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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

Nurseries and bank holidays.

18 replies

Naetha · 06/04/2009 10:16

My 15 month old DS goes to nursery one day a week - Monday. This is the only day I can run my (very) small business, which earns me just enough to cover his nursery fees.

Coming up though, with Easter Monday next week, and two bank holiday Mondays in May that I still have to pay the nursery for even though he won't be going though - I just won't be able to afford it. It didn't occur to me when I placed DS in nursery in January that this would be the case, which was why I was OK with him going on Mondays - if I'd known, I would have waited for a different day.

The nursery say they are going to try and work something out (i.e. suggestion of swapping to another day), but I strongly suspect either they won't do it at all, or they'll offer me one day refund for the three days he'll be missing.

The problem is, unless I can get those three days back (either in fees or swapped days) I just cannot afford it - the money will have to come out of the food budget, which is tight enough as it is.

What should I do? I love DS to have that time at nursery (he absolutely loves it) and it's time that I need for my own space, and to make a bit of money for myself. I really don't want to take him out of nursery, but I feel I'd be left with no option if they didn't give me a choice.

OP posts:

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islandofsodor · 06/04/2009 10:51

You need to find a nursery that doesn;t charge for bank holidays. Ours didn't. We are self-employed too and dh can't charge students for days he is closed.

I really don't get this. Which other service industry would charge for a service not being provided. I don't buy the staff must be paid etc argument. They must in every other job too but clients are not charged for something that is not being provided.

DiamondHead · 06/04/2009 11:15

Ours don't charge for BH but I think most still do.

I don't understand why they charge. The cost can easily be spread over all parents and it makes Mondays really unpopular.

Keep at them, hope you get a swap. Can you also apply to change your day as soon as something is available.

Ineedanewname · 06/04/2009 11:20

I fell out with my DD1's nursery really badly about this. I cannot understand why they do it (they could add 10p to the cost of every other session or something and have the same income without putting up the backs of Monday parents!). In the end they allowed me and only me to swap a day on a bank holiday week - but for this reason, when DD2 starts next week, she will not attend on a Monday. on your behalf - don't let them get away with it!

nappyzonecannotcycleuphill · 06/04/2009 11:24

i used to give mine about 3 months advance notice with dd i was going to swap some days and as was so in advance they necer realised they were bank holidays - in ds nursery now though they wont swap at all and i knew this wen i started him so i picked to work the back end of the week instead of the front. Ours closes noon on xmas eve too and right through until january and we still get charged for any days in between grrrrrrr

Northernlurker · 06/04/2009 11:36

My nursery doesn't reduce fees for bank holidays except at Christmas when we get a week with 1/2 fees . Obviously I would rather not pay for Bank Hols but it seems fair enough to me as the owner still has to pay the staff.

We can take 4 weeks holiday with 1/2 fees through the year which I think is quite good so all in all it's nt a bad deal. It's only really a problem if like the op you are on a knife edge financially or you have to work bank holidays.

pavlovthepregnantcat · 06/04/2009 11:38

I do not beleive ours charge for bank holidays, why do some? That is ridiculous! It is not like they are open and using resources! I understand if a child is ill, place is still there, staff still work etc etc but not on a day when there is no-one there doing any work!

nurseryvoice · 06/04/2009 13:18

We dont charge for bank holidays, what I did was have a daily rate that takes this into account. So everyone pays £30 a day and this pays overheads including loss of earnings for bank holidays.

note;
staff holidays need paying
lease or mortgate needs paying
rates, standing charges, insurance etc still need payingl you dont get a discount if you are closed!

so nurseries do lose out due to loss of earnings, but they should do it like I have done so its easier for those parents who only want Mondays for example,

tiggerlovestobounce · 06/04/2009 13:34

The nursery that I use doesnt charge for days that it is closed. It only closes for 2 days at christmas, and 2 at new year, no bank holidays at other times.

hotcrosspurepurple · 06/04/2009 18:03

most of the big chains charge for bank hloidays
our nursery is family run and does not charge for bank holidays for part timers
so if you just did monday, we would either
a) not charge you
or b) offer you a different day

it is different for full timers as the bank holidays have been taken into account when fixing the weekly fee- it is a flat rate for a week, regardless of how many days in the week we are open

if you are not happy paying then discuss it with the nursery
they may be able to accommodate you
you don't know until you try!

Tanith · 06/04/2009 18:35

To be honest, I think charging across the board to absorb the cost of bank holidays is even more unfair!

It means that the Tuesday-Friday parents don't get the bank holiday (and unless you're self-employed, you're usually paid for it) AND they have to pay for everyone else's day off.

Incidently, I AM open and available on bank holidays and I charge accordingly. It's up to the parents whether or not they decide to use my services. Nearly all prefer not to.

DaddyofThree · 08/04/2009 09:31

I have to say this sounds extremely unfair. Bank holidays are accrued for employees as a percentage of the days they work - so if you only worked Mondays you would not get full pay on Monday Bank holidays - only 20%.

Likewise most businesses cover their costs of bank holidays within their earnings the rest of the year. It is quite right that parents that only use Monday - Thursday pay 80% of the cost of Bank Holidays, if they themselves work they will get credit for 80% of Bank Holidays - 100% of the cost should not be lumped on parents only using 20% of the resources.

Dof3

HSMM · 09/04/2009 06:27

Try saying "I'm assuming as you're charging me for the Bank Holidays, I can bring DS along" and see what the reaction is!

BexieID · 15/04/2009 17:27

They should be open and if the staff don't want to work it they should take it out of their annual leave/bank holiday entitlement/unpaid like I have to do working for Tesco!

purepurple · 16/04/2009 07:26

Bexie, I suppose you would have us working at the weekends and in the evenings too?
Hell, how about 24 hrs?
Then nobody would have to actually look after their own child.
How about boarding school for toddlers?

BexieID · 16/04/2009 08:20

I'm not saying that! Apparently it's now government policy that you now have to take bank hols out of your annual leave/bank hol entitlement, so the way it works and the hours I work it means that I have to work 2 or take it as unpaid or use my annual leave. I just thought that seeing as it's the government that have come up with this splendid idea, that it was across the board in all industries? Tesco used to do that percentage thing before the government changed it for this year.

Back to OP, I would be annoyed at being charged when the nursery is closed. If we could afford to send Tom to nursery we would and i'd hate to have to take the day as unpaid myself or use my holidays up and have to still pay for a day at nursery that he's not attending!

cookielove · 03/05/2009 18:41

its not fair for you to be charged on a day the nursery is closed, none of our parents pay for bank holidays, or staff training days or if we close early for staff meetings

loppydog · 02/04/2012 10:01

We too feel ripped off by this practice and it looks like it's very common. Surley as MumsNet members we can do something about this practice? How about a name and shame campaign ?

Xmastreat · 02/04/2012 14:13

Do the parents who receive a tax free Childcare voucher for the month that is occurring the bank holidays have a percentage deducted?
Are the parents claiming child care tax credit also not receiving any childcare help for the days they do not wish to pay for- bank holidays?
Remember there are overheads and loss of earnings that Childcare companies occur on these bank holidays, if theses business do charge for the bank holidays they would still have taxes to pay on the fees that are being paid for where parents who's are receiving some childcare contribution would not!

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