Covid positive case and private nursery fees

[Nooni7116]

Hello

Im new to Mumsnet. My DS is 12 months and attends private day nursery (I am a keyworker).

Last week, we were called to say that a staff member in the babies room has tested positive so DS has to self isolate for 10 days. However, I have been invoiced for the days that the babies room was shut last week. I dont mind paying a reduced rate to cover running costs but seems unfair that we are expected to pay the full rate. Does anyone know where we stand on this matter?

At the end of last year, I caught Covid and so DS was self isolating for the 10 days. Of course, we informed the nursery and he didnt attend. We paid full fees for that time period too but I felt there was no point challenging that as if he was sick for any reason other than covid we would have to pay his fees. It just feels unfair that when the nursery shuts we have to pay. Surely, they are entitled to some financial help if they have to close due to a positive case?

I want to say something to the nursery manager but don't know where I stand in terms of rules etc. Any thoughts? Hoping someone else on here has been through a similar situation and could help. Thanks

You want the nursery to be there when the isolation period ends? Staff still need to be paid, costs of premises etc
So that's why you need to pay the fees.

We paid full fees when there was a positive case in my sons nursery bubble. The nursery still has to pay staff and I prefer to pay full fees for a short time period then risk a staff member thinking they need to come into work if they have any symptoms because otherwise they won't get paid and put more families at risk.

I'd ask for a reduction many places put staff on SSP they will still have outgoing but not as much as if they were open .

No they're not actually allowed to charge now for any period of isolation/closure as per the new guidelines but unfortunately that will be the end of some early years settings

Honestly, I'd still pay. I know of several nurseries that have been hit very hard by the Covid situation and they've said if they have to shut for another lockdown, that's it and they can't afford to reopen. For that reason, I'd pay. They've still got a building, staff, they've probably already bought food etc.

I was expecting to pay full but we've been told 33% to ensure staff get paid. Rest of the nursery is still open but I guess they save on washing, food and supplies for the closed bubbles.

My kids are at a national chain and there is no charge if the bubble bursts

We can choose from a full refund, pay full fees, or a half refund. We’re currently isolating because of a burst bubble and have opted for the half refund so we help cover their running costs but aren’t out of pocket for the extra support we have had to put in place this week.

Sadly no there is no financial support for the nursery from government etc if you don’t pay your fees. The Government is also not paying any funding for funded kids if they are off due to covid either isolating or as parents don’t feel it’s safe. There was some guidance In first lockdown advising nursery’s that they should not charge if children are isolating via nhs track and trace . However this is not a you must not charge rule so is not enforceable. If nursery’s don’t charge they can’t pay staff, bills etc so could end up closing.

It depends on your terms and conditions, my nurseries terms and conditions state we still have to pay, however as a good will gesture they’ve decided not to charge, but I imagine this will really affect the survival of the nursery

Thank you for all the information, really appreciate it.

I'm shocked to know that nurseries are not entitled to any financial help from the government. It was on this premise that I had assumed fees would be reduced when nursery has to close due to a positive case.
It really is shocking when you consider the risk nursery staff are at when working without any PPE and coming in contact with bodily fluids with the babies/toddlers.

Anyway, I have emailed the manager just for clarification. On reflection, its not the end of the world if I have to pay full fees but it would be nice to at least have an option to pay some sort of reduced fees for those parents who need it. We are fortunate in that we are both keyworkers and in employment but I bet there are plenty of parents who are on furlough or out of work.

@Nooni7116 I'm a nursery manager and yes it's shocking the lack of support but officially no we cannot charge now if we cannot offer a service, it would be amazing if a parent chose to pay regardless however and they'd be very grateful

Hi @Nooni7116 and @ChunkyButFunky87 One of the mums at our nursery as just had her petition published today which asks the governments to help with exactly that. We know that nurseries can't afford to reimburse the fees, which is why we think the government should support families with young children and step in to reimburse our fees when the nursery has been forced to close. We need help too!! Please sign and share the petition (if I'm not breaking the rules by posting this): petition.parliament.uk/petitions/568544

Parents and childcare providers need to stand together with this issue. We're on the same side. If the provider closes because of lack of funds that's several people out of work and lots of families needing to find alternative provision and resettle children etc. Yet it isn't fair for parents to pay for provision that is closed and possibly lose wages too. The government need to support this area much better, the pandemic has shown quite how vital the need for care and education for young children is.

We are in the same situation our bubble closed today until 1st feb. We have had this every month since November and they decided to close early before Xmas and between Xmas and new year to protect staff seeing their families over the time.

I pay half fees. I wouldn't not just pay as people are right they still have overheads but at the end of last year my work stopped paying me if I had my son at home during the week. So we paid half fees and I remove this from the next months bill. I clarified this with the nursery first.

Is the nursery paying their staff full pay? If so I’d pay, if they aren’t paying staff and just letting them have ssp I wouldn’t feel inclined to pay fully.

I would imagine parents still paying would be the difference between their staff being paid or their staff just receiving SSP amount. Some nursery providers are closing their doors permanently at the moment. The government needs to do a huge amount more to support them.

Hi OP, we were in almost the exact same situation. Our nursery offered us a 50% reduction in fees (without us asking) which sounds like an anomaly looking at all the other comments on this thread. I thought it was entirely reasonable, probably more than reasonable really

Hi @StacySoloman and @SnowFields I thought so too, but we've just found out that staff were only paid sick pay when they closed for Covid cases but they're still insisting we pay 100%! I feel so stuck. This is so unfair. I totally agree @Tumbleweed101that we all need to be on the same side, this is so difficult for everyone. Ultimately we want our nurseries to thrive and not die out during this time, but I don't see why we're the ones paying for it, when we've also had to have pay cuts to make up for looking after our children with the closures.

I know I've already posted this, but if anyone would be happy to sign this petition and share it with other parents and friends, maybe we can make a difference? petition.parliament.uk/petitions/568544

So the owners make a profit from having covid cases? Slash their staff costs while parents pay full and staff can barely pay their rent
Also really discourages staff from testing and isolating when they are ill!

@StacySoloman Yep! It's awful! I love the staff at my daughter's nursery, which is why we want to stay there. She loves it there. But the management have proved to be really disappointing... A staff member told me that when they've had Covid cases they've been forced to take annual leave because they couldn't afford to survive on SSP.

Not all owners do that. Ours support the staff as much as possible - when I was isolating I was still paid in full by my owner. There is very little profit for small private nurseries even out of Covid times.

Completely agree though that support should be in place for childcare providers via the government so parents don’t need to be charged for Covid related closures.

I genuinely think the only reason nurseries were allowed to remain open in England is because the government has always relied on parents to keep them funded. Fewer parents paying in = fewer nurseries remaining post-pandemic.

We have no charge when my son's bubble is closed. It has happened three times now and the nursery adjusted the invoice automatically. I'm glad because I have to take unpaid leave to care for him (caring for him isn't an issue, of course) so my wages are significantly reduced following an isolation period. Thankfully, the most recent one was 6 working days (4 weekend days) instead of 10, as was the case with the 14 day periods.