Paying full nursery fees while closed

[Lionnose]

We have been informed we will have to pay full nursery fees if the nursery has to close.

AIBU to fight this?

I don’t want to loose my DS’s place at the nursery as he is happy there and it took time for him to settle in but can’t afford to pay. I don’t want them to go bust so I’m willing to pay some but surely they would be making a huge profit if we all pay full fees while they close?

Putting aside what contractual rights they have, in what way do you think they will be making a huge profit if they close? Which of their costs will continue (mortgage/rent, rates, staff salaries so they're not destitute?...) and which will stop or reduce (some utilities, do they feed lunches?). Are you sure they'll be quids in, OP?

but they are presumably paying their own staff to sit at home and wait to return to work, who have mortgages and their own children, and food to buy.

I'm expecting to pay full fees, and therefore expecting the nursery to have a full complement of staff again when they re-open, because the staff haven't handed in their notice and gone to work elsewhere because they have bills to pay.

I don’t know if they would make a huge profit but I would have thought that they would save money on utilities, food, nappies etc.

I’ve seen some people online who have said that their nursery will offer a reduced rate and I’m hoping our nursery will do the same. I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect a discount to reflect expenses that they don’t incur with the nursery being shut.

Fair enough if they are paying their staff full wages, could you have a quiet word with your child's key worker & find out?

Not really a huge profit: most of their costs would continue. Renting premises, contents and liability insurances, business rates, wages (presuming they’d need to put staff on a retainer or risk losing them), minimal heating to keep buildings ticking over, etc, etc. Some parents will make other arrangements and never return, losing them more business and driving up costs. If you want the nursery still to be there, and have a place for your child a soon as they’re allowed to go back, I think you’ll just have to face it that this is the cost.

I am fully expecting to still have to pay the full going rate. Just like if they were closed over Xmas and bank Holidays etc. During this spell if they close they'll still have rent/mortgage/business rates/staff/electric etc etc etc to pay.

Ive always been in the belief that if we didn't pay for Xmas closures etc they'd just put fees up and make money back elsewhere. Like the daily rate going up or by not providing nappies, wipes, meals etc. This would be no different. They barely scrape by as it is.

I work in a private nursery and we absolutely cannot charge whilst we’re closed. Our contracts say that if nursery is unavailable, then no fees charged. It does, however mean I won’t get paid....but at least I have no nursery fees.

Nursery’s don’t make much profit anyway.

I pay £47 a day for my daughter. In the baby room they have 3 children to look after. Wages, snacks and building costs etc. still need to be paid.

I’m happy to pay full fees and will continue to do so.

If we have to cancel our cleaner due to isolating I would also pay her anyway.

I also expect work to pay me if I can’t come in.

We have to keep the money flowing where possible or bills won’t get paid.

I guess the alternative is everybody pays nothing and the nursery folds.

Once the crisis is over, anyone who has weathered the storm has a monopoly on the market, you take what you can get and they can charge what they like.

I know which I’d prefer.

I understand why they charge, but I also wonder what’s going to happen with parents who then have to take unpaid leave and literally can’t afford to pay for childcare without a wage. It’s a scary time.

I just don't understand how we are meant to pay childcare if we aren't getting paid from work? If the schools here close I have to take off I have no other choice. But I won't get paid so I don't actually understand how we are meant to carry on. Not just with childcare with everything else too?

£47 a day?! My boy’s nursery charges £42 for a half day! I totally get why they’d have to charge something, but for our nursery won’t be providing meals, utilities will be lower. Something, just to reflect that their costs will be a bit lower, would engender some goodwill when I’m paying £75 quid a day.

Try not paying. Then when all this blows over, they'll have gone under and you'll have no nursery to send your son to.

Of course you should continue to pay your fees. The people who work in childcare have their own families and mortgages and bills, the same as us. We have to do what we can to support everyone.

Well let’s hope your child care provider doesn’t go out of business. What will you do then?

£47 a day?! My boy’s nursery charges £42 for a half day

I’m lucky it is charity run. No lunch included though although they do provide snacks. I am about an hour from London, though.

Would they offer a payment plan? E.g increase your fees by x amount a month to cover it. My nursery has done that before (they messed up on fees and allowed me to pay it off by paying extra a week)

I think they should charge reduced fees. No, it isn't fair that staff aren't paid but it also isn't fair if parents aren't getting paid either due to having children at home. There are tons of businesses that won't be operating as normal and losing money, why should nurseries be an exception and why should parents have to foot the bill. The nursery isn't upholding their end of the contract so you shouldn't have to pay full fees.

YABVU and have a poor understanding of how business works. No, they will not be making a huge profit because they are shut; they still have lots of expenses to pay including staff wages.

I work in a nursery. We're not charging whilst shut and not getting paid, I expect the business to go under if it goes on for more than six weeks.

I think they should remove food and nappies (if charged) off the bill. Every little saving helps the parents. I also think they should pay their staff their wages and if only paying Statutory sick should then reduce fees.

They have to charge everyone though, in fairness of all. Barring their own staff if only on SS.

It will screw us if the nursery closes to pay the dcs fees when if we isolate we will not have money coming in. I'd be pissed if some chancers got let off while we struggled. And if this went on for months, we'd have to pull their place as would all of the other parents. We will pay for as long as we can.

If it goes on longer than a month, i think the industry will fold.

I think most people have said it here, but your attitude makes me cross. We should be absolutely supporting businesses where we can through this. It is awful all round. Of course you should still pay your nursery. The workers there will be low paid, I’m sure you don’t want them to lose their jobs or the nursery to go under.

I'm fine with continuing to pay full fees - I'd expect them to pay their staff full pay though and not statutory sick pay.

Of course you should still pay your nursery. The workers there will be low paid, I’m sure you don’t want them to lose their jobs or the nursery to go under.

And if the parents using the nursery aren't being paid and then have to fork out nursery fees on top? Or are nursery workers the only low paid workers who deserve to be paid for not doing their job?

The government should be sorting this out because nurseries are an essential service.

My nursery isn’t charging for 7 day exclusions but hasn’t said what will happen with closure. I don’t think they are like any other business. There is nothing else that I am required to pay £1800 a month for. Nursery fees can be bigger than mortgages for many people but they will need to pay staff. It is one industry that should be near the top of government bailout/support. If parents are charged, it could lead to real financial hardship if they are having to take
Unpaid leave but if nurseries can’t charge they might not exist in a few months time which would be a massive problem for working parents and if they’re not being paid, staff might not be paid putting them in a precarious position.

If they close i will still have to work so slightly panicking about this too. I hope they will give fine sort of discount. I have someone who is willing to babysit but will want paid. 😬 my company are not taking this virus seriously at all. One boss has just flown back from a high risk country and the other just left this weekend and will likely not be able to return to the UK. They've not provided any sanitiser or anything. I'm expected to work no matter what. Argh!!