Bank holiday nursery fees – Really!
Comment and opinion would be much appreciated on this post please.
Baby B goes to nursery 3 days a week – Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This costs us a lot of money, in fact it costs us more then the monthly mortgage repayments, but we do it because we need to work and to give my other half time to tidy the house!
Easter weekend is fast approaching and includes two bank holidays, the Friday and the Monday. Whilst discussing this with my other half, we suddenly thought that we should check that the nursery will be open. Why wouldn’t it be we thought? Shops are open, bars, pubs etc, basically many businesses these days. So we called and were informed no,the nursery won’t be open on Bank Holiday and more importantly, we will lose the the money for both days. £144 GBP. Apparently it is in the terms and conditions.
Please put me in my place if I am wrong to be upset by this. Why do I have to lose my money? The nursery is shut, there are no staff to pay, no lights on so no electricity to cover but yet they will happily take my £62 a day and offer me nothing in return.
Nothing, no extra day or small refund.
We work really hard and are by no means wealthy. We are certainly in no position to just throw £144 down the drain. In fact it will be more, as we may have to look for help with Baby B as we are both working on the Friday.
So for the parents who children go to nursery on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, all is ok. But for the parents who send their children to nursery on a Monday and Friday, we lose out.
I know it is our choice to send Baby B to nursery but this feels very unfair. Many of the nurseries now days are part of a larger chains who have a number of nursery’s based across the country. So whilst it is there choice to close on Bank Holidays, it is fair that parents should be penalised for it? Why not just not charge on Bank Holidays?!
My other half is up in arms and has informed me that he is going to start a campaign! (His version of a strongly worded letter!) But seriously, this makes for a very tough couple of weeks ahead for many parents across the country who lose out financially through no fault of their own.
Thoughts please!
(Sadly not my legs!)
Photo courtesy of – http://teacherstraining.com.au
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It used to frustrate the hell out of me!
I hear you! Thanks for reading and sharing my frustration! Love your blog x
I think it is incredibly unfair and completely out of order! Why on earth charge parents for a day that the nursery is not even open! I am assuming the reason they still charge is because they are still paying their staff even though they are not working as it is a bank holiday?!? I really feel for you it’s very unfair!
Hi Jenny, Thanks so much for your comment. I am still fuming & trying to not bite my nose off to spite my face by immediately moving him to a new nursery! (Also not fair on Baby B!)
It is a private child care system, not attached to a school, so they could very easily stay open. If they choose to close that’s fine – just please don’t take my money. xx
I am having a similar internal wrangling about the week in May my nursery will be closed for staff training….I will either have to schedule my holiday then or find alternative childcare and yet I will still be pay for the full month of fees. Not impressed!!
Wow, I can imagine. I think that is really unacceptable. I hadn’t even thought about staff training days.
I think what annoys me the most is the complete reluctance to meet in the middle. It is just clear in the minds of the nursery that we must pay and lose the days.
I would be very interested if this is true in nursery across the country.
Thanks for taking the time to comment and share my frustration. Please do report back if you have any luck.
I my experience most nurseries do this, however my daughter’s nursery which was attached to a private school did not. If they were closed for a holiday you didn’t pay. It was slightly more expensive but at least I didn’t feel I was being ripped off. Also they had a holiday allowance of 2 weeks and 50% reduction for a further two weeks if you were going on holiday. I think that it all probably works out the same in the end but I felt like everyone got the same deal rather than those who go to nursery on a Monday (most frequent day a bank holiday falls on) feeling like they are footing the bill for paying wages which staff are entitled to for bank holidays. It is really frustrating but something that probably won’t change