Paying for daycare on public holidays ?

**wysiwyg** · April 23rd, 2013, 06:32 AM

Make up days are a good idea if the center has any capacity to give you an extra day, but then what about parents who already utilise 5 days a week.

How do private schools do it? You pay per term right? Does the term fee change depending on number of days actually at school that term? Or kinders that pay by the term do their rates change? (I don't know the answers to those questions) but can think of quite a few term based activities where sessions don't run on public holidays and your term fee is the same.

I suppose the way I see it user will pay whatever, either by paying on the day or in the general daily rate - and there are so many other issues with childcare accessibility and affordability that paying on public holidays doesn't rate that highly on the list.
(Although centers being open on public holidays and better hours, Saturdays etc for non 9-5 workers I think is important)

Also a 'hotel' based system where the cost per day depends on the demand for the day (which is one of the way hotels for example work) would be a very bad idea in my opinion.

**Snowy Love** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:08 AM

I'm so used to it I was surprised after school care isn't charging me for Thursday!
My sister who was the director of a CC centre explained it as you are paying for the place to be held.

**Kazzo** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:13 AM

I don't know about private school fees or kinder fees. The swim school I take the girls to charges by term but if one of your days falls on a public holiday the fee is reduced. It is not a public pool and the only other income they have is from physio setions so not a big business. I know not as big as private school fees and such but an example.

**wysiwyg** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:15 AM

I don't know about private school fees or kinder fees. The swim school I take the girls to charges by term but if one of your days falls on a public holiday the fee is reduced. It is not a public pool and the only other income they have is from physio setions so not a big business. I know not as big as private school fees and such but an example.

The swim school we used to go to did the same - but only for Mondays - presumably because they were having trouble getting people to sign up to Mondays because of the number of holidays on a Monday.

**Teeki** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:33 AM

You guys all need to move over here! I don't pay for public holidays. We're in four days a week, paying $312 a week, but this week we won't pay for Thursday. Come on over!

**nickle730** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:34 AM

My kids go to a private school and I'm honestly not sure if term fees are reduced based on the number of public holidays. I do know that if a private lesson, such as private music tuition or after school sport, falls on a public holiday then the fee is reduced for the term and you do not pay for the lesson on that day.

**LimeSlice** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:39 AM

Most private schools operate on a yearly fee basis, not a term fee. The yearly fee is simply broken down to be paid at regular intervals. It is not based on how many days per term classes are offered.

DD1's ballet class (paid per term) is cheaper in term 1 because they are 3 weeks shorter due to holidays.

**LimeSlice** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:40 AM

You guys all need to move over here! I don't pay for public holidays. We're in four days a week, paying $312 a week, but this week we won't pay for Thursday. Come on over!

Where are you?

**Teeki** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:48 AM

Where are you?

Lol a very small town out of Adelaide, you wouldn't all fit here

But our daycare is state-wide, I don't think they're all over Australia, but surely the others in the same company would be the same?

**Kazzo** · April 23rd, 2013, 07:55 AM

Lol a very small town out of Adelaide, you wouldn't all fit here

But our daycare is state-wide, I don't think they're all over Australia, but surely the others in the same company would be the same?

Bellybelly may have just found were they can start their zombie apocolypse commune when the time comes. I hope that the childcare fees will still be waived on public holidays when we all ascend on your town Teeki

**HotI** · April 23rd, 2013, 08:01 AM

Kinder is the same. DD goes Mondays and Fridays, and even though we get majority of public holidays, we pay same as the Wednesday/Friday group.

**Marley&Me** · April 23rd, 2013, 08:26 AM

Wow, I didn't know this, but sadly I am not surprised. So best I avoid Mondays when I book for child care? Mondays at work suck anyway

So that would work well for me

**AnyDream** · April 23rd, 2013, 11:10 AM

I'm so used to it I was surprised after school care isn't charging me for Thursday!
My sister who was the director of a CC centre explained it as you are paying for the place to be held.

Well that's ridiculous. *Everybody* pays for a place to be "held"? How does that even make sense?

Fair enough if it explains why you pay for care when your family goes on holidays - but not when the centre isn't even open!!

Does this mean that if the centre closes for 2 weeks over christmas (as many do) that parents still pay for those 2 weeks??

**wysiwyg** · April 23rd, 2013, 11:24 AM

Does this mean that if the centre closes for 2 weeks over christmas (as many do) that parents still pay for those 2 weeks??

No they don't charge if they choose to close as a rule, is only on public holidays. Round here is only council run centers or non profits that close for periods - privates only close for public holidays.

The idea about holding place for public holidays doesn't make sense I agree.

I think it will change as working patterns change and centers will be open on public holidays soon and then people will still pay if send or not but will be fairer I suppose.

I know at place we go the numbers of children they have in Jan are ridiculously low, but I am very glad they are still open.

**mrscricket** · April 23rd, 2013, 12:36 PM

We paid too. If I could remember I would put down that DS was having a 'holiday day' on public holidays and we'd only only get charged half fees. I think there was a certain amount you could use each year. It still sucked though.

**Astrid** · April 23rd, 2013, 12:37 PM

The group of council centres I use do not charge for public holidays thankfully! So no need for make up days etc No need to pay over the Christmas closure either, but their is an option to use a sister centre over the holidays and pay per day.

I assume they build that "lost income" into their daily fee. They also offer a discount for full weeks.

**Beautiful Disaster** · April 23rd, 2013, 01:10 PM

Yep we pay too. It's crap

**xXHopeXx** · April 23rd, 2013, 01:19 PM

Dd goes to a council run daycare Centre and we dont have to pay for public holidays? I didn't realize it wasn't the norm. Our Centre also closes for 2 weeks or so over xmas/new year and we dont pay then either