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Nurseries

Find nursery advice from other Mumsnetters on our Nursery forum. For more guidance on early years development, sign up for Mumsnet Ages & Stages emails.

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Original poster

Would your nursery do this?

49 replies

pacinofan · 24/05/2007 19:41

Ok. We are going on a holiday for 1 week in June, so 'phoned the nursery today to let them know dd1 is away, and can we take the days she will miss another time? We have done this on more than one occasion without a problem, the manager has always been happy to help if she had the spaces available.

Was told VERY bluntly no, we can't do this, tough luck.

My previous nursery always accommodated us in this way also, but is this the norm? I am more than a bit upset because we do have a good relationship with the nursery - or so I thought. Am more than a bit cheesed off with the attitude I encountered today - particularly as in the past they have asked me to swap sessions to accommodate somebody, and I have always helped out wherever I could.

Thoughts anyone?

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lulumama · 24/05/2007 19:42

they might have no spaces?

SomeoneElseEntirely · 24/05/2007 19:43

It's not normal to be able to do this, no.

That being said, it's not normal for them to ask you to swap sessions, either - was that a favour to the nursery, or to another parent?

Maybe the policy or manager has changed?

mumemma · 24/05/2007 19:43

Ours won't do it either and no days in lieu for Bank Holidays either. You can book extra days when someone else is on holiday and pay pro rata so effectively they get paid twice.

nogoes · 24/05/2007 19:45

I have never heard of a nursery that allows you to swop sessions to account for holidays.

ProfYaffle · 24/05/2007 19:46

Ours wouldn't do that either, we just loose days she doesn't attend on.

Cappuccino · 24/05/2007 19:46

my dd has been to a couple of nurseries and they don't let me swop sessions

the nursery manager said quite rightly they still have to pay their staff - my current nursery doesn't give holiday places to other children as 'odd' sessions, you get your regular sessions and they hold that place for you

seems fair enough to me

lulumama · 24/05/2007 19:47

IIRC , when DS was at nursery, we had to kiss goodbye to two weeks fees when we went away on hols

and FWIW, excellent nurseries do not have empty sessions as a rule, to swap and change

Washersaurus · 24/05/2007 20:07

We also have to pay our nursery for any holidays or days off sick - so it sounds like you have been lucky in the past!

hoxtonchick · 24/05/2007 20:08

no, we couldn't do this. i am surprised they ask you to swap sessions too. i'd refuse next time!

compo · 24/05/2007 20:08

no, ours don't either. They just don't have the space to shuffle around like that.

WideWebWitch · 24/05/2007 20:09

I pay regardless, hadn't even occurred to me to ask if I couldn't pay. They have to keep the place open even if we're on holiday so I think it's fair enough that I still pay for it.

DeviousDaffodil · 24/05/2007 20:17

We still had to pay if we were there or not.

edam · 24/05/2007 20:19

Is this a day care nursery, or a place that just offers 2.5 hour sessions? Day care wouldn't let you do this. But wondering if the history of swapping means this nursery is something different.

Hulababy · 24/05/2007 20:19

Not norm to take days in lieu or not pay for days when on holiday IME, not bank holidays.

lemonaid · 24/05/2007 20:20

At ours you pay for your regular sessions whether you are there or not (so no, wouldn't let you take the days another time). But they wouldn't dream of asking a parent to swap to accommodate someone else, either.

teafortwoandtwofortea · 24/05/2007 20:22

For the reasons Capuccine gave, I wouldn't expect this no but the nursery I've moved my two too does offer 1/2 price rates if you give them 3 weeks notice as they can shuffle the staff around. However this makes me feel slightly bad as that means someone gets less work and therefore less money that week. Not fair on a person who's already on only minimum wage IMO.

gladbag · 24/05/2007 20:24

At ds' nursery, they give us a 50% refund on sessions missed because of holidays (as long as you let them know in advance). They won't let you swap sessions though, unless it's just one for an important reason (speech therapy assessment/docs apt etc) and you tell them well in advance, and they have a clear space in another session. I think they do really well in trying to accommodate families. I imagine it would be a statistical nightmare if everyone took holidays over the summer months and tried to swap all their sessions.

Rachmumoftwo · 24/05/2007 20:28

It is because of ratios of children to staff, I would imagine. It may mean changing shift patterns etc, so is easier and cheaper for them to keep things as they are. My DDs nursery offers a holiday discount, if you give 1 months written notice. I have never heard of a nursery swopping odd sessions at no extra cost though, that is very unusual and rather generous I would say.

NurseyJo · 24/05/2007 20:33

This reply has been deleted

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hoxtonchick · 24/05/2007 20:34

we can have occasional extra days if there are slots available. but we pay for them!

80sMum · 24/05/2007 20:37

I've never heard of a nursery allowing you to 'make up' days lost from holidays or sickness. You've booked a place, which they can't assign to anyone else for the few days you're away, so usually it's considered appropriate that you should pay for the days booked, whether the child actually attends them all or not.

Mrbatters · 24/05/2007 20:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bozza · 24/05/2007 20:44

Our nursery allows you to take 3 weeks holidays at half price. You book your hols in advance and it is knocked off your bill for the month. Anything on top of this (which is usually quite a lot) it is tough. They do not allow you to reuse the sessions at other times. They allow you to book extra sessions where possible. The only time I have tried to do this - my Grandma's funeral 4 years ago - they were not able to accommodate me. But I know of friends who have done this more recently. The nursery is not as busy as it used to be - we are in a rural area and others have opened up which are more convenient to some people.

Genidef · 24/05/2007 21:45

I've never heard of the sort of arrangement you describe. At neither of the nurseries where DD has been would they have agreed to that.

Original poster

pacinofan · 24/05/2007 22:16

Just to answer some of the questions raised:

I am not aware of any policy change, certainly received nothing in writing, manager has not changed either.

It is a private daycare nursery, that also provides sessional daycare.

I suppose my real gripe is the way my request has been dealt with - I can recall requesting to take sessions at a different time on 3 occasions over a 12 month period, each time the nursery manager has happily obliged, space permitting, obviously. I have also helped the nursery too with their requests.

If a policy has changed, then parents need to receive a newsletter detailing such.

Oh, and to answer another point raised, yes, the sessions that we are missing and have paid for are available for other folk to book and pay for - seems to me nurseries have the best of both worlds. I really don't see a problem with trying to accommodate swaps, particularly when it works both ways.

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