I’m livid.
As we were dropping the children off at nursery on Friday we were handed a letter by the manager informing us that, with one days notice, the nursery will be closed all next week, with no guarantee it will be open the following week.
WHAT? You cannot be serious?!
Now call me crazy (people often do), but shouldn’t we have been given a tad more notice and at least been told there was a problem before it became critical?
The nursery is part of our local SureStart Centre. It’s not free (as some people think), we pay for it a month in advance (and through the nose) just like you would any other nursery. It turns out that they are being bound, by the council, in red tape and funding cuts.
The nursery has become desperately short staffed, to the point where the carer to child ratio is about to be dangerously compromised. Because they cannot guarantee the safety of the children in their care the nursery has had to be temporarily closed.
These issues have arisen because the local council has recently cut the rate of pay it gives to the qualified staff and the rate it pays to agency staff. The nursery cannot find enough agency staff to cover the vacancies, and the council will only advertise vacancies internally. As a result they cannot find the ‘right caliber’ of staff, because of the lowered rate of pay.
Many of the familiar key workers have left for better paid jobs, and some of the regular agency staff, who have had to move on, would love to take permanent positions but cannot because the jobs are not being advertised externally. It’s an un-holy mess.
The husband and I have to work next week. He’s on nights, I have financial month end and neither of us are allowed time off. The nursery have no contingency plan and we’re up the proverbial creek, without a paddle.
I’ve spoken to the centre manager face to face, twice. He can offer no more than an apology and a deduction of the fees we’ve already paid on next month’s invoice. Yes he’s embarrassed that it’s come to this, but his embarrassment isn’t going to solve the issues.
Some parents are so angry that they’ve sadly removed their children from the nursery completely, choosing to have them cared for by friends and relatives while they make alternative arrangements. This is, unfortunately, a luxury we do not have.
The thing that saddens me the most is, when it’s good it’s really, really good. The regular staff are wonderful and my children have bonded with them. Until Friday I felt completely at ease leaving my children in their care. No qualms. But now? Now I feel like there’s been a breach of trust, not with the people who look after my children week in week out, but with the management. How they can regain that trust, I do not know.
This situation will put a strain on not only our home environment, but also relationships with our families, who we ask for help but usually cannot as they have their own jobs to go to. Not to mention the stress of trying to negotiate time off work when none is allowed and the financial implications of taking un-paid emergency leave.
I’m livid.
Utterly, utterly livid.
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I really feel for you. I would also be livid if my nursery did this. I hope you can get something sorted. Mich x
Michelle Twin Mum recently posted..A Day at Chessington – Fun- Fun- Fun!
Thanks lovely.
xxx
Insomniac Mummy, I can see how distressing this is for you but believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of local authority cuts.
I don’t believe the Council willfully set out to antagonise mothers at the nursery. I think they had no choice. And as for giving nursery workers more pay, their hands were tied. But yes, I do think the nursery should have given mothers more notice.
But when it comes to it I think we all have to look at the Bigger Picture. There will be millions cut from public services over the next few years. It won’t just be children like your own who will suffer – or yourself – but the elderly (when they cut back on meals on wheels) and children with special needs (when they close their schools).
I know I sound very doom-laden but it’s only because I work in local government and I really do fear the future of public services. In my authority they’re now talking about cutting school dinners. So, all the kids who have drug-addict parents will potentially suffer (I hope they come up with something to alleviate this).
In conclusion, I do feel for you. But we’re all going to have to accept the cutbacks in the long run. We won’t like them, and neither should we, but if we protest about this…how will we feel when they start closing nursing homes?
Jill
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Hi Jill,
I have no doubt that they didn’t just set out top antagonise me but whilst I fully appreciate that cutbacks are a given, I am constantly incensed that those who have less are the ones who lose the most. My nursery fees are more than I earn and the only money I re-coup is through tax credits, which the government intend on taking away from me next year.
You are right, this is the tip of the iceberg, who will care about me and my family when we cannot afford a roof over our heads any longer because of necessary cuts?
