Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This just rubs me the wrong way so much. We're at a community nursery school that sees itself as some kind of local treasure (it's been around for a long time; low turnover; hard to get it in). It is not cheap and it's in a UMC area. How can they ask for full payment when there's no service?? You contract for the academic year when you go here. I'm tempted to burn all bridges and say we're not paying but then there's the camp issue if we go back (we're doing camp there also )and have prepaid that as well. So much money down the drain.

Here is the problem. You signed a contract that said you were accepting for the full year and you were committed to paying for the full year. There was no clause in there that said that tuition was guaranteed that the facility would remain open. There are any number of events that can close a facility down. There are any number of very contagious or dangerous infections or illnesses that if one child or one staff member brought it into the school, the school would have to be closed. There could be an accident like a truck running into the building that would close the school. In this day and age, it isn't that unlikely that a school could have a shooting. And on and on. There are any number of things that can close your school down and there is no clause in the contract that they will suspend or refund any part of the tuition for a school closure. In this case, the school closure is completely beyond their control. They can't repair damage and reopen the school.

So, regardless of whether or not it would be nice for them to refund you the money, they are under no legal obligation to refund tuition. On the contrary, one of the reasons that people like us pay tuition to schools is that we trust them to secure good staff and to maintain good programs. Part of hiring and maintaining good staff is to treat them right and that means paying the teachers. If they don't guarantee pay, then the good teachers will bail, which will devalue the care and education that children get there, which will in turn lower the desirability of the school.

Sorry that this happened, but unexpected school closings is one of the things that you need to consider before you sign the contract that says you are committed to the full year with no exit clause.

Anonymous wrote:This just rubs me the wrong way so much. We're at a community nursery school that sees itself as some kind of local treasure (it's been around for a long time; low turnover; hard to get it in). It is not cheap and it's in a UMC area. How can they ask for full payment when there's no service?? You contract for the academic year when you go here. I'm tempted to burn all bridges and say we're not paying but then there's the camp issue if we go back (we're doing camp there also )and have prepaid that as well. So much money down the drain.

Anonymous wrote:I am sure we are at the same school. My spouse wants to complain but I am afraid of making waves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

We all have to do that. Back up care is a CHOICE. Your needs do not supersede your agreements, especially if you are still drawing income. Many of us are not and still scraping it together for tuition. Im guessing you’re a crap tipper as well.

And here come the crazy pro-tip noblesse oblige shamer types. You are so gross, PP. Knock it off with trying to act like you're better than everyone else. You're not - especially if you're not lobbying for the cessation of the notoriously classist, sexist, racist, elitist tipping system, which you obviously aren't since it gives you such opportunity to feel smug.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got the exact same email from our kids school in Bethesda area. It’s a tiny preschool and we love it but seems like a giant f you. School closed at least until April 24. Next sentence full payment due for April to keep us alive! It’s annoying.

OP here. Thank you! Somebody who shares my feelings. It's a fine school; no better or worse than others we've attended but they seem to really think highly of themselves. I wonder if anyone has complained or if it would do any good to. I hate the assumption that we are just rolling in the dough and should have no problem writing that giant check for nothing but Zoom sessions and some flowery emails in return.

Anonymous wrote:I got the exact same email from our kids school in Bethesda area. It’s a tiny preschool and we love it but seems like a giant f you. School closed at least until April 24. Next sentence full payment due for April to keep us alive! It’s annoying.

Anonymous wrote:Don't pay April and risk losing your spot in the fall.

The preschool has to pay its teachers.

Anonymous wrote:

We all have to do that. Back up care is a CHOICE. Your needs do not supersede your agreements, especially if you are still drawing income. Many of us are not and still scraping it together for tuition. Im guessing you’re a crap tipper as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not money down the drain. It's to pay the humans, the teachers who care for your children every day, so they can continue to pay their own rents, mortgage, buy food for their children. Have a heart. If you are still receiving a salary, please continue to support low wage workers who do not have the ability to work from home.

Mind your business. You do you

+1. If PP wants to donate to preschool teachers who are out of work, feel free. I also have a mortgage and need to buy food for my kids and now need to pay for backup childcare to provide the services my preschool is not providing. Why is keeping teacher salaries at 100% the burden of the parents?

We all have to do that. Back up care is a CHOICE. Your needs do not supersede your agreements, especially if you are still drawing income. Many of us are not and still scraping it together for tuition. Im guessing you’re a crap tipper as well.

My husband and I both work in the medical field and need to be at work. So we are paying backup care to care for our children. We are paying our preschool and daycare to care for our children but they are not doing so. So we are double paying. I guess I could choose to stop working and not pay backup care but my salary is higher than we pay the caregiver and I think most people probably don’t want doctors and nurses to stop working right now.

I used to be a server and I tip 20% minimum on the after-tax amount when I eat out and a minimum of $5 for delivery food (and up from there). Not sure what the connection is there that you think I am a bad tipper because I am paying someone to care for my kids and frustrated that the regular caregivers I pay won’t even give me a partial refund for care they are unable to provide (through no fault of their own but not my fault either). Are you maybe saying that because I pay my caregiver less than I earn I am cheap? Just not following the logic here at all

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not money down the drain. It's to pay the humans, the teachers who care for your children every day, so they can continue to pay their own rents, mortgage, buy food for their children. Have a heart. If you are still receiving a salary, please continue to support low wage workers who do not have the ability to work from home.

Mind your business. You do you

+1. If PP wants to donate to preschool teachers who are out of work, feel free. I also have a mortgage and need to buy food for my kids and now need to pay for backup childcare to provide the services my preschool is not providing. Why is keeping teacher salaries at 100% the burden of the parents?

We all have to do that. Back up care is a CHOICE. Your needs do not supersede your agreements, especially if you are still drawing income. Many of us are not and still scraping it together for tuition. Im guessing you’re a crap tipper as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's not money down the drain. It's to pay the humans, the teachers who care for your children every day, so they can continue to pay their own rents, mortgage, buy food for their children. Have a heart. If you are still receiving a salary, please continue to support low wage workers who do not have the ability to work from home.

Mind your business. You do you

+1. If PP wants to donate to preschool teachers who are out of work, feel free. I also have a mortgage and need to buy food for my kids and now need to pay for backup childcare to provide the services my preschool is not providing. Why is keeping teacher salaries at 100% the burden of the parents?