My eldest went to a play group some years ago - let?s call it playgroup X. A lot of children go there and then move on to the school situated close by. It's great because all the children are good friends even before they start school. The parents are great friends too - we have known each other for a few years.
Last year my second child was offered a place at a highly regarded different playgroup. I emailed the playgroup X leader explaining I'd been offered a place elsewhere and that I needed to make a decision about where my child was going to go. In an email X play leader offered two mornings from March when my child will be 2 and 9 months - which i accepted. As a result of this email I cancelled the place at the highly regarded playgroup. I then arranged for my parents to come down on X playgroup's start week to support with my childcare during the settling in period.
Last night the X playgroup manager phoned and said she could only offer me one morning a week and not two. When questioned she claimed that the email wasn't a definite offer and that she was only just firming things up now. Numbers are higher than expected.
I have emailed the chair to explain the situation but expect no joy as X play leader really is a law unto herself.
This incident is actually one of a huge string of unprofessional mismanagement issues. X play leader fails to be transparent or fair and communication is an issue. It all adds up to X play leader negatively impacting on the school intake - as people link the school with the playgroup.
Other issues include claiming all playgroup applicants have been offered a place - but actually this usually happens at last min when the parents have given up asking and then ended up making other childcare arrangements in desperation. The children are then too settled to move providers and X play leader assumes she has covered her back simply by offering a very late place.
Many moons ago X play leader offered me two terms of work and then when i mentioned (after my scan)i was pregnant, she said she wasn't sure about me working there and would go away and review the situation! After emails explaining that her behaviour was illegal she backed down.
The same thing happened with a very sporty friend of mine but X play leader got away with forcing her out.
X play leader also seems unable to take any constructive ideas in meetings. She is very defensive to the extreme. In the past she has more or less managed the playgroup comittee. I'm not sure if that is the situation now though.
X play leader also is quite opinionated about the children attending - and also the parents. My friends are often made to feel like their children are odd balls - despite coming from lovely caring homes and being quite normal middle class kids.
So is X play leader a law unto herself? Can she run the playgroup how she wants to?
Any thoughts please.