Nursery penalty

[Ymjoy]

Hi, all lovely mum “, may I get some advice.

I’ve been charged £30 for 30 mins from my daughter’s nursery last week as i cannot pick up my daughter on time due to my meeting overran. I have informed the nursery half hour before the pick up time. This is the third time that I can’t pick up my daughter on time but I never been charged any penalty like this, previously I have been charged £5 per hour. The nursery never notify me about this charge (£1@min), what I can do now?

Thanks.

@Ymjoy

Do you expect staff work for free?

You could also have made the staff incur extra costs to. If they were then late picking up their own children from a different setting because they had to stay late looking after your child.

Stop being late

I worked in a school nursery last term as a supply teacher. The two TAs finish fifteen minutes after the doors open. I can't be alone with a child as I'm not a permanent member of staff.

You would not believe how many people don't pick their three and four year olds up on time. So every afternoon there they are in the office waiting for their adults. It has to go on CPOMS and now the head has decided to call social services at 4pm because it's such a big problem.

The late fee isn't meant to be a charge for additional time, it's meant to be a deterrent. An occasional
thing when plans go awry. The staff have other things to do! Lives to live! Their own children to pick up. It does rather sound like this childcare provision isn't working for you.

I used to be chairperson of an after school club. We had one parent who started being late 2 or 3 times a week, every week. Staff had to stay behind every time; they had to rearrange their plans and childcare. We eventually asked that parent to leave.

You were late. Who the hell do you think should pay any extra staff that had to stay back to keep the room in ratio?

You can pay it, apologise, and make more effort to be in time in future. You will have agreed to this when you signed up for the nursery and you should appreciate that they let you get away with being late twice before deciding to charge you.

Like others have said it's a deterrent. Most nurseries would have a little bit of understanding if it rarely happens BUT it sounds like you've used up your nurseries understanding twice already so it's only fair they charge you their penalty. DONT be late again

Good on them. You can’t just turn up late and expect them to be ok with it. The nursery staff have their own lives and shouldn’t have to stay beyond their shift finish in order to wait for you.

You're in the wrong here OP and you sound like you see being on time as optional. You just can't be late when using a nursery, and they're within their right to charge you because it's the only way people like you take notice and start getting to places on time.

This is why parents don't stay late for work meetings. Letting people know you'll be late isn't mitigation. Pay for more hours, use different childcare, or change your job. Those are the options we all have.

Your behaviour is dreadful, as others have said manage your time, warn those you are meeting ypu need to leave at xx time and leave at that time. If traffic is bad at that time, you need to leave earlier.

Be more respectful of others time or keep paying until the nursery terminates your contract.

This!