Change to furlough for nursery workers!!

[Samcj02]

Anybody here work in childcare and has seen the revised furlough requirement by the government. They unturned on Friday evening.. anybody concerned about what they’ll now be receiving.. I, myself agreed to be furloughed under the impression the pay was 80%. I’ve added a link www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/article/government-makes-u-turn-on-nurseries-access-to-furlough-cash

This is dreadful. My (small) provider has requested only a 30% retainer, deductible from next full months payments, so long as they are closed. I am appalled at this.

That's really sad, but as I understand it it's for nursey staff that work within the public funded places/ 30 hours free childcare... so I can also see the government side on this. They would be effectively paying twice for for some nusery staff ...

Can someone explain this to me? I’m not sure what it means for nurseries?

Not sure what the problem is. It states that nurseries that continue to receive 15 and 30 hour funding can't also furlough their staff as their wages can be paid out of the government funding. Otherwise they'd effectively be receiving double and private nursery owners potentially making a packet while having much reduced operating costs.

I think nurseries have to prove that the furlough employees wages are not related to any other public funding:
The new guidance says that private providers should only furlough employees if:

-the employee works in an area of business where services are temporarily not required and where their salary is not covered by public funding

• the grant from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme would not duplicate other public grants received

...

So the furlough amount will be 80% of the proportion of income that is gained privately (so by parents paying fees)? The government funding for 15/30 hours will otherwise be paid in full? Is that right?

That sounds reasonable.

Thanks everyone! Suppose I’m just slightly concerned my owner won’t pay out, nor won’t receive furlough?? I’m sure she’s still getting funding, receiving retainer fees for children not attending and still has some keyworker children. Totally understand though if receiving government funding and other sources of payment, they should be using it to pay staff..where’s the money going to? Hmmm x

It seems though that at least one of the large nursery chains who have furloughed staff will now not be paying the staff. These people work long hard hours for minimum wage and many strughle to make ends meet anyway.
They had been told that they would be receiving the 80%and planned accordingy.

We have a mix of funded and private paying children so am I
Right in assuming she’ll work out the percentage of children to the amount she’ll have to pay, eg. 50% private means she can claim 50% furlough? It’s all a bit confusing and up in the air at the moment.. is the impression I’ve got from management x

@GoldenPoppy that’s awful, I think people underestimate how hard nursery workers work also it seems like a kick in the teeth. X

@OddBoots totally agree it’s reasonable, though I have found some business owners just want £££ and not bothered about staff unfortunately!!

I’ve no idea whether this will affect me or not. I work in an independent school in the Early years department. I don’t think any of the children in my particular class get funding as they are all 2 years old, the next class up are 3 years and the school accepts the funding for those.

One of the main problems with this is that the funding for the funded hours is so ridiculously low that we were only just breaking even as it was. It doesn't even cover the utilities and rent, proportionate to the number of children/hours, let alone wages. For our funded children we run at a loss and only offer 15 hours funded as we wouldn't survive if we offered 30 hours. We are a very high quality Ofsted Outstanding setting, with all staff level 4 or over, including two with EYPS, but still can't afford to pay more than minimum wage and will really struggle to make the pay up to 80%.

@SamsMumsCateracts there are a few early years setting in my area which sound exactly the same as your describing! And yes the funding is poor is it still around the £4p/h mark? It’s just awful.. I se both sides but how do the government expect people and businesses to survive x

Surely that’s fair?

The playgroup I am on the commitee for has no children in at the minute. We can afford to cover the staff wages from the funded children’s money that is still coming in. We are not charging parents anything at all to retain places. We therefore have no furloughed any staff and have no plans to, even though we don’t need them at the minute. If we did we would end up being in a better financial position than usual which doesn’t seem right.

We get just under £4 per hour per child, but it costs us £7.50 ph, pc. Unfortunately parents don't realise this and seem to think we can give the earth for nothing. We work extremely long hours 45+ each week, for minimum wage, yet are so undervalued and unappreciated. This is just another kick when we are already down and on our knees.

Yes I think it’s fair @Myfriendanxiety, just worried if that’s the case my employer will just lay us off rather than pay! x

@SamsMumsCateracts totally understand where you’re coming from, working in childcare sometimes feels like we are the lowest of the low, work long hour days, more and more challenging children coming through the doors, lack of local authority help due to government cuts, long waiting lists for referrals..the list goes on childcare has certainly changed over the years and not for the better! Definitely can relate to the Feeling of feeling undervalued, it’s a good job underneath it all I do love my job x

You still have a contract with your employer they will still have to pay you. All this means is with regard to how much they can claim to help them out. Not a worry for the employee but it's a bit of a kick in the teeth for the nursery owners who are usually only just scraping by. Obv long term this may kill the nursery industry as they've been told that the gov will help them then the goalposts have been completely moved

@Looneytune253 even if in the contract it states that in the event of a closure they don’t have to pay?

The funding is there to cover the costs of running a setting and to provide education. Not just wages. This may mean some settings won’t be able to pay staff now as well as run the loss the autumn term brings.

The government will pay a percentage of furlough depending on how much money the setting get from funded children and fee paying parents. I think the main problem isn’t so much what they’ve decided so much as them leaving it to the last minute to change things. Staff have been furloughed on the assumption the scheme will help pay wages while funding will help the other bills and cover outgoings for the setting being open for key worker children.

The nursery owners will have to cover pay for furloughed staff this month but I do wonder how many will end up laying off staff instead if this carries on too long. Nurseries are often only breaking even already as funding levels are so poor.

And what if we go back before September (this makes me think they know we’re not!) and parents will expect the funding to be av to them when it will already have been spent.

*available to them. Not sure why that cut the word short.

The settings that remained open for key worker and vulnerable children should get an extra payment, it would be unfair if they didn't.