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Nursery have totally let me down - what to do?

6 replies

susj · 29/03/2006 12:34

Hello all,

I am in the midst of a bit of a childcare nightmare and am becoming quite over emotional and unable to see what the best plan is so i thought i would consult all you ladies who have got the childcare thing nailed and see what you think.

The dilemma is this...

My son has been going to nursery for 3 half days per week. When i booked him into the place i explained that i was looking for a job so whilst he would initialy only need a small amount of time it would be going up to 4 days a week fairly soon. The nursery manager was suprisingly positive about this and said it was not a problem - she would block off a place for 4 days for him and i should let her know when i wanted to increase the hours. About a month ago i increased his sessions from 2 half days to 3 half days and she reiterated that this was no problem as she had spaces blocked off for him.

I have now (finally) been offered a job and i called her to take up the rest of the space for 4 days and she blithely said she had had a lot of demand so she had given them away! Now i can understand this as i thought it was really generous of them to save spaces for us when we weren't paying for them but the fact that she didn't tell me she was giving them away and that she offered to save them in the first place is not only really annoying but leaves me a bit stuck. I have had to turn down the job and i am now in the situation that i have spent 2 months settling morris into this place (which is a fantastic nursery where he is really happy) and i either have to take him out of it or wait for more space to come up or find a job that i can do in 3 half days a week.

I really don't know what to do - they have totally let me down and i feel like i am really letting my son down which is gutting cos i have been so careful to set this up and have used my time working freelance to allow him to get into it gradually but i don't think i can get enough freelance work either to pay for the childcare ongoingly or to generally earn any money.

Any ideas?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
FioFio · 29/03/2006 12:36

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anorak · 29/03/2006 12:38

How annoying for you! This woman evidently just uses people's goodwill to keep her income as high as possible. As you've said, if only she had been straight with you in the first place...doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does it?

Could you perhaps find a childminder to do the extra hours for you? When my DS was smaller I was lucky enough to have a very obliging childminder who fitted the hours I wanted around her day as much as she could. So they are out there.

anorak · 29/03/2006 12:39

Hello fio Grin You're so clever.

FioFio · 29/03/2006 12:42

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bluejelly · 29/03/2006 12:54

Same thing happend to me-- they promised me a place and then 2 weeks before I was due to go back to work told me it was no longer available
Was furious and upset.
But got on the phone to the local authority who sent me a list of childminders. Three days later I found a lovely cm, where my dd stayed for 8 months till a place came up at teh nursery. Sometimes I wish she'd stayed at the CM-- she was lovely, very caring and even used to make me some dinner in a tupperware box so that I didn't have to cook when I got home. Very sweet
Anyway I digress. But seriously consider getting a CM-- could be the answer to all your probs.

Uwila · 29/03/2006 13:42

What a jerk of a woman. You are being very soft on her. This is exactly the kind of stuff that has always put me off of nurseries. Fio is right. A childminder could fill in the other day(s). And if he likes the childminder you could phase him over to her and away from nursery. If you do it gradually, it shouldn't cause much trauma.

Is it too late to take the job?

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