money for toy fund

[letsgetloud]

I was wondering if anyone can give me an idea of how much it costs to run a nursery?

Dd3 attends a council run nursery for her free nursery place (15 hours a week).

The nursery have advised they have 60 morning children and 60 afternoon children. Each child is expected to contribute £2 a week to the toy fund. Well parents are. Obviously this is not compulsory but I would imagine most people do.

£240 a week!! I think that is quite alot of money. They have a fantastic garden. Gorgeous wooden boat etc. just recently done. Obviously this would have cost quite a bit. The nursery also have a fundraising team and are having a spring fare and charging £5 a family entrance fee. This is just an example of fundraising activity the nursery does.

Surely there must be a fair bit put aside within this toy fund for a rainy day.

Am I being unfair. Does it take hundreds of pounds a week to keep the kids happy. ie. tie ceremony at end of year, Christmas party etc.

They aren't allowed to do this. Your free entitlement means free.

They can't charge for registration fees. They can't charge for snack. They can't insist you buy a uniform from them.

They can do as many fundraising things as they like and put lots of pressure on you to support them, but they can't make you pay this.

I'm a preschool administrator, by the way, hence why I know!

Is it council-run or a community pre-school run by a committee?

It is council run.

Though she was at a committee run pre-school until xmas and their toy fund money was included in the weekly fees. So I paid £7 a session and 85p a week toy fund. The toy fund money included in my monthly bill.

The one she is in now is definately a council run nursery, in Scotland so not sure if different rules to England. Dd2 was in a council run nursery in England and I was never asked for toy fund money from them.

I don't mind paying the toy fund money I just feel that is alot on top of also having to pay £5 for the privelege on entering the spring fare, where I will be parting with even more money once in.

Oh you can see I am feeling particularily like a mean scottish woman today.

Think it was because after reading today about the £5 entrance fee I suddenly realised there should be 120 of us paying £240 in total a week to fund nursery events and toys. How much can it all possibly cost!!

I pay £2 a week (also in Scotland) but it goes towards the daily snack as well as other things. If there are any trips planned for the nursery then any fundraising goes towards the buses, entrance fees, etc too as the coach fees can be extortionate. Any parties, events also tend to be paid from out of fundraising money so that you dont need to make as much of a contribution e.g. the kids went to the safari park and the entrance fees for the kids and the buses were paid from the fund raising so that the parents didnt have to pay for everything.

Thanks seona. I didn't realise it went towards snacks. I presumed the council paid for the snacks.

wow, I've worked in a few pre-schools, never heard of this I wonder if I can institute a Staff fund!!

You get free hours, you may be asked to contribute fruit for snack but nothing on top of Free is compulsory!!

I'm on the parents committee of our preschool (it's a charity) and we don't have anything like this. Toys are bought out of the funds they receive from the nursery grant, and we fundraise for extras.

I am pretty sure the £2 a week is not compulsory at the council run nursery dd3 is at. If I never paid it noone would ever say anything to me.

A volunteer sits at the door one day a week collecting the money, but does have everyone's name in a book and ticks against the name. So the non payers maybe getting talked about.