Nursery fees | Mumsnet

Financiallyfailing · 2023-07-11T11:11:42+00:00

Posting just to rant/stress out Nursery fees are going up by 17%, an extra £170/month. Mortgage gone up by £200/month on new fixed term. I took a new job with extra £450/month and that's going to be pretty much gone with these increases plus car insurance etc After all bills we are left with £280 for food, petrol, clothes, days out etc and it just isn't enough. I feel like I'm letting my toddler son down because I can't pay for swimming or football or other activities and I just don't know what to do. We have some credit card debt and a loan which don't help but I earn £50k a year and DH £21k a year, we shouldn't be in this mess but what do we do?! Just posting because I'm sat crying and no one to talk to about it. We have no family to help with childcare and free hours don't kick in until next September and if they increase again then free hours won't make a difference anyway because we'd probably still be paying the same. Fed up and I know others are in a worse position, I'm just stressed with our situation

FoodFann · 11/07/2023 12:17

Congratulations on your new job. Another supe-mum. Women really are amazing!
What is your total nursery spend PCM going to be OP?
Do you have a spare room? - would an au pair be an option instead of nursery?
Not to be rude, sorry in advance of this suggestion, but is there any potential for DH to find a higher paying role, or have some kind of additional income? £21k is quite low in this day and age, if that’s a full-time salary.

FoodFann · 11/07/2023 12:18

Super-Mum*

BodenCardiganNot · 11/07/2023 12:25

Would it be possible for your dh to get a higher paying job? Or are there opportunities for weekend/evening work in bars or shops?

froidIci · 11/07/2023 13:54

Whilst all of us are facing increased costs - I am sure you understand that your DH's income is quite low. Is there a way for him to change sectors/gain qualifications that improve your income in the short to medium to longer term?

Unfortunately - the swimming and toddler classes are the tip of the iceberg - and kids will only cost more once nursery ends - in wraparound and holiday care, even more activities you'll feel they are missing out on, their needs and wants etc.

Whilst possible to an extent to cut down and hope for best - the one changeable factor here is your jobs and particularly your DH's prospects.

cocksstrideintheevening · 11/07/2023 13:56

What PPS said, £21k is low, any options to increase?

Original poster

Financiallyfailing · 11/07/2023 15:31

I think you are all right, we need to look at DH getting a new job. We have had a rough few years with our first son born sleeping and an anxious (and successful) second pregnancy, a house move and me breaking my leg and being off my feet for 6 months so my DH has been basically trying to just keep everything and everyone going and burnt himself out so we haven't looked but we don't have a choice now, it would ease stress about finances.
Nursery will be £1150 per month full time which I know is low compared to a lot of the country but we are in the north of England (far north) and it's not so much the cost but the huge increase.
I knew deep down a new job is the answer but seeing it written down brings it home, it is a low salary and we need to act.
Thank you all

OP posts:

BoohooWoohoo · 11/07/2023 15:34

Don't feel guilty about the extra curriculars. Learning football or swimming when he's older is absolutely fine. Activities for toddlers is more for parents wanting to meet other parents.

Lizzt2007 · 11/07/2023 16:21

Would it be worth looking at partner moving to a part time job evenings/ weekends and being a stay at home dad? His take home on 21k is approx £1400 per month, if nursery fees are £1200 then his wages currently barely cover nursery. Make sure you're utilising tax free childcare too, this reduces the nursery bill a little. Good luck, times are tough right now x

Carol8855 · 14/07/2023 11:27

Also a childminder might be cheaper than a nursery? They are where I live x

Tumbleweed101 · 26/07/2023 19:58

If your child is going to nursery he will be doing plenty without you needing to worry about extra things like football. Our toddlers and preschoolers are kept busy with lots of activities like that in the nursery day.

RuthW · 26/07/2023 20:08

I think your dh is better off being a sahp if he continues on that wage. Forget nursery until preschool. Drop to one car(if you have two)

Mariarc · 14/11/2023 13:30

we need someone’s help here please.

We’ve just found out that at our nursery, depending on the day when your child started, applies different fees to each family.
Meaning that, benefit or specific cases aside, the applicable fee is not consistent across the kids based on their age etc.
at our previous nursery, all families were allocated in the same pay band, so this is shocking for us and we think unfair as the later you join, the more expensive your monthly fee will be compared to other families who have been there for longer.

is this legal? And does anyone have this situation at their setting too? Any comment on this it’d be very helpful.
Thank you very much

froidIci · 14/11/2023 13:41

Mariarc · 14/11/2023 13:30

we need someone’s help here please.

