GFCCCC

Thankfully we own the building and as a charity we get 80% rate relief - which is how we just about manage

That price is for 2-5 yr old, 49 weeks per year 8-6 - so 3.60 per hour. We don't charge for anything extra at all - We don't make any money either!! (we are non-profit) but we do manage to pay a bit above minimum wage, not use apprentices in our ratio and to just about cover our costs. It is hard but all our nurseries are in deprived areas so parents can't afford more.

£14K!! - Not here - full time is £8800

I decided about 20 years ago never to iron again at all - and I haven't !

We buy ours from here and have bought some recently. Its a Nottingham based supplier but delivers countrywide https://www.county-supplies.org/product/5333150/Powder-Paint-25kg---Leaf-Green

Am also keen to know this. I am looking to replace my Nursery Management system at the moment but every one I look at has learning journals included and I don't want two systems but our staff are reluctant to get rid of Tapestry as they are so used to it.

Those who know me will know that I am always very firm with parents about what is acceptable and I never pander to them. I have one parent who has not followed rules around this pandemic so I have withdrawn her place for the time being. She argued with me but I told her that it is my responsibility to keep the staff and children safe and I have introduced procedures to do so but I am not meeting my obligation if I knowingly allow a person who is flouting guidelines to come into the setting. However much the child benefits from nursery, you have to put the safety of those who are sticking to the rules and the safety of you, your family and your staff team first. If he only comes one a day a week, he isn't going to miss so much - many children have been out of school and nursery on and off since last March.

We make about £250 on our annual clothes collection. It is easy as it doesn't cost parents anything and all they have to do is bring in a bag of old unwanted clothes/shoes/bedding etc. and to be honest, most of them are glad to get rid of them and bringing them to us when they re coming to nursery anyway is much easier than going to the charity shop. We just send them a couple of reminders by text and put some signs up and then remind them all verbally the last day before collection. The collection date is pre-arranged and they just turn up - take it all away and then send us a cheque - simples! Staff bring theirs in too. https://bag2school.com/ The other way we raise funds is dress-down Friday - staff pay £1 to come in non-uniform on a Friday (if they want to obviously). We get about £250 per year from that too. In the past, we have held coffee and cake day for parents - as you say, they are too busy to get involved but if we set up a coffee stall in reception in the morning (we buy paper cups with lids and have an urn set up) and get the cook to make a couple of home made cakes, they will buy a coffee and cake to take to work with them - at £2 a go, its cheaper than Starbucks/Pret et al. and for a much better cause (and many buy extra cake to take for their work colleagues) We also put a couple of tables in the dining area if they don't work and want to buy, then stay and chat with each other (after dropping children off). Other than that, we have saved money by asking parents to do some jobs for us e.g. weeding, putting shelves up, making cushions/tablecloths/aprons/dolls clothes. Its always worth asking in a newsletter if anyone has any skills we can use.

To be honest, if there is no valid health reason, whatever his reason and whether or not you could do something else for him, - my approach would be that this is our policy and parents either accept and abide by it, or they don't attend our nursery. That may sound harsh but the whole point of the procedures we have all put in place is to protect everyone. I will always listen to parents requests and discuss anything with them, but will never allow them to dictate or insist on something or refuse to abide by our guidelines.