To think it’s actually really unfair to be charged for bank holidays at nursery?

[bouncinround]

And no, I’m not going to complain about it because I don’t want anyone to think I begrudge the staff a day off. I don’t. But I do resent paying for a service I’m not receiving.

25 years ago when I first used a day nursery I actually took issue with this and was given a goodwill refund for the Mondays I had been charged when they were closed. I simply couldn't get my head around being charged for a day they were closed when my invoice was calculated per day of attendance, and took it up with head office.

Those posters saying it is fair as the staff need to be paid are being very obtuse. Absolutely staff holiday/bank holiday costs are an overhead that needs to be covered, but by all parents not just those unfortunate enough to attend on a Monday.

GP surgeries.

It's much fairer if they slightly increase the day rate for all days and don't charge parents for Bank Holidays (or any day when the nursery is closed). It's the responsibility of a business to organise paying their staff, not clients.

If all parents just avoided Mondays/Fridays because of Bank Holidays then the nursery's staffing requirements are going to be massively skewed, which doesn't help anyone and would overall reduce the number of places available. For parents who also have to work on Bank Holidays they are then paying for a service that's not available and then potentially having to pay for someone to actually look after their child on that day.

If people are really suggesting that only Monday parents foot the bill for staffing costs when the service is not available, are they also happy if staff get paid more/less depending on how many children are booked in on any particular day?

Read the thread then you might understand.

Not meaning to boast, but our nursery is open on all bank holidays. We put our child in every time and have a lovely child-free day off work to have some fun.

It shuts for 2 weeks over Christmas though which we don’t get a refund for.

Hardly a boast!
sad that you don’t want to include your child in your family fun time. Why bother having them?

Ridiculous comment. So if you actually want a " proper" day off ( no kids or work) then you shouldn't have had kids? Does this work the same if granny takes them out for the day while you have a day off work? Granny has them and you get a day off therefore you shouldn't have kids

Id say at least half of people work some bank holidays so seems silly to shut nursery then anyway

Im completely with you OP. Staff should be paid for bank holidays but that burden should be funded more equally across parents rather than be funded only by parents who use childcare on Mondays. Its bullshit to pay for a service you dont receive. Im using a childminder instead of nursery now and don't have to pay for bank holidays, much better!

Are you just so bad at math you can’t imagine how the nursery could calculate the cost of bank holidays and roll it into the day rate for everyone to cover?

There's always one mummy martyr on a thread like this. I regularly take an annual leave day from work and keep my toddler in nursery to get a day to myself! Having a day to yourself to prevent burnout or using it is as couple time is actually good parenting in my book. Goes with the saying "can't pour from an empty cup".

I’ve never had to use a nursery for my dcs and I’m suprised that you would be charged for bank holidays when they are not open! I agree the staff costs should be factored into the overheads or split fairly between all customers. Not a direct bill to the Monday users. I work in retail and although we don’t get a paid day off, we do get a bank holiday premium for working. The company does not raise their prices specifically on that day though to be able to pay the bank holiday staff their extra pay. Could you imagine popping into your local supermarket and paying an extra 25% for your loaf of bread on bank holiday Monday just because the staff are being paid a little extra? It’s the company policy to give paid time off to the nursery workers so they should factor that cost in somewhere else

mine too. But, I wonder if the reason Mondays in particular are so unpopular is the bank holiday issue - it’s 3 days in about 5 weeks this year! Maybe if they didn’t charge for BH they’d find Mondays were more popular for attendance. (Low Friday attendance - well, who wants to work a Friday 😂 think this is universal and not BH related. even when my daughters ASC had no availability any other day there were always loads of spaces on a Friday!)

I agree that it is unfair. especially if you have a child that only goes certain days. Those who go on Mondays miss out massively. The nursery my two went to did not charge for bank holidays.

Staff holidays should be incorporated into the daily charge. And lots of people do not get paid for bank holidays. Myself included when I used a nursery.

The same way as they get paid when taking the other 20 days per year statutory holiday.

Incorporating it into a daily rate means the cost gets split across ALL parents using the nursery, not disproportionate to those attending on Mondays.

Also, I think this is particularly obvious when nurseries issue an itemised bill and there date is listed there, perhaps with a ‘consumables’ or lunch charge too. That’s when it really grates. Where nurseries split the bill in to 12 equal installments I bet fewer people complain as it isn’t as obvious!

I begrudged this too. I went PT with Mondays off to resolve this.

That is why I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday! I'm not paying for Bank Holidays at nursery.

I can't get over how many people think this is a good system.

Of course staff get paid for bank holidays, but that should be factored into the overall fees the nursery charges - the same as the annual leave and sick pay the staff are entitled to be paid for.

You would expect to see a small increase in the day rate spread across everyone to cover these overheads.

I think the cost of staff for bank holidays should be spread over all customers not just ones who use the nursery on Mondays.

Do you get the BH's off @bouncinround ?

It must depend on nursery if ours is closed on a bank hol we don’t pay if open like last bank hol then child goes in

So where would the money come from to pay them?

Quite a lot of people have explained this in quite a lot of detail.

The cost if childcare is exorbitant. They pay employed staff minimum wage. Their overheads can be high, but they cut every corner to it's minimum. Leaving huge profits for the Nursery Owners. Yes we pay for shop staff's holidays, hospital workers holidays either via taxes or in what you buy and pay for. But in thus and any other "care situation" the owners of these businesses know the paying customers are over a barrel for approx 5 years, until the child enters full time education. Most families want the income from both parents to fulfill the costs if living they lifestyle they demand, so that's the price you hacmve to pay. If you are prepared to down grade look after your own children you risk the chance of not getting back into your chosen profession or having to start off again at a lower grade or switch professions even. And all offerings will be at a .uch reduced salary than when you got pregnant. Even employers will think again and again over employing parents of child bearing ages. Should they invest time and money into employees who may one day walk away because their "ideal family" life is calling. As the say you pick your choice. Ideally I suppose you train in child care, you have your own children ensuring that your premises etc are up to scratch to take in additional children. Payments stay in your pockets. You then become the "owner" of a child care establishment and make big bucks while laying in the sun with your own children growing up nicely in private schools paid for by your businesses profits.

That's life unfortunately. My friends child was sick for 9 full weeks during the creche year and still had to pay. In my creche we paid for easter , christmas and summer holidays. It's a huge thing leaving your child with other people and they deserve proper compensation for that role. There are very little profits from creches, staff are overworked and underpaid for the time and effort they put in.