We’ve just found out that at our nursery, depending on the day when your child started, applies different fees to each family.
Meaning that, benefit or specific cases aside, the applicable fee is not consistent across the kids based on their age etc.
at our previous nursery, all families were allocated in the same pay band, so this is shocking for us and we think unfair as the later you join, the more expensive your monthly fee will be compared to other families who have been there for longer.

is this legal? And does anyone have this situation at their setting too? Any comment on this it’d be very helpful.
Thank you very much

Start your own thread with its own title.

Fees are different at our nursery for Over 3s, under 3s, those who work at the workplace the nursery is attached to, those who are community families and not at this workplace, those who get 15 hours, those who get 30 hours and those who do full days versus those who do half days and sessions.

What else? What is your evidence and what outside of these categories is going on?

Mariarc · 14/11/2023 17:53

This is the extract of the email nursery sent after parents found out about this fair policy:
During the pandemic, we consciously refrained from increasing tuition fees during those challenging times. This two-year period without an increase was an exception to our standard practice, reflecting our commitment to our family's well-being. As we emerged from the pandemic and reassessed our financial structure, it became clear that a fee increase was necessary to continue providing the high-quality education and care characterising Willows. However, we recognised the disparity between applying this increase to families who had remained with us during the financially challenging pandemic years and those considering enrolment as the situation began to improve. In response, we introduced a larger fee increase for prospective parents to align with the evolving economic climate. For our existing families, we felt a significant increase would not be fair, which resulted in the establishment of different pay bands based on the enrolment date. This year, we decided to increase a single percentage fee for all families. It is essential to clarify that while the percentage increase is uniform, the actual amount will vary according to the existing pay bands. This approach ensures that each family's increase is calculated fairly, based on the fee they have been paying to date.
It’s not equal to everyone but more to what families originally started paying…

any idea of other nurseries where they also have this approach?
above is excluding any childcare benefit ie 15hours, 30hours etc…

thank you

froidIci · 15/11/2023 08:38

Mariarc · 14/11/2023 17:53

This is the extract of the email nursery sent after parents found out about this fair policy:
During the pandemic, we consciously refrained from increasing tuition fees during those challenging times. This two-year period without an increase was an exception to our standard practice, reflecting our commitment to our family's well-being. As we emerged from the pandemic and reassessed our financial structure, it became clear that a fee increase was necessary to continue providing the high-quality education and care characterising Willows. However, we recognised the disparity between applying this increase to families who had remained with us during the financially challenging pandemic years and those considering enrolment as the situation began to improve. In response, we introduced a larger fee increase for prospective parents to align with the evolving economic climate. For our existing families, we felt a significant increase would not be fair, which resulted in the establishment of different pay bands based on the enrolment date. This year, we decided to increase a single percentage fee for all families. It is essential to clarify that while the percentage increase is uniform, the actual amount will vary according to the existing pay bands. This approach ensures that each family's increase is calculated fairly, based on the fee they have been paying to date.
It’s not equal to everyone but more to what families originally started paying…

any idea of other nurseries where they also have this approach?
above is excluding any childcare benefit ie 15hours, 30hours etc…

thank you

Edited

Ok - so they are a business offering a discount to existing customers. It is not something you can do anything about or lobby anyone about. Existing customer discounts, or holding old prices for existing customers is done by innumerable businesses. If you don't like it I guess you take your business elsewhere.

I am not seeing what you can do here - it's a private business offering an existing customer discount. It is not a government school or setting which needs to have previous regulations and a specific rule book to follow to a dot on this specific matter.

froidIci · 15/11/2023 08:39

Example: On Rover - the dogsitting app, a dogsitter can freeze old prices for returning/old customers and new clients can get their new prices. HOw can this happen? They are a private business! If people don't like it they are free to choose a different provider.

Not a hard concept!

Bunnycat101 · 24/11/2023 13:33

You are in a massively expensive point of life. It will get easier and at least you know you have the potential for your DH to earn more. Costs do continue once they get to school in terms of wrap-around, activities etc but for us it is much lower than nursery.

I disagree with a poster above saying things only get more expensive. last year we had one child in nursery and one in school. Nursery was £1400 even with free hours and wrap around an extra £250 a month on average. Now we’re averaging out at £500 for two in wrap around so more than £1000 less a month. That difference is massive!