Does Anyone Charge Parents A Fee To Go On Your Waiting List?

[Deb]

Hi

 

Had a query from a local setting. Wondered if you can help.

 

Do any of you charge parents a fee to put their child on your waiting list?

 

This setting has had parents not turn up to take their child's place. As have we this week. We do not charge a fee.

 

Thanks

[Guest]

We don't charge them for putting them onto the waiting list-many people move house etc so have a genuine reason for not taking up a place.

When I write to them offering a place when their child is due to start I charge them a £15 administration fee if they accept. I do not refund this, not even to those who take up the place-it goes towards the costs of preparing their information pack and the child's name cards etc. If they don't turn up they are out of pocket and not me. I know a lot of groups who do this and refund it in the first set of fees.

Linda

[Guest]

Hi We had a problem with this a few years back, but we now charge a £10 Registration Fee, which is non returnable, and it is explained on the Waiting List info we give to parents, that without this fee applications cannot be processed, and we write a short paragraph which includes something like, "The Registration Fee covers the cost of administration and staffing used in the process of Registering your child for a place at Pre School."

We have only had a few not turn up over the past few years, but nothing like we used to get. No problems, should have done it years ago.

Edited October 31, 2007 by Guest

[Guest Wolfie]

I too charged a registration fee - £25, £10 of which was non-refundable, to cover admin charges, and £15 of which was refunded from the first set of fees due when the child started. That system worked well.

[Rea]

We used to charge a £10 admin fee. They also got a T-shirt when they started, if they didnt turn up we kept the money.

[Guest]

I request a £10 deposit with the registration form. The child then receives a Pre-school sweat-shirt and book bag when they start. The actual cost of both is slightly more than £10 so I might have to look at raising the deposit.

 

However, if a child does not take up a place for whatever reason, then I do not refund the deposit.

[Guest]

We didn't have this charge,but do now. With places very tight now, and taking ages to sort out peoples spaces for them, to not even phone to say that the place is no longer required. This is also unfair to those who we then have to keep waiting to open up th place for someone else. For these reasons, we decided to review our system. We now offer initial equiries free, so that parents can see if we have any places for the sessions they require. This is followed by a confirmation of booking form for which there is a £15 non-refundable administration cost. This has worked well so far with no problems. Children that come from social or probation services etc do not pay this fee.

 

Go for it. Good luck

[Helen]

We found charging a £10 registration fee didn't stop some families from dropping out on September 4th!! So we increased it to £25, which is refundable during the child's last term with us. We've only had a couple of families let us down since this was introduced.

[HappyMaz]

We charge a £15 registration fee which is non-refundable. We don't have a waiting list (except for those not old enough to join us yet!). Might look at increasing this and offering a free sweatshirt/book bag when they actually come - another good idea from the Forum!

 

Maz

[Lucy P]

We do not charge a registration fee, but request a deposit - which is equivalent to two weeks fees - once we have confirmed a place. (We generally confirm a place 3 months prior to start date)

 

The deposit is then refunded at the end of the childs time at the nursery as long as requisite notice has been given.

 

This generally deters people booking places who are not sure whether they will take them up.

 

I do sometimes feel mean when circumstances beyond their control stop them taking up places, but we have lost so much money in the past, i dont feel we have a choice.

[Guest]

Hi

 

Had a query from a local setting. Wondered if you can help.

 

Do any of you charge parents a fee to put their child on your waiting list?

 

This setting has had parents not turn up to take their child's place. As have we this week. We do not charge a fee.

 

Thanks

 

we charge parents a non returnable £10 registration fee for putting their child on our waiting list then a £50 deposit when accepting a place offer, this is returned when the child leaves provided a term's notice has been given.

 

we have lost out a few times with parents either not taking up the place or leaving without paying fees.

[Guest]

For those of you who charge a fee when parents put their child's name on the waiting list-what do you do if you are unable to offer the child a place because you are full? That was another reason I made it a charge only when offering a place.

Linda

[Susan]

That as a parent would be my worry Linda.

[Deb]

Thanks everyone for your replies which as always were very useful.

[Andreamay]

we dont take a reg form without our £10 fee they are made aware if we are given it early (some when the children are months old!!) that a place may or may not be offered until the beg of the term before they are due as we operate on the same criteria as our school (in zone with siblings,in zone etc) so we can not make decisions until most of the forms are in.It is clear on our form that if a place cannot be offered they will be given a refund but most ask us to go on our waiting list and will be refunded at a later date.

After 3 children didnt turn up again in september of which i had to withdraw sessions for staff because of it I have no qualms about charging and we are very reasonable compared to others in the area.

[hali]

hi we dont charge for going on the list but once a place is offered a deposit is asked for the half term before they start.

[Guest]

Just a little spanner in the works ( sorry). Not sure if you can charge a registration ( or any other name) fee, for children who are only accessing the funded sessions.

 

Peggy

[Andreamay]

well 99% of our children arrive at 2 half before they are funded but EYA aware settings charge fee infact it one of them who advised it!!!

[Guest]

hi

 

we charge £10 when they reg and its non refundable, we then also ask for a £50 deposit when they start and that is refunded back to them when there child leaves the school if there is no problems.

 

 

loulabel