Quick question re nursery fees

[laracroft2001]

Hi

Is it standard practise that if my child is going away on holiday for say a week or two, and I have given plenty of notice, do I still need to pay full nursery fees?

Yes - in London it is. I would assume so in the rest of the country too. Dont know if child minders are different.

We always paid when DS was at nursery and we went on holiday.

It depends what it says in your contract but usually, yes.

Yes, do you think the nursery can reduce staffing hours or their electricity bill while you are away?

Yes, of course - you are paying for a space and the costs of providing that space remain whether your child attends or not

Yes is normal here ooop north too. They are keeping the space open for when the children returns from holiday, it is available for you to use if you want it.

I don't pay when it is not open, but if it is open and I don't use it - illness, holidays, I still pay.

We have 2 weeks holiday a year when we don't have to pay. Although actually one of those weeks is xmas when they are closed

Yes you probably do, we used to offer 2 weeks holiday a year for families do be taken as 2 weeks together or 2 separate weeks and that wasn't charged for. I think we were one of the only ones who offered this. The reason we offered this were some parents sent their children 52 weeks a year except on bank holidays when we were closed. Their reason was "if I'm paying for it I might as well use it." It was our way of enforcing those parents to remove their child for 2 weeks over the year so they got a break. It also was an incentive for families to choose us so was pretty good for business in the long run!

Yes, you do. They can't fill a place for 2 weeks.

The nursery we used let you take 2 weeks holiday without paying per year. It had to be full weeks,not odd days here and there. So it's worth checking!

Thank you all. I haven't asked the nursery yet but it mentions nothing in the terms and conditions either way.

Coldcupoftea- yes I will check.

yes. my nursery charges me for 50 weeks of the year and this includes any holidays we decide to take, and also the fact they are closed over christmas.

however they are really flexible with swapping days around so if for any reason I wanted to swap DS2 from a Monday to a Weds, then as long as there was room they wouldnt mind me doing it. They also swap Bank Holidays for me which I certainly don't expect of them but they do it anyway.

The other daycare I use charges for 50 weeks also and also will not refund for holidays, and they will not swap days.

I get a 40% discount for.holidays provided we give a months notice. Plus they don't charge for bank holidays or Christmas week.

Never heard of a nursery that didn't charge for every day that its open - whether you choose to use that place or not (e.g during holidays etc). I'm in the North West.