Local nursery gone a step to far?

[JAM86]

What do you think? What would you do?

Dunno it's too blurry to read. Can you sum up?

Posted again. Hope it's clearer

I think the gist is that they want the fees to continue to be paid even if the nursery is closed

Nursery saying basically you have to keep paying for your childcare or you will lose your place

Full nursery fee I may add.

Not uncommon for most sets of terms & conditions - they will still have staff wages to pay & at least some of their bills?

But you may get credit in later invoices if you pay now. They cannot determine how many staff to keep on unless they know how many children may attend.

The nursery are being forced to close unless your a key worker.
The government are saying you cant earn money but pay your staff stick by them...
How do nurseries who are already struggling to exist on low funding levels do this if no money is coming in?
Do you want a nursery (any not just yours) to go back to?
The nursery are saying they will make up days when things return to normal....that's more than most...
Are you still getting paid?

We are still paying for childcare with our childminder. She is self employed. She has said if she gets any grants or help she will pay us some of the fees back. If you are still getting paid, then pay your childcare provider.

Childcare settings are already struggling due to being paid less by government for funded children than they need to pay overheads so wont have any contingency.
Nobody knew this virus was happening and once they did how government would respond.
The first news they had was Boris talking to us on Wednesday at 5pm.....schools seemed to have had a bit more notice maybe wrong on that.
Settings got told that they must close except for critical workers and children with EHCPs ....no list of critical workers available so no idea who was included. At the same time hes saying g employers should keep on staff but not saying how they pay them.
Promised list came out around 6am this morning. Settings had to ask parents who of you qualify and get proof and who of thoese need spaces. Before 4pm they had to return information on who is using space....they are not allowed to take anyone not meeting the criteria. They are being asked to cover shifts...some 24 hour shifts....work through easter holiday....but not being told how that additional cost will be funded. They are also having to stay in ratio despite staff going sick so need to pay higher rates bank staff.....in the short term the only way to keep working so the country have nhs fireman shop staff delivery drivers postal services, gas electricity etc is for these setting to take their children and risk their own and their families health with zero protective gear from coughs saliva etc from young children because they cant get gloves aprons hand gel or toilet roll to work with. Then after they have been working from 7pm or earlier to 6pm or later they clean down everything and go in search of food for their own and your children but the shelves are bare or they can only get 1 pack.

Schools had no more notice. We also found out from the Boris announcement.

We have been asked to pay 50% and they will in return give us 10% for six months after they open again.
It’s a risk... but we have decided to say we would so as to keep our twins’ slots as they are so happy there.

@SweepTheHalls....one of ours told support companies school would close Friday....on Monday....staff in local schools have been putting homework packs together for 2 weeks telling their childminders it had to be finalised Monday for closure on Friday.

I completely accept everything you say @jannier
The nursery I am talking about is expecting full rates at £49 per child under 3. On to the other matter to mention
These places that are providing childcare to allow key workers to work are amazing. I do however feel I need to point out they are no harder done by than the NHS staff who are dealing with extremely sick patients & being stuck in isolation situations with full PPE on for hours on end. Not able to drink or go to the toilet. For 12hours.
Or please don't forget all the people working in the supermarkets getting crap from ppl. They are so exposed with no PPE or protection from the general public. They are the real hero's on extremely low wages & high risks.
These nursery's are going to bailed out & get their money. They can't expect to still turn a profit durning these times which is exactly what the nursery is trying to do by changing full fees.

They need the money to stay in business, I am not saying it's fair but you do have a choice to withdraw your child's place.

My child won't be going to our childminder but I am still paying her full fee, mainly for keeping her a place. Yes, I have to get over the feelings of giving away hundreds/thousand of £ for nothing.

@JAM86 to be fair you don't know how they work. They don't know yet if they will still get their next lot of funding. Most funded children are leaving our preschool for school this summer, we will have less numbers being the autumn term anyway, less funded children as they're the younger ones left and hardly any new children as they usually start visiting from now until the summer to book in and they can't! They need to look ahead to the next term not just the here and now. Overheads are v.high, believe me they will be looking to stay open, not make a profit.

Everyone is talking about the nurseries overhead but one of the biggest overheads is wages and the government is going to pay those! I don't think it's on to charge full whack. Tbh I don't think it's on to charge at all... what if you keep paying and they go bust? I think we are looking at 3-6 month closure so I would not be paying to save a place. That's insane.

If the nursery issued a letter dated 20/03/2020 saying they would close from "close of business" on that date then they clearly wrote it before the government announced the wages support after 5pm on 20/03/2020. You can't criticise them for not having factored in information that hadn't been announced yet.

The wages announcement was made this evening.
Childminders are not eligible.
Yes NHS workers are being put at risk and working hours in PPE is awful......
Were being told children are super spreaders were not being trained in handling the risk having no PPE and having children cough in your face, wipe their noses on you, put their hands from their mouths to yours etc and being told it's okay wash your hands and theirs everytime isnt good either....especially in a room ot 20 plus children. Then being told you wont be paid for the work your doing or will have to wait months for it.

Many nursery workers get less than minimum wage because they are apprentices receiving £4 or so an hour ....because that's all funding rates allow.

(Written in the absence of a clear indication of how today’s announcement re salary security would work in practice, as obviously that changes things).

If you are still earning a full salary then morally you should still pay fees. Why should you be better off financially at the expense of the nursery?

If you are not earning a full salary/having to take unpaid time off/have been made redundant etc then it’s a much more difficult scenario.

I had half a day notice my sons school was closing. I am a nursery practitioner I had the worst day of my working life yesterday the 20th. People are dying from this thing. The longer you continue to go about life the more risk you are placing on your child. It is incredibly selfish to put you child in nursery if it is safe for them to stay at home. Today I had the horrendous thought of what if we all have this in the nursery (we have a few high risk children) and I never see these children again because they have died. Are you seriously saying the inconvenience of looking after your own child is more of a priority than keeping them safe. If your child can safely stay at home then they should. Pay your fees don't pay your fees that is your choice but if you don't then when this has blown over you won't have a space to go back to. Look at the bigger picture!!!

Just to point out the government will only pay if you furlong the staff and therfore they can't come in, so nurseries need to furlong some staff and then keep some to provide for key staff, it's a balancing act. Nurseries are asking the government to reconsider the rules for our staff. They want us to open for critical staff so should support this to happen. Until this is clear nurseries may choose to continue to charge

Furlough...silly phone!

To any nursery owners. Would you be able to/consider using childminders to cover your own staff if they have to self isolate/go off sick? As a childminder myself I am a qualified early years worker and have a pvg (think in England it is called a CRB). Might be wrong.