Fee Query

[BlueWhale47]

Hi, I have already queried this with the nursery but am still waiting for a response - just wanted to know what the general view is.

Fees drop when child turns 3 y/o - child's birthday is 2nd Jan, 1st Jan nursery is closed due to B/H.

Is there an argument that the payment for January should be at the 3 and above rate given that all of the days she would be attending the nursery & in their care for that billing month she would be over 3?

Or do we think that to qualify for this price she would have to have been 3 on the 1st Jan??

Fun thoughts for a Christmas Eve!

It's one day, what's the price difference?

Couldn't see myself getting worked up about this to be honest unless it's a significant amount of money.

I thought the childcare funding kicked in at the beginning of the term following a child turning 3, so it would be from the beginning of school terms. School term in my city starts 8th Jan.

Is this linked to the funded hours? Or seperate?

I don't think OP means the funding, but that most nurseries charge lower fees as the kids get older as the ratios change.... IIRC correctly our nursery billed two different rates during the month the child turned 3 - the under 3 rate before birthday and the over 3 rate after. I certainly wouldn't expect to pay the under 3 rate for the whole of January in your circumstances, OP.

Agree with previous poster. It is the term after they turn 3. Here it would be the 8th January

The cut off is likely to be 31/12 dependent on your LA meaning your LO won’t qualify for funding until next term in April.

I also thought it was usually the term after the birthday. So after the Easter holidays?

The funding won’t start til April I’m afraid as it’s the term after they turn 3. It’s irrelevant that nursery is closed on the 1st - it’s down to the local authority and the government system, not the discretion of the nursery unfortunately. Annoying for you though.

Yep just looked it up and the posters saying April are correct

Like another poster said, the OP may be referring to lower fees for over 3s and not the 3 year old funding. I remember the fees were lower for my DC when they turned 3, then dropped further when the funding kicked in.

OP, I would check your contract. I vaguely recall a condition in mine that said the reduced rate would take effect the month following the birthday.

As PP have said the funded hours start the term after they turn 3 ( no matter if in 51 full weeks or termtime only). For us that meant a 3rd birthday in April and a long wait until Sept

The OP is not referring to funded hours but different pricing for ages.

My nursery is the same. The price drops when my son turns 3 years old and babies are staggered to be the most expensive

It depends how they word it. From an admin perspective it does make sense for them to say the reduced fees are from the following month or term.
If it is funded hours you're referring to then it's from the following term.

Should be in your contract. I agree Jan could be priced at the 3year old rate, but you may well find the contract states that this rate begins the month after they turn 3 so they don’t have to work out two different rates in a month.

Not funded hours - this is separate so they charge a rate for under 3s and then a lower rate for over 3s. Fee would then reduce again in April once funded hours kick in.

Price difference is about £250 & am a single parent so whilst not life changing don't want to pay it if not necessary.

Have combed through their policies online and I can't see anything specifically relating to how they calculate the fee for the month that they turn 3.

When I initially asked about the price of January I just got a blanket - this is the price for over 3s, this is the price for under 3s. When I specifically asked how it would be applied due to her birthday being so early on in the month - silence.

It'll probably be due to staffing ratios which would be different for a 3 year old. So it might help to look up if ratios are done by actual child's age or change the following term, when funding begins.

For our nursery the 3-5 rate applied from the month after they turned 3. So even if born on the 1st, the lower fee would start in February. It’s always the month after, at all ages. For
funding it’s the term after and if you missed the cut off by a day, you would still wait until the start of the next term. I know you think it’s unfair, but it’s like that everywhere.

@Fairydustandsparklylights interesting - yes for funding etc it's made explicitly clear when they qualify so have no issue with the funded hours being applied from April as it's clear that's just the way it is.

The issue with the "over 3" nursery based reduction is that it's unclear - have checked the contract and it doesn't say anything about it.

From this thread it's clear it differs - you've said it was the term after for your nursery but others have said their nursery have applied it from the date the child turns 3 so have been on 2 rates in that month.

Given that she will have moved up to a room with lower staffing ratios & she would have been 3 for the month I would hope (for my pockets sake!) that they will bill her as an over 3 but we will see.

Then it should be applied for when she's three onwards at the lower rate. The silence was because they thought they'd been clear. They forget not every nursery works the same way.

Presumably they tell you their daily rate?

@festivepains yep, was sent this.

I'm probably over thinking it but hate when I feel there is room for misunderstanding.

I suppose if I pay the over 3 rate & it's wrong they will soon come to tell me about the balance I owe them.

It's the following term the finding kicks in. After they are three. So should start in April.

Annoying. I've got a DS born start of sept bur finding won't kick in until Jan

I'd say it's likely the rate you would pay from her birthday would be the over three rate, but without funding until April unless you've been eligible for two year old funding.

Does it say in your contract? Our nursery is the lower over 3 rate from the month after they turn 3, so if that was the same in yours you’d pay the lower rate from February.