Regristration Fee

[Andreamay]

How many of you charge a registration fee? If so do you charge funded children aswell as unfunded? For example if a 3 year old eligable for funding were to enquire about a place new to the area would you charge a fee? Or if a parent put a childs name down when a baby charge a fee to start when 2yr 10m but deferred until they were eligable for funding would you still charge a fee? Thanks in advance

Andrea x

[hali]

we charge £50 to hold a place open once taken that gets taken off the 1st terms fees.

[Guest]

We don't charge a registration fee-simply because people don't take up places for a variety of reasons and, I personally, would find it unfair to take somebody's money and then they have to move house or some such. I also do not guarantee them a place.

We charge £15 when they accept a place offered to them. This is non-refundable whether they come to pre-school or not-it is an administration charge for forms etc. and postage and my time doing everything necessary for them to start.

Linda

[Helen]

We charge £25 to reserve a place, which is then deducted from their final term's fees. We don't refund if they don't take up the place. Luckily, it has only happened three or four times in ten years, but I know what Linda means: it is awkward if the family's circumstances change and they can't take up the place. I introduced it, however, when one family booked eight sessions a week from September for their two boys, and then casually told me in the street about a week before term started that they now needed full daycare and weren't coming. I had turned away so many people over the summer holidays, who had then found other settings, and I was out of pocket for the entire autumn term. I'm sure, though, that £25 wouldn't have changed that situation, but I think it does make some families think about the commitment.

[Andreamay]

ok well I had a phone call from children and families today (surestart) saying it had come to their notice we charge a reg fee and were we aware (parent enquiry)

1. it is illegal to charge a child that is funded

2. Yes we could charge our 2half year olds but bear in mind we could be accused of not being inclusive!

So we need to decide what to do!!!

We currently charge £10 with booking to go on our waiting list this is refunded if we can not offer a place. if we do offer a place it covers admin, time spent getting peg names,pocket names, self reg names,register, development profile.

The reason we decided to introduce it was the amount of parents putting their name down at 2 or 3 settings even getting to come for induction session and then not turning up. Try explaining to staff that relys on a cettain wage that oh sorry we are now under ratio and no i dont need you after all!!!

Andrea

[Inge]

we had to stop charging a registration fee when we began to take the funding for 3 year olds as has been said we cannot charge anything for a funded place this includes the admin before they start and time wasting of some on several waiting lists or not turning up at all and this includes a reg. fee. Thought this was universal, know other local authorities say same.

 

Inge

Edited April 15, 2008 by Inge

[Guest]

We don't charge the fee for funded children for the same reason as Inge states. As for the non-funded children as long as you are up front and honest with parents I don't see why there should be a problem.

My parents have to pay the fee when they return their child's slip accepting their place. Only then can they stipulate which days they want and they can only come for their induction session if they have accepted the place and paid the fee.

The reason I would feel awful charging when they put their child's name down is because anything can happen between when they are say 18 months old and when they are due to start-what if something disastrous happened?

I'm not sure I understand what the problem is about putting their names down on 2 or 3 waiting lists-parents here can name I think it's three schools for their child. They won't always get the one they want and surely that applies to pre-schools and nurseries too?

Linda

[Andreamay]

I'm not sure I understand what the problem is about putting their names down on 2 or 3 waiting lists-parents here can name I think it's three schools for their child. They won't always get the one they want and surely that applies to pre-schools and nurseries too?

Linda

i havent a problem with not charging the funded children most children are not funded when they come to us anyhow. And i generally didnt know you shouldnt.

However last year a parent had her child's name down on 3 pre-schools in the area, came for free induction chose to go to another one but refrained from telling us and the other one 'I couldnt make my mind up' That one child took us over ratio i put in another member of staff, we had done all the admin as well as spending time chasing her to see where she was. County put a stop to them putting their names down at 2 different schools a couple of years ago. They fight to get into the schools round me. We have a waiting list most years parents begging to come from out of zone it isnt fair that some parents can treat us in this way. Charging £10 is at least covering costs of their unthoughtfulness (is that a word!!)

[belle06]

We ask for one weeks fee's as a registration fee for places booked in advance

[Guest]

This is interesting as we have been considering introducing a registration fee for similar reasons as listed above. We regularly have parents putting their child's name down and telling us they are really looking forward to them starting with us. We prepare a large amount of paperwork for them in advance of them starting and send that out as we have had parents saying they don't feel they know enough about us if we wait until they come in to give it them.

 

On numerous occasions then we have not seen those children at all. The cost of the paperwork is small but as others have said it also making sure we have enough staff to cover the ratios and then finding out we have too many.

 

I do see how the LA/surestart could view this as illegal and making charges for what would be a free at point of delivery place. However I also know of a local pre-school who make the charge and it is not refunded even when the child leaves. They are on a school site and pass the fee onto the school's after school club for their admin fees! I was outraged and asked what happened if I intended to collect my child from school at the end of the day and not use these facilities which incidentally are not run by the same people? The answer was basically tough - you lost your money then!

 

Could one still charge a booking fee and then return it on receipt of the first lot of fees/on parent signing for funding? I feel the answer would still be no, but I can sympathise as to why a setting might want to and as I say we have considered it just to cover us on those families who don't bother to let us know they don't want a place.

 

As an aside, last summer we had an enquiry, dealt with over the phone by a parent who wanted a place for Sept. We sent out info and application form and received the form back. This was the only way we had of knowing the address for the family. We sent all the starter info out in the holiday and opened up the first week. No child showed. We thought nothing of it but the next week received very angry letter from mum who demanded to know why we had decided that her child should attend our preschool when she had only telephoned to ask when we were open! She was much happier sending him to a nearer setting and resented us deciding he must attend ours. My manager and I were completely mystified by the about face and did go back to check the application form in which she had requested three days with us. Still can't explain that one.

[Inge]

we had the opposite, A dad popped his head around the door and asked if we had any spaces, told we had only a couple of afternoons left( not which ones though ),he then said he would have to ask mum, 4 weeks later he rang at 11am and said what time was his child to start that day! We had not heard from anyone about the child and did not even know his name, we had filled the place and they got very 'upset' because we did not contact them!!

but then we often get those who feel it is ok not to tell us they dont want a place when they have booked, visited, confirmed etc they just dont turn up..

 

Inge

[Shiny]

We don't charge a registration fee at all. I must say I had never heard of it until I came on this site!! We too have those parents who put there child's name down, come for the induction and then never show up or contact us to let us know they don't require the space, but we have a waiting list as long as your arm so just give someone else the space.

 

Everyone offered sessions are given a weeks grace, if they don't show or contact us, the space is passed on. Only once have we had the problem when we have given the space away and the child has turned up the following week. All this info is in our admissions and fees policy.

 

To be honest I am not sure any other settings around us charge the fee and I wouldn't want to loose children because we were the only one, and a lot of our families would probably struggle to find £10 on top of fees.