Nursery fees over Christmas

[lovetravel2]

Hello all,

Just wondering if your nursery charges you for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and maybe Christmas Eve should they choose to close on this day as well?
The reason is I put my little one into a local nursery mon-wed and noticed that in December Christmas Eve to Boxing Day falls between Monday and Wednesday plus New year day falls on a Tuesday, so potentially 3 or 4 days I could be paying out and not receiving any care?
Be interesting to hear about your thoughts on this and if your nursery charges over the Christmas period?

When mine used nursery I was never billed for days they were closed.

Well I know my nursery charges us for bank holidays, so now wondering about Christmas

Depends how they calculate the fees. For under 3s we pay the daily rate x number of days they attend x 52 divided by 12. So same each month regardless of bank holidays.

We pay a daily rate now that DD has her free hours so are not charged if they're not open.

The reason is I put my little one into a local nursery mon-wed and noticed that in December Christmas Eve to Boxing Day falls between Monday and Wednesday plus New year day falls on a Tuesday, so potentially 3 or 4 days I could be paying out and not receiving any care?

My monthly fee is the same regardless of bank holidays or the length of the month.

Their costs are very little lower on a bank holiday than on other days - food, utilities, art supplies. They still have to pay their rates and rent and staff. They’ve worked out an annual rate for what it costs to have a child in the nursery and spread it evenly over the year.

I have no problem with it.

My nursery used to helpfully work out a number of days you were on contract for per week, times 52 then divided by 12 monthly payments. If you happened to need Monday’s (many bank holidays) plus Christmas week (closed from Christmas Day until new year) you got fleeced. We now have lovely nanny.

What you have to look at is what the cost is, over the year.
Some will say there is a 'charge' on BHs even though you can't attend, others will say there is no charge on that day but over the year, you will pay the same as the expenses / costs for the Nursery to run for a year remain the same. It doesn't really matter if they keep the monthly bill the same (which most people find easier), or, if they don't charge you the 3 BHs in Dec/Jan, but have to charge you a few ££ more all the other months, to recoup the income they loose in the months with BHs in them.

What about your work, do you get paid BHs, or TOIL for BHs ?

Ours charges for bank holidays and two training days a year, but not for university closed days (usually 4-5 additional days at Christmas, and a couple at Easter). The nursery is owned by the uni.

I think it’s fairly normal to charge for bank holidays.

Ours is open 50 weeks of the year (closes from Xmas to new year plus the other bank holidays). We pay the weekly fee x50, divided into 12 equal monthly payments.

We now have lovely nanny.

Do you pay her for public holidays?

Our nursery used to bill for 51 weeks a year, they did not charge for the week they closed over xmas but did for t he other bank holidays.

OP - Xmas Day and Boxing Day are bank holidays so why would they treat them any differently?

@Lwmommy That makes sense, yes accept the bank holidays but questionable if we have to pay when they close over Christmas.

Our nursery charged 50% on bank holidays except for the two weeks a year they closed completely, which was from the Friday before Christmas to the first Monday in January. We didn’t pay anything for these weeks. It should be spelled out in your contract.

@ But of course we do, if they fall on her working day, because she is not paid a daily rate she is paid a monthly salary to look after my children. I also pay her for holidays, I give her 4 weeks formally but usually more (as if I’m off work I don’t need her) and sickness at my discretion (contract is SSP)
The nursery however advertise a day rate of £53 a day, but charge that advertised day rate even when unavailable. Which felt a bit rude to be honest.

Both my current and previous nursery charged for bank holidays.
Our new one doesn’t.
Our current one closes between Christmas and new year, but you pay a monthly rate that is your weekly cost x 51 weeks that they’re open /12 months which I think is fair.

They closed last year because of snow and I was still billed for the time which I was going to complain about (I contract so I don’t get paid unless I work before anyone asks me that!). However I asked if the staff got paid for it and the staff are salaried so they still got paid so I thought it fair enough that I still paid, if their staff were paid by the hour I was going to complain.

Christmas Day and Boxing Day are both public holidays in England.

It will all depend on your contract.

We’re not in the UK but our nursery charges a monthly fee depending on the hours per week you have booked. Which means we pay for the whole of August when the nursery is closed for 3 weeks!

We pay a set amount every month based on how many days we do, minus some allowance for Xmas and bank holidays

So they charge us 5 days x51 weeks /12 months

Annoyingly this year they've decided to close completely for Xmas week instead of the bank holidays so I'm tempted to ask for money back. However they are a good nursery and the staff are all lovely

*instead of just the bank holidays