Nursery changing closing time from 6pm to 5pm

[NatMoz]

Got informed today that from Monday onwards due to staff ratios the nursery will close at 5pm going forward for an unknown amount of time (presumably until they get more staff).

This was following the other week where we got an email regarding a rise in childcare fees.

There's probably nothing anyone can do but the short notice is inconvenient and my husband will have to leave work at 4:50pm for pick up at 5 on the dot. Not sure how others will manage when pick up is closer to 6pm!

Not really much we can do really but wanted to vent! I feel sorry for the nursery workers too as they look exhausted and I don't blame them in any way.

I think they quoted the wrong poster @Verylongtime

This is the way things are going with nurseries unfortunately! Recruitment and retention crisis, no idea what can be done to improve things seeing as paying staff a decent wage isn't an option. It's not just about staffing in general but a lack of level three qualified staff.

for an unknown amount of time (presumably until they get more staff).

Sadly, I think the reality is more likely to be until the nursery closes.

It's a really shit situation, especially as they have announced the change with such little notice. Have you looked at other local nurseries? There may be some that finish at 5.30pm that you would have originally discounted when looking that would now work better than the current 5pm finish.

Wow, that would really fuck us over if ours did that.
If it was me (and only because this would work for us) I would have to say to our nursery (whose current hours are 7.30-6) that I could make 8-5.30 work but if they are planning on closing at 5pm I'll have no option but to enquire with different suppliers as to availability. I get they have no choice but I'd like to think they'd work with me and if opening slightly later works for more parents I'd like to think they'd take it on board.

I think it is both pay, hours and workload , if you can get a level three qualification , there are better jobs out there without the responsibility of running a room

Nursery staff are paid very poorly. It doesn't attract quality applicants. Whoever they appoint will need a DBS check first which can slow don't appointment.
Nurseries are going bust. That's one of the reasons they pay poorly, just like independent cafes and restaurants
The funding the nurseries receive from the Government for free places is a pittance.
It's gonna get worse.

And our government talking about funded hours from 1 year old, in their dreams, it will never happen. Our nursery was struggling since 2020 with staff.
First, they cut hours from 7.30am-6.30pm to 8am-5pm (and we are in London, I need at least 45 minutes to come back from central London to zone 4).Then they closed nursery for every single Friday.

To clarify i work 3 days a week usually 7-5pm (compressed hours). Next week my husband is in South Africa for a week with work so I'll be doing 7:40 - 4:45pm (because of the new early finish and earliest drop off time of 7:30). I am fortunate my work is based on a flexible basis so i can make up hours over the course of a 4 week period. I recognise not everyone is this fortunate, nor does everyone wfh.

I know, I assumed it was just during covid when maybe people were furloughed so not using it. But it's stayed at 5pm. Luckily we can adapt our hours when we want pretty much, but it just means we have to use breakfast club when we work 8.30-4.30!

I can understand the frustration but what do you expect the nursery to do? Staffing shortages iare horrendous at the moment so they have to cut somewhere. They have obviously assessed that the later slot will have the least impact. As I said, I really get your frustration but I think you're not seeing the difficulties some nurseries are facing. It's going to get worse, which is why the government's new policy had me rolling my eyes.

This.

Fucking Tory government has broken pretty much everything.

Nurseries are fucked. It's such an unappealing job you just can't get the staff.

At my place the staff work 4 days per week from 7:15 to 6:30 with 45 minutes of breaks. Anybody want a job?

Your nursery sounds desperate and will probably shut.

Boot on other foot, you couldn't just suddenly drop five hours a week off your contract without a penalty!

This is terrible, most people that have chosen a nursery that closes at 6 would struggle to get there for 5. A lot of people won’t finish work until 5. How on earth do they expect you to manage, particularly at such short notice. People choose nurseries based on the hours they need. Sadly, I think some will look for other nurseries that can meet their needs.

Yes, it's shit for parents and very challenging for OP.

Long term, the childcare model is unsustainable. Poor salaries and working conditions make it difficult to recruit. So-called government funding doesn't cover running costs so many are out of pocket. The choice is going to be shorter hours or close down, both of which are terrible for parents needing childcare.

There are many extremely successful models of subsidised childcare around the world which we need to emulate. Most other countries don't seem to have the typical British attitude that childcare does not benefit the wider economy and society so shouldn't receive government funding.

It’s very frustrating. We have a similar problem in that many of our L3 staff can’t stay beyond core hours due to their own childcare needs after school. Due to low wages our staff are default parents for their children as their partners are higher earners. Our younger staff who can stay late haven’t got high enough qualifications yet to meet ratio needs, even if we think they’d be perfectly competent to be with the children with fewer qualified staff than required by law. Not being L3 qualified doesn’t mean someone hasn’t got the sense to care for the children.

Those saying that this is terrible of the nursery - I’m sure they know this and have tried very hard to avoid it, but if they can’t legally be open because of ratios, there’s nothing they can do.

I think you need to start looking for a new nursery. There will be parents who cannot change their hours so the nursery will lose children and may not be able to stay open. And then you could be stuck with no nursery at all.

Yes and most if not all posts have acknowledged this but that doesn't mean it's not absolutely shit for the parents who signed up their children relying on the hours stated.

The nursery may well have tried very hard to avoid it but I find it very unlikely they couldn't have given the parents more notice that these changes might be on the horizon. Dropping the news with just a few days notice was not unavoidable and shows no respect for the parents using their provision.

@MuffinToSeeHere I wonder if they had a new recruit ready who subsequently withdrew? I can’t imagine that they don’t know how much they are risking with this change.

Ours have done similar, before it was 7.30-6pm , from April you pick either 7.30-17.30 or 8-6pm, we really needs 7.30-6pm incase traffic is bad, but it’s so the fee increase wasn’t AS big…. It’s still big though hahahah. But I get it… I’d rather them do this and stay open than go under

Nursery I do work at did exactly this but changing back to normal times again next week. Relying on agency level 3's to stay on. Big risk if you ask me.
Nurseries are literally hanging on by a thread.

I would change nursery as soon as possible - their entire purpose is to allow parents to work, and any nursery that tried that in London would lose 90% of their customers within a month.

You would be surprised @TheYearOfSmallThings . My colleagues DD's nursery did this a few months back and although a few parents threatened to go, the nursery as a whole have kept all of their kids. The nursery spaces just aren't there for them to just up and leave.

They can't substantially change their opening hours, that would constitute a breech of contract, I'd be tempted to remind them of the fact.
You could sue for any extra costs associated with the changes.