still paying their staff. It's my day with my son so I'm having to take the fall cause he's an awkward shite so doesn't make any difference to me. His company are taking the loss for that day, that's business.
I pay full time nursery at a fair bit over a grand a month, no funded hours for another 2 years. Surely they'd take this loss on the chin, as a lot of other companies are. As I will have to by them making this decision. By changing to a childminder I'd be saving just over £500 a month, and I certainly will be doing if they decide to charge me for this day. If it was the first time it'd happened it might be different but this is the second bonus bank holiday they've decided to close for AND charge for within the year.
I chose this nursery to try and support childcare workers and a good living wage but feel like I'm being taken the piss out of at this point. I work full time for almost nothing after child care and because of this I'll struggle to pay my own bills. This is a large nursery company who are offering half price fees for three months across their other nurseries to bring in clients so they can't be that close to bankruptcy.

kraktow is you ex husband paid per job or per hourly contract. If they work for 3 big customers I suspect its costed as a block invoice per month or quarter, a completely different model to a nursery.

Look up how nurseries and child minders are struggling to survive and you'd realise how precarious these businesses are. I get your frustration, having paid for 2 dc to go through this, but your frustration is directed in the wrong place.

If businesses are not viable they close. Their margins are tiny and they don't gave the wriggle room to take an unplanned bh 'on the chin'.

I agree with you
If nursery cannot provide a service that day then you don't pay

Couldn’t agree more.

Most nurseries/childminders (not the owners of big chains) rely on every penny their customers pay so they’ve had to protect themselves with the T&C’s. Judging by comments and attitudes to them on this thread, good on them!

Every childminder we’ve used charges bank holidays but not for their own holidays, seems fair to me but I’ve never had that “I should get a bank holiday but not you” mentality. They don’t get sick pay or holiday pay.

You get to spend a day off work with DC is that not amazing?

Yes you definitely shouldn't have to pay. After all, the nursery won't pay its staff, their insurance and mortgage companies won't want paying, the standing charge for their electricity won't need to be paid...........

FFS, use your common sense.

Its standard to pay for BH’s while they are closed at all the nurseries here. This is why many people who can choose their days don’t choose a Monday

We've got to pay for one in nursery and one in pre-school.
It wouldn't be so bad if they were offering an alternative day, but no.

It's taking the piss.

And, no, I won't be getting paid for the day.

But if they “took the loss on the chin” it would be the exact same either way, the cost for bank holidays would still be rolled into the overall fees. You wouldn’t technically be paying the cost on the day, but your other feed would be higher to cover the closure. It’s not really any different? At least with the current system fees are consistent week to week which is better in terms of financial planning for most people.
Employee from all businesses will pay for the closure as the money will reduce the amount available for pay rises at the end of the day. If you think all businesses except nurseries are paying staff from profits out of the goodness of their heart you are wrong.

What are nursery staff supposed to do with their children while caring for the children of others, who are at home with a paid day off, child free enjoying their BH? Oh yes I forgot, they are just nursery workers.

You can’t compare ‘services’ of a hairdresser for example, you don’t have a daily contracted daily placement with them with T&C’s in place.

That’s fair enough though as your nursery is still providing the service and the parents are choosing not to send their DCs in. If a nursery has decided to close for the day, then parents should be put in the same position as they would be if it was any of the other 8 bank holidays of the year.

They still have to pay their staff though.also electricity,rates and so on. If you are working you will still get paid .

I work as a tutor, self employed. One out of the 3 families I normally visit on a Monday has cancelled. The child will be with the other (separated ) parent over an hour's drive away owing to their own child care issues. I am not charging them, even though I have offered a lesson and I do see them regularly each week.
My contract says that they have to give me 48 hours notice if they need to cancel.
They have given me more than this so I am not charging!
Maybe I'm not being rigorous enough with my contract?

Why are you waiting for an email back from head office rather than, I don't know, just asking someone at the nursery face to face?

I wouldn't be happy with that either. I'd expect not to pay for it. My little girl isn't in that day but they are remaining open. They also remain open at all bank holidays though just closing for 1-2 weeks at Christmas.
I assume it's because they would have to pay the staff for the day off and credit back the fees for the day. From a business perspective I can see why they are remaining open.

Mine's closing for the day and we get a credit on next month's bill as they are not providing their service that day.

I get the sense mine is rare though - we can spread the funded hours 22 hours year round, don't have to pay after the first 2 days off sick and can book a week every year in "holiday" days. It's family owned versus a chain.

Imagine now you were running a business and multiplying this by multiple staff and multiple clients.

If you had no contracting that supported you, you would be liable to pay other people's salary from without any money coming in (income) to pay it.

A big business has bigger turnover - it's not proportionately more costly than it would be for a small business.

Anyway it's a choice to close. They could stay open if they wanted. Most parents would prefer that.

Childminders don't get sick.pay or holiday pay because they are self employed. Self employed people pay less tax . And are free to set their rates to build in enough to cover holidays. They can buy sickness insurance if they choose. Or are free seek employment. It's a choice - no one is forced to be a child minder

Our nursery always makes us pay for bank holidays when they are closed. Yes it's really annoying and I hate it, but nearly all nurseries do it. I have found one locally that doesnt charge and was tempted to move my daughtter out of principle! But it feels unfair to my daughter who has friends where she is so I'll just be quietly mad about it