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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

Did your nursery close over Xmas and still charge you???

49 replies

laundrylover · 02/01/2008 17:03

Mine did so am just conducting a straw poll to (hopefully) back up my argument that this is not fair.

Thanks.
LL

OP posts:

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hermykne · 02/01/2008 19:35

laundrylover

mine did and didnt charge, but i paid her anyway as shes lovely, only new to the business and didnt know she should really, its a business shes running , shes tax etc to pay.
were your husband/partner/sister/friend etc not paid holiday pay but still took statutory days off we'd be up in arms over it. same goes for sick pay etc.

you get my mixed up point

ceebee74 · 02/01/2008 19:39

MY DS's nursery was only shut on the 3 bank holidays and did not charge for these 2 days.

ceebee74 · 02/01/2008 19:39

MY DS's nursery was only shut on the 3 bank holidays and did not charge for these 2 days.

ceebee74 · 02/01/2008 19:39

MY DS's nursery was only shut on the 3 bank holidays and did not charge for these 2 days.

ceebee74 · 02/01/2008 19:40

whoops

Elfsmummy · 02/01/2008 19:51

Our closed from Christmas Eve until 2nd Jan and we don't have to pay.

That is the only week of the year that we don't pay for. We do pay for bank holidays. However my DD goes Monday and Friday mornings and the manager will normally try to fit her in another day of the week on a bank holiday week

It is a smallish independent nursery although is on the more expensive side generally compared to others around here

mimimilk · 02/01/2008 20:09

I'm in disagreement with most here as i do not think it is unfair at all for the nursery to close down over xmas and charge.

The fact is most of the staff will want it off anyway and this is probably a cost effective (not to mention morale boosting) strategy to keep the business running well.

If all the staff get a big chunk of Annual leave over xmas then there will be less leave to cover the rest of the year. And Most (not all I know ) parents will have a good bit of time off over xmas so it makes sense, surely?

Like any service or produnt you buy, all costs are factored into the price you pay, so in effect if they kept open over xmas you would only end up paying more on the hourly/daily rate, surely?

And like other people have said, when 'you' work you expect to be given paid holiday and other benefits so why is it different for the nursery.

My nursery shuts for the BH's (happens to be the days my DS goes usually lol!) and we dont get reduced price holidays or fr any other absences. I don't begrudge this as its a great, well staffed place and because the staff are well looked after the children are too.

I think it is a bit mean not wanting to pay TBH!!

FlameNFurter · 02/01/2008 21:42

It doesn't bother me at all.

It has irked that he keeps sleeping through lunch (I collect him at 1pm, so I am paying for a meal that he doesn't get). They have agreed to wake him for it now though, so all is happy. Before he would have refused to eat if he was woken to eat, but now he is happier.

LittleMissNorty · 02/01/2008 21:46

My DD goes to nursery Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I paid £38 per day for Xmas day and Boxing day....

Like many others, I pay 52 weeks worth (a whopping £5928) in 12 equal instalments....for 3 days a week

Meeely2 · 02/01/2008 21:55

we pay in arrears (e.g. pay for december, at end of december) and we only pay for when we there, so if they ill, we pay for the days they are there. BUT if the off of the nursery is closed, we pay a retaining fee, which is half the normal fee.

foofi · 02/01/2008 21:58

Not quite the same thing, I know, but in my first job, the office was closed on Christmas Eve and we all had to take that day as one of our (15) day's holiday!

Frizbe · 02/01/2008 22:01

I knew this was your thread

Ours charge, but only closed the bank holidays, and I don't mind paying, as they still give there staff paid holidays and the money has to come from somewhere like all businesses (unless your self employed like us eh!)

Original poster

laundrylover · 02/01/2008 22:22

Wow, lots of responses!! Thanks all.

I think some people misunderstood me as I don't begrudge the staff the week off at all and would hate to think that they had to turn in over Xmas. However I do think that as the most expensive nursery in the area that doesn't even provide baby wipes I expected the break to be calculated into the daily charge as others have suggested.

