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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