Nursery worker has tested positive for Covid. Thoughts on fees?

[IntoP20]

Hi all,

Our DS’ nursery key worker has (obviously inadvertently!) brought Covid into the nursery, meaning that he and others in his bubble now can’t attend and have to isolate for 14 days.

What are your thoughts on whether we should still be paying for the days he’s not able to attend because of this?

The nursery is a chain of four nurseries in our local area. I don’t know what to think really. We’ve been told to expect communication about payment today.

Thanks for your thoughts

@MRex

[quote IntoP20]@Musicalmistress her husband and sister in law have also tested positive, so the source of the outbreak isn’t really up for dispute. I’m not blaming anyone, it could just have easily been my son who tested positive, as you say, but facts are facts and I’m just stating them for the purpose of the thread[/quote]
It could still be that she caught it from nursery and passed it on to the brother and sister in law.

I would imagine they've caught it from asymptomatic kids at nursery not SD/sneezing in each other's faces rather than the worker's family pootling around Tesco

I wouldn’t expect to pay or a small amount at most given a parent will have to take two weeks off work whilst the child isolates.

Why are people moaning about the OPs language? She's asking if its fair for her to have to pay fees or not.
I would expect them to ask for 50% as they will still need the money but unfair if you have to pay full price.

We got 2 weeks credited when DS had to isolate for 2 weeks. The isolation occured after we had already paid so just means November is cheaper for us.

50% at least.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I wouldn’t expect to pay or a small amount at most given a parent will have to take two weeks off work whilst the child isolates.

I can understand your thinking here but how do you expect the nursery to keep running if they’re not getting paid? They still have to pay staff and cover all the overheads whether your child is there or not. You wouldn’t have a nursery to go back to if you’re not prepared to pay something to keep them running.

People are not moaning at the question, this after all is a problem that will be commonplace - rather people mind the not so subtle inference that the worker brought it in, in the hopes that everyone will tell her not to pay as it was her fault. Ever so subtle.

Why are people moaning about the OPs language?
Because she's assigning blame to someone for catching a virus. It doesn't matter that the nursery worker, husband and SIL all caught it from a third party, it's a virus and will pass between people without them being at fault. If the nursery worker had organised a rave then judge away, but otherwise have normal compassion.

I'm surprised that your nursery didn't say what their policy is on this in advance. At DS's nursery it would be 50% fees in this scenario.

We’ve just been in this position (last day of DD’s isolation today hurrah!) and our nursery sent us an invoice showing full fees for the two week period - I queried it and said I don’t think we should be paying full fees, and they came back immediately offering a 50% reduction which I’ve now paid. My feelings on it were coloured by the fact I paid a full month’s fees for the first month of lockdown which wasn’t credited against fees when they opened up again so I wasn’t feeling hugely charitable. I also suspect that the staff who are off will only be getting stat sick pay and the rest of the rooms were open as normal, so they’re not taking a massive hit on fees

I would expect to pay something, possibly 70%. Mainly because I would want the nursery to afford to still be standing when I returned my child in 2 weeks and because I would expect staff to be paid whilst they isolate so they can afford to pay their bills.

Thanks all for your thoughts.

We’ve been asked to pay 50% of fees - fair is fair! We’ve also been provided with an updated Covid policy.

I own a nursery, and we would charge 20% fees. However, staff would probably be paid SSP as we would not be able to afford to pay them full pay.

We had this situation recently when one of the staff tested positive and our little ones floor closed. We didnt hear anything re payment and to be honest I was expecting to just continue paying as it's not anyone's fault and they are a small family run nursery who have been incredibly flexible with us over the last lockdown when my working days changed several times. Was pleasantly surprised when I got the next invoice and they had credited the days that the bubble had to isolate.

It's quite likely he caught it from an asymptotic child at nursery.

Just would like to point out that as a nursery worker I and colleagues lost pay when our nursery closed for this reason. Got ssp of £100 pw for 2 weeks and lost £300 of usual months pay. No wonder poorly paid workers may decide they cannot afford to quarantine and/or take a test.

@Greyhair59 I’m sorry to hear this OP. Thank you for all that you do

@Greyhair59 oops, I didn’t mean to write ‘OP’

Thankyou Into

I work at a nursery and we would be charging full fees of this happened (it hasn’t yet) although several children have had to be sent for Covid tests - no positives yet !!

We are paying our staff in full if they have to isolate though or are awaiting a test!

Parents can obviously chose not to pay - but we have a very long wait list so if we could replace people who won’t pay easily we will just do that - it’s a business at the end of the day as we are a private nursery and not part of a chain and we are really just about getting back to breaking even Each month so we have to have full fees in each month or we are screwed!