Everyone has a right to bemoan and protest about cuts, and no-one is more or less important then the next person. Vulnerable people come in all shapes, sizes, colours, classes and ages.
I found your comment about children of ‘drug addicted parents’ a little odd. There would be plenty of children who would suffer should school dinners be abolished, not just those whose parents were possibly addicts.
One thing is for certain, I don’t think forcing people who want to work into a situation where thay literally cannot afford to and into the benefits system is the solution to anything.
x
Can I just point out that not all children who are entitled to free school meals have “drug addict parents” some parents on benefits and low incomes have genuine needs and reasons for being unable to afford school meals often through no fault of their own.
I understand the point you are trying to make, but comments like that often cause unnecessary offence to the thousands of parents on a low income who are just genuinely trying to raise their families as best they can with out being labelled a junky just because they do not earn much money or because they are un-able to work, for what ever reason.
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I almost wrote something similar when replying. We were a ‘free school meals’ family, infact we got free uniform and shoes sometimes too.
x
I don’t think Jill was saying all families who qualify for free school meals are drug addicts… but that all the children living in families that suffer the effects of drug abuse will be affected by the cuts in free school meals.
I can imagine the panic you are having Ellie since I had the same when the private nursery my children were at closed after we’d been there for 42 days. No funding issues or anything, the ignorant bitch of an owner just decided she’d rather like to convert the property into a second home – I was particularly furious as I don’t believe for one minute she didn’t know this 42 days previously! Luckily the staff kept it going, hiring church halls and portakabins until they were able to secure permanent premises otherwise I have no idea what would have happened – it’s a hellish situation.
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I do hope that you can get something sorted, this sounds like a terrible mess and one that’s most likely to happen again. Can you get them into another nursery?
As for the free school meals comment, I’m quite incensed. I had free school meals for most of my school years, my mother was most definitely not a drug addict.
I’ve been enquiring at other nurseries, but in the short term there is nothing for next week.
I really don’t want to make a permanent move. There are very few nurseries locally and moving would mean two buses or over a mile walk with the kids, uphill at 7am. Something I need to avoid if possible.
There’s a big management meeting at the centre on Tuesday where they are making some decisions. They’re going to ring all the parents after so fingers crossed for some positive news.
xxx
I would be too! I find it very hard to understand why the nursery wouldn’t tell you before hand, even warn parents that it might happen, unless they didn’t know. Which I think is quite unlikely.
I hope you manage to find some help with childcare. if i was closer I’d offer
Heather – Notes From Lapland recently posted..What Lengths Will You Go To For A Cup Of Tea
That’s awful, you should definitely have been given more notice. There must be lots of people that are now in your position. I really don’t know what to suggest but I hope you manage to sort something out
Such poor management by the nursery, they have obviously known for a while this was coming and failed to inform you. At the very least they could have given you a weeks notice, rather than on the Friday before. Good luck finding an alternative xx
Liz@VioletPosy recently posted..Bank Holiday Weekend
That’s such a terrible situation, I can’t believe they’ve left parents in the lurch like that. I really hope you manage to sort something out x
What a nightmare! Do you trust any of the staff to maybe help you out. The nursery that Ryan went to offered babysitting services in the evenings and weekends at a privately agreed price. Just something to consider.
Good luck
Lisa
I’m so sorry to read about this! It is appalling that they have been able to do this. Would it be possible to approach some of the staff that are around to do the cover maybe? Not much help- sorry!
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That is awful! It might be worth looking around at the other nurseries in the area, we send ours to a private day nursery as they can pay market rates to their staff and have a really good staff retention.
Sadly the government is cutting the money that it gives to councils so much that this kind of thing is likely to happen again in my opinion. Hope you find something soon.
What a ridiculous situation!
A place over here closed with no notice once. The parents took turns to help out until they got more staff, but they all had to take time off work as well. It’s just about the most stressful thing possible if childcare goes wrong.
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