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Original poster

Nursery charging extra for early pick up?

177 replies

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 17:19

I’ve recently put my DS’s name down at a local nursery to start when he is 1 for 2 days a week. The nursery day is 8.00am - 600pm which I understand is needed for parents working however I’m able to either drop off later or pick my child up earlier than this but the nursery want to charge me extra for this.
Am I missing something here? What is the added cost involved? Is this normal practice at a nursery?

OP posts:
Yellowlegobrick · 16/08/2023 18:08

Im willing to bet if they are charging more than the full day rate for picking up before 6 its because they like to control what parents see at pick up time and dislike a constant flow of parents coming & going for 2 hours each afternoon.

Traxz · 16/08/2023 18:10

BodegaSushi · 16/08/2023 17:56

I assume that OP means charging more on top of the day rate to pick up early. Which makes no sense.

Show quote history

we dont know..!

90yomakeuproom · 16/08/2023 18:10

Yellowlegobrick · 16/08/2023 18:08

Im willing to bet if they are charging more than the full day rate for picking up before 6 its because they like to control what parents see at pick up time and dislike a constant flow of parents coming & going for 2 hours each afternoon.

This seems like a red flag though if it's this.

Original poster
Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

OP posts:
Fleur405 · 16/08/2023 18:13

My daughter has a full time nursery place because I work full time and my OH works away on a rotation. When he’s at home he often picks her up early. We’re not charged anything extra for that and if we were I’d think that extremely weird! As you say, it doesn’t add in anyway to the nursery’s costs.

Yellowlegobrick · 16/08/2023 18:15

I honestly am not sure they can enforce this.

Book for the full day, turn up whenever you like to collect. They can't refuse to release your child early.

TellerTuesday · 16/08/2023 18:15

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

Following your update, that would be a hard no from me. The only reason I could see them doing that would be to control the time parents arrive at and that would scream red flag.

YourNameGoesHere · 16/08/2023 18:15

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

Fucking batshit and not at all normal. What was their response when you asked what the extra charge was for???

Hardbackwriter · 16/08/2023 18:16

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

This is really, really strange- I've never encountered a private nursery with full days (rather than a preschool with short ones) that expected all parents to pick up at the actual closing time. It would normally cause chaos if they did! I would absolutely question this, and it would really put me off the nursery. I might begrudgingly live with it if I loved the nursery in every other way, though.

PinkiOcelot · 16/08/2023 18:16

Eh? That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. So you would have to leave her there until 6/6.30 to not incur extra charges?!

rainbowstardrops · 16/08/2023 18:17

So you'd be paying for a full session and they'd then be charging you extra for picking your child up early? How on earth are they justifying that?!

rainbowunicorn · 16/08/2023 18:17

No, that isn't normal. I am not sure how they can justify it. Fine for them to charge full / half day rate but not extra on top to pick up early

Sunshineclouds11 · 16/08/2023 18:17

Yeah that's batshit.

ShouldIbeLeftWithLess · 16/08/2023 18:19

Is it because they want parents to avoid disrupting the day? I.e. if parents are collecting early will this unsettle the other children? And by adding extra costs they hope parents will therefore avoid this?

Scottishskifun · 16/08/2023 18:19

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

No this isn't normal practice at all and I would ask them to clarify it

TeenDivided · 16/08/2023 18:20

I can see it might be disrupting as they have to stop whatever they are doing to get your child ready to go and do the handover.

But on the flip side they'd be winning as for the rest of the day they would have better ratios.

Mamathebest · 16/08/2023 18:21

Absolutely crazy. What robbery. Take your child out. I’ve been through a few nurseries with both kids. Always picked up earlier and was never charged. Charged for what?! They’re already getting a full day pay. Absolutely refuse to pay and find a new nursery. It’s your child you can pick up when you want.

Strawberryfieldsforeverrr · 16/08/2023 18:21

How much do they want to charge you?

halioke · 16/08/2023 18:22

Not normal at all. DD went to a nursery open 8am-6pm but she attended 9am-4.30pm. We were charged the usual day rate and no more.

PuttingDownRoots · 16/08/2023 18:23

We used to have to drop off by 10am latest as that's when they went for their morning walk. By prior arrangement you could meet them wherever they were going that day, but it wasn't really encouraged.

Sexnotgender · 16/08/2023 18:23

Any chance they’ve misunderstood? Or you’ve misunderstood?

Are they saying 8-6 is £85 but if you only want 8-4 it’s £100? Numbers made up obviously. That’s bonkers.

June628 · 16/08/2023 18:26

Very odd. I am familiar with a few nurseries and have never come across this. They have all said pick up times are flexible but you’d still need to pay for the full day regardless.
have you asked them what the cost is associated with?

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 16/08/2023 18:27

I’d withdraw from such a nursery- I always picked up my daughter an hr earlier, my nursery were grateful

Traxz · 16/08/2023 18:27

Total batshit (how much)

Musicalmistress · 16/08/2023 18:27

Northtosouth · 16/08/2023 18:12

Sorry to clarify I’m not paying for a morning or afternoon session. I’d be paying for a full day at nursery but wanting to collect say 330/4ish not 6/630. And they want to charge me more on top of the full day price to pick up early.

Never heard of that - sounds bonkers!

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