Terms and Conditions

Absence

Fees remain payable for periods of absence as the child’s place is kept open and staff and associated costs continue to accumulate.

Administration Charges

Late Child Collections and early drop-off without booking £25.00 per breach. Childcare registration fee £50.00 per child non-returnable.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation of a childcare place requires one month’s written confirmation by either party. The only exception is failure to pay nursery fees which will result in immediate breach of contract and subsequent immediate termination of childcare place. Prior to commencement of place the deposit held to secure the place will only be refunded if at least two months’ notice is given. One month notice is required to reduce days.

Changes

Rainbow Nursery reserves the right to make amendments to the terms and conditions of childcare without notice.

Child Protection

Any child who attends the Nursery, irrespective of their racial origin, gender, physical or mental impairment, class, religion or cultural background have a right to protection from neglect, physical, sexual or any other abuse and it is our priority to keep children safe from harm whilst in our care. It is our obligation to require or seek professional advice or actions from the local social services team / local authority if we suspect a child is suffering from harm. The Nursery has a full written policy on Child protection is available if required.

Clothing and Personal Property

The Nursery does not accept responsibility for loss or damage of personal property brought on to the premises by children or parents. Parents are requested to send children in easily washable, clearly labelled (with your child’s name) clothing which are appropriate to the weather conditions. Please discourage your child from bringing items of value to the Nursery.

Complaints

If you have a concern or complaint, please make it without delay to the Nursery Manager or Directors.

Delivery and Collection of Children

All children must be handed over by parents/carers into the care of a Nursery Staff Member to enable them to be entered into the daily attendance register. Children will not be released into the care of anyone other than those named on the registration form unless authorised by the parents personally, by telephone or in writing that day. We recommend that other people authorised to collect are introduced to the nursery beforehand. They will need a password that we have on file.

Deposit

An initial £200 security deposit per child will be retained and refundable against your final month’s invoice. The deposit is non-refundable in the case of cancellation.

Discipline

The Nursery has a written policy available to view on behaviour management. The use of any form of physical chastisement, verbal humiliation, or aggressive handling of a child is not acceptable at the Nursery.

Early Years Grants and Voucher Payments

Early Years grant payments for children will have their term entitlement deducted monthly from their invoice, in 12 equal amounts. Voucher payments must be arranged such that the cleared funds reach the nursery by the invoice due date. We recommend that voucher payments are initiated by the 24th of each month as they take up to a week to clear.

Emergency Treatment

Any child who attends Nursery and has an accident whilst in our care will be given basic first aid treatment by staff. This will include the treatment of minor cuts, bumps or bruises. All Parents will be informed and required to sign the accident log. In the case of a more serious accident or incident a child will be taken immediately to a doctor or the nearest hospital and parents will be informed. Any emergency treatment or medical advice will be permitted unless a parent states in writing otherwise. The Nursery does not accept any responsibility for treatment given against Parents’ wishes if we have not been informed otherwise.

Minimum Number of Sessions

The minimum booking for children under age 3 is 4 sessions, and a minimum of 6 sessions for children over 3. There are two sessions per day; morning and afternoon, a full day counts as two sessions.

Holidays

All holidays are billable. The Nursery is closed on Bank Holidays. During the Christmas period the Nursery will close on Christmas Eve at 4pm and re open on 2nd January.

Hours of Opening

The Nursery is open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 6.00pm, with an optional 7.30am opening and 6.30pm closure on request, at extra cost.

Meals

Children will be provided with drinks and snacks at regular morning and afternoon snack times along with three nutritious, balanced meals daily. Menus are displayed on the parent’s notice board.

Milk Feeds and Nappies

Cow and Gate Formula and cow’s milk will be supplied by the nursery. All other formulas/breast milk will need to be supplied and labelled by parents and brought to the Nursery where they will be stored at the correct temperature in the milk fridge until required. Nursery will provide nappies, and wipes. Parents need to supply, labelled bottles, beaker and nappy cream if used.

Non Payment of Fees

Non Payment of Fees in excess of your deposit may result in termination of your childcare contract and loss of childcare place.

Off Premises Visits

Staff will occasionally take the children for walks or visits off premises during the course of their sessions in accordance with statutory staffing requirements.

Payment of Fees

Fees are to be paid before the 1st day of each month in advance, or before the first day of attendance for the first month, fees are calculated on the basis of 52 weeks divided into 12 equal monthly payments, holidays are charged at the normal rate.

Postponement Policy

If you postpone your start date at nursery, you will be required to pay a holding fee of 50% of your monthly invoice. Should an immediate start place be held on our waiting list, you will unfortunately lose your right to this place and be placed back on the waiting list for your new start date.

Registration

In completing the registration form you are providing us with critical information about your child and therefore it is important that this information is correct. If you have any difficulty completing the registration form please contact the Nursery Management team who will be happy to assist you.

Sibling Discount

Where parents have more than one child at the Nursery, a 10% reduction in fees is applied for the oldest child’s fees.

Sickness

The Nursery reserves the right to refuse to accept children until the Nursery is satisfied they are not infectious in the event of illness. This is to protect other children from cross infection. The Nursery’s exclusion policy is guided by Public Health England and all other supporting bodies relating to infection control.

If your child is unwell please refer to your Communicable Diseases sheet that has provided by the nursery and comply with the minimum exclusion periods that are set. In addition speak with your doctor and follow any guidance provided by them. If your child is prescribed antibiotics, please keep them at home for 24 hours after the first dosage has been administered in case of adverse reaction to the medication. Antibiotics and medicines will only be administered by Nursery staff after the child has been taking them for more than 24 hours at home, and only then with written authorisation from the parents. The Nursery will make every effort to notify parents should their child become sick at the Nursery. Senior staff reserve the right to remove any child to a hospital in an emergency.

Solicitation of Staff

It is strictly forbidden for parents to approach staff with offers of employment directly. Should any member of staff leave to commence employment for a parent they will be invoiced for the annual training costs incurred plus the recruitment costs for their replacement.

Additional Sessions

Additional sessions (which are those outside of your normal booking pattern) will be charged at the appropriate rate. It is not possible to swap contracted days with other days. Any extra sessions booked should be paid for in advance, on the day or if agreed can be added onto your next invoice.

Our Privacy Policy sets out how the nursery holds personal data of you and your child. The Privacy Policy also tells you who to contact if you want to use those rights, make a complaint or if you have any questions. Please contact the Nursery Manager should you require a copy of our Privacy Policy.