late fees

[nikkiross1]

hi there, just re-reading my policies before printing them off and i've mentioned charging parents late fees if they are late to pick their child up.

what is a reasonable charge? in my course the course leader said that at their nursery they charged £15 for every 15 minutes they were late becuase it could hinder you with your chidren - eg if you need to take your child to a swimming lesson and they end up missing it etc. i personally think £15 is very steep but im not sure what the common procedure is here.

any info will be much appreciated xx

[Happy Bunny]

I give parents a 15 minute leeway just incase they are stuck in traffic. If they call me and say they are stuck then I will just charge the normal rate up to 6.30 o'clock as this is the latest I am willing to work.
Anything after this they get charged at time and a half.

[Konoko]

I'm thinking of charging around 10£ per 15 minutes, but will double check with the other minders in my area..

[Jiorjiina]

I have said £7 per half hour (which is not much compared to some), but I have put a bit in about not charging if I am informed they are only a few minutes away, or there are extraordinary circumstances (i.e. big accident causing traffic jam (general Devon driving doesn't count!), an emergency, etc.), and that it is only outside of contracted hours.

Perhaps I am being too lenient?