can nurserys refuse half days?

[sezyjayne]

Hi I've been enquiring to 8 of the local private nurseries and childminders in my area as I am wanting to put my son in for just 1 half day session a week as this is all I can afford.
I have been told by every single one of them that they only accept a minimum of 3 half days, one even saying a minimum of 3 full days!
Is this right to refuse us because of this? I feel like I'm been discriminated against because I am in low income but do not qualify for the 15 hrs free funding.
I had no problem years ago with my eldest child when she was in nursery just for 1 half day session a week. So I'm upset and don't understand if they can legally refuse me because I can't afford to pay for extra hours.

Any help please?

It can be hard for a child to settle when only three for such a short time.

Of course they can refuse to do hours that don't suit them. What age is your child?

Legally they can. I think you're going a bit far that you are being discriminated against.

Yes, they can legally refuse this and it’s not discrimination.

Many don’t because it’s not in the best interest of the child when it comes to settling in.

And of course it also takes a place that could be used by a family who need more hours

As a business and they can set whatever terms they want, provided they aren’t discriminating against a protected characteristic.

In reality it’s a lot more hassle for them having more single-session parents so it makes sense to have fewer people for more sessions.

Do you have a local sure-start nursery that you could try?

Most nurseries have a minimum number of days / hours I think ... partly because of the child settling and partly because they have a certain amount of management time needed per child to complete all the tracking of milestones etc that just isn't viable if they have a lot of children for short periods of time. Difficult for you but not discriminatory I think.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck. I must be really lucky with my nursery. I wanted to send him in for just one half day a week and they've been very accommodating. He started on half an hour and has been built up gradually in half hour increments since mid March. We're going to try 2 and a half hours on Weds then if he likes it we'll increase it to the 3 hours we originally were aiming for. Could u keep trying until u find somewhere like this?

It's not discrimination. Being on a low income is not a protected characteristic. I'm assuming as you only want half a day a week you aren't working so you want a place for your child's benefit, unfortunately that is then down to the discretion of the businesses that you approach as to whether they can meet that need.
You might find somewhere that does one full day minimum, ours is two full days.

You not being able to fulfil a business’ terms of engagement is not discrimination 🙄

I understand your upset but unfortunately this is quite common. It can be harder for the child to settle and can make it tricker for them to fit in. Do you need a fixed day? I wonder if some places might be more willing if they have a random space. Particularly childminders who do school pick ups but might have space in the middle of the day.

They are restricted as to how many dc they have at a time & if you have half a day used up it may mean you cannot accept someone who may need more hours - its not financially viable for them either
Keep trying different cms someone might have that gap & being willing to take your dc on

The problem is that they have to maintain ratios and also want a full roster to maximize income. Part-time kids have to be nested together to maintain a full roster or they lose money.

As a childminder, if I took your child on For half a day, I would struggle to find a child to fill the other half of the day. I charge two rates, a school day and a full day. The school day is a higher hourly rate than the full day, because I can’t fill the hours either side and I have to earn a minimum amount of money per day to be able to pay my bills. I do feel for your situation, but it’s not my fault. Maybe write to your mp and ask them about Early years funding rates And what they are doing about the looming crisis in Early Years (Funding at such low rates that settings can’t afford to pay good wages, leading to staff shortages and general low morale amongst the work force).

I also wouldn’t accept a child on a one day a week contract. I’ve done it twice and never again. It’s really hard to get the child to settle, They don’t learn the routine or get to know me or the other children and I didn’t get to know them well enough either (I gave notice to one who refused to change her hours and the second increased to two days and settled within a couple of weeks of coming more).
Obviously I don’t know your circumstances, but if you found work for the hours your child was in childcare would that help? Are you claiming everything you can (have a look at childcare choices, it’s a website to give parents advice on financial help to pay for childcare).

Of course it's not discrimination or against the law for them to refuse. I'd actually really question a nursery who thought it in a child's best interest to attend for only 1 half day a week. It's well known that the reason for having a set minimum amount is so the children are able to settle and form relationships with the staff and the children in the setting.

Hi!

I work in a early years setting and being honest we wouldn’t accept anything less than one full day, it’s very hard for settling/getting used to us and admin and picking up EYFS criteria for half a day and most importantly bonding!

I would look at other options such as local childminders or playgroups where you are distant?

Agree with everyone else, I’m afraid this isn’t unreasonable of them

You might be better to try a playgroup or cast your net for childminders wider. On the website childcare.co.uk you can specify your requirements for the exact days. Someone might be wanting to do a nanny share where they do 4 days, and you’re looking for the extra half day, for example.

Good luck

Ours is the same, they used to do half days but no longer do. They are not profitable apparently.

One day a week we pay for a full day and take my DC home at lunchtime (to see grandparents). It's not great but it's the way it goes.

How old is your son, can you wait until you qualify for the funding?

I understand he may struggle to settle as my daughter was the same. But after a few weeks the tears stopped. Hes just turned 2 and I only work 10hrs a week (wed and sun) but am struggling to find any childcare for him on the Wednesday. I keep passing him around the family and even to my neighbours and I feel awful about it. I really just would like him in nursery but I'm shocked nobody will accept him for half a day. Didn't have this problem 5 years ago

Could you afford two half days? That would be better for him.

Its £138 a month for just 1 half day. Believe me if I could afford more hours then I would.

You didn’t have this problem 5 years ago because we hadn’t just been through a global pandemic. Nurseries are on the brink of closing due to the lost income & closures.
One of the reasons nurseries are now setting minimums is to ensure they can make enough money to stay open.
You are not being discriminated against in the slightest.

What about the child’s father? Can he provide any childcare or finance the extra hours? Have you checked if you at eligible for UC or tax free childcare?

I think a childminder, playgroup or nanny share might be your best bet