On a direct debit basis this would be factored in but due to their refusal to work this out for 6 months we are forced to pay up front every four weeks.

Friz, I think you are right in that I have a bit of a self employed mindset in that I only get paid when I work but I also am used to a great (and lots cheaper with everything inc!) nursery for DD1.

All backs up my argument for DP to be a house husband and take over all the childcare.

OP posts:

nurseryvoice · 03/01/2008 18:13

I didnt charge my customers for xmas week as I had withdrawn service, however I was well within my rights to do so,.

I do not charge bank holidays, however the fees do take this into account (£28 per day)

I pay my staff (as the law dictates) for 4 x bank holidays from oct to oct 08

Overheads eg, wages, holiday pay, NI and tax
are massive.

Original poster

laundrylover · 03/01/2008 18:34

Hi nurseryvoice,

yes, you are right - I know that overheads are high. I pay £32 a day at the mo. DD1s nursery was cheaper than that with everything inc. as I said so I think I have just been spoiled .

I used to work in a nursery many moons ago and have tons of respect for the staff - think I've just got the hump with the nasty management ladies at DD2s place.

OP posts:

Original poster

laundrylover · 03/01/2008 18:35

I've never come across the bank hol issue as I only work Tues - Thurs so a mid week Xmas is the first time I've encountered thsi problem I suppose.

OP posts:

mustsleep · 03/01/2008 18:41

ds's nursery unsed to close over xmas and bank hols and still charge and it isn;t fair......but then he doesnlt go anymore

beansprout · 03/01/2008 18:43

Ours closed and didn't charge (unlike the CM who charged for flipping everything, inc hols and her sickness!)

beansprout · 03/01/2008 18:43

Ours closed and didn't charge (unlike the CM who charged for flipping everything, inc hols and her sickness!)

Mummywannabe · 05/01/2008 11:31

We closed and didn't charge parents, however next fee review it will be incorporated in this and therefore in effect parents will not see s deduction in december for closure. Main reason is cash flow/income, to not charge/refund dents income by huge amount, whereas averaging over the year makes it less complicated.
Also its take huge amount of admin to sort out, although we write to all parents, telling them how much refund they are due, to change cheque if paying that way or we will issue a cheque refund on receipt of their standing order, about 30% pay a completely random amount and i'm still trying to sort out what they have done!

tisha0407 · 06/01/2008 13:12

My nursery closed early on both eve's and we had to pay until the end, they obviously close all bank holidays and you have to pay for that and there is no option to pay less if you are on holiday yourselves. Considering we pay £37.50 for dd2 and £31.50 for dd1 a day I think its a bit naughty really but where I live in Birmingham there is such a problem getting children into nursery you have no choice but to grin and bear it!

tisha0407 · 06/01/2008 13:16

Sorry to go on but as I am a manager for Sainsburys where as I realise that people want a Christmas I work about 60-70 hours Christmas week (and get paid as usual!) and get between 2 and 3 days for Christmas and 1 day for New Year if I am lucky (hubby who also works for JS got no New Year break at all) and where as we do get to use the holiday elsewhere in the year the last thing you want to have to do is sort out childcare when you are already actually paying for some. Not everyone who relies on nursery is also breaking up for Christmas so thats why it irritates me so much!!!

tigger15 · 07/01/2008 12:57

Mine closed and didn't charge.

It's not a question of fair just of business management.

As employers they have an obligation to pay bank holidays. As consumers of a service we do not. We should only pay for the service we get same as with a supermarket delivery. No supermarket would expect you to pay for a delivery and receive nothing to fund their employees bank holiday pay.

It's up to them to subsume the payment into their general price. Either way I don't think you can question it as either the normal fees would go up or you pay in this way.

Bounder · 08/01/2008 11:04

The one we used (smallish, privately run) would charge for all holidays, which I had to accept, but then sent a letter out saying that in the event of staff sickness and if they were unable to find temporary staff to fill in, any children arriving after they had their maximum number for safety ratios would be turned away and that there would be no reduction in fees charged.
Luckily they never tried it on with me!

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