Do you pay for nursery/childcare while on holidays?

mprincessa

Hi,
Just would like to ask whether you pay full weekly fee for the nursery / childcare when you go for 2 weeks holidays?
Would it be ok if I changed the hours from 5 days a week to 1 day a week for 2 weeks and instead of paying approx Ł310 would only pay Ł60 ish. Not only you pay for the holidays but also need to pay for keeping the sapce for the child. I completely understand it but why am I paying for nappies and food if she's not there? They should have a fixed fee for scheduled holidays, don't you think? Like 20 % ? of the normal fee, maybe?
My daughter's nursery does allow changing hours /day arrangements as long as they are done 1 month in advance. We're planning our holidays for 1 week in March and 2 weeks in April so it would really make a difference for our budget!
What do you think? Have you ever done it?
Thanks a lot

daveyjp

I take it when you are away on holiday you don't take your wages? Should the nursery staff be paid when they have their holidays as they are not looking after your child then are they?

If they gave holidays free or at a reduced rate the daily rate would have to go up to compensate.

Pay up.

Supermom

I have always paid childcare fees whilst on holiday both with Nursery and Childminders in the past.

If you think about it you get paid annual leave, so therefore you should expect to pay Nursey/childminder whilst your away to keep a place avalible so it's only fair.

But that's only my opinion

Lynn11

My daughters nursery you pay say £150 per week times 51 weeks of the year and divide by 12 giving you the monthly pay you pay them. Therefore, you are paying for any holidays you take in your standard payment as they still have to cover their costs. Its a private nursery.

Janepig

Lynn11 wrote: »

My daughters nursery you pay say £150 per week times 51 weeks of the year and divide by 12 giving you the monthly pay you pay them. Therefore, you are paying for any holidays you take in your standard payment as they still have to cover their costs. Its a private nursery.

Mine is exactly the same. I'm lucky to have a place there as it's a popular nursery so I'm happy to pay. And it's only until the end of this August now anyway.

To the OP, have you checked that although you can drop the hours with a months notice, can you then increase them again too? I know with my nursery you'd have to go on a waiting list to up the hours again.

I'd pay as normal if it was me - apart from anything else you'll generate a bit of bad feeling with the nursery owners/staff if you fiddle it as you propose to do.

Jxx

Spendless

DS's nursery used to give 2 'free' weeks per academic year regardless of how many sessions were attended but they had a more expensive daily rate than the one I used for DD who only offerred 1/2 fees for anyone using 4 days or more (I wasn't).

I'd be wary of doing it how you suggest, what if someone is waiting to take up the hours you drop and you can't get them back?

skint-student-nurse

my DD goes to nursary - any days off the nursary give us i.e, bank holidays the like, we dont pay but any day my DD doesnt go like holidays, illness,etc we have to pay for but this is to keep her place open.

Triggles

I agree that it needs to be paid. When you think about it, do you want to create bad feelings and shortchange the people that are regularly taking good care of your most precious thing - your child? Pretty cheeky, really. They still have to have the supplies and staff there, as they can't sit and adjust everything daily by what child is on holiday and what child isn't.

mprincessa

thanks a lot for your replies and your honest opinions.

no, i havent checked that although you can drop the hours with a months notice, can you then increase them again too. i havent even thought i couldn't.
Anyway, you are all right - I will pay!

Thanks again moneysavers!

wifeforlife

Hi mprincessa

Nursery costs are my biggest expense barr my rent so I understand about you wanting to try and save when you can

My own nursery is 100% retainer, which I used to have a real problem with until I realised what goes into running the place, for some reason I was blind to the fact the world kept going when I wasnt about to see it haha

Hope you have a lovely time on hols with the family

Cate

sarahs999

I was really grumpy abou tthis issue too when I first started using childminders, but then she pointed out to me that she couldn't take another child on in those two weeks so it was lost earnings. I kind of got it then. My husband, who was a freelance musician at the time, did still grumble though, saying that no one pays him for holiday time. Which is also kind of a good point.