Age of admittance

Children are welcome from ages 3 months to 5 years. Children are required to be registered for a minimum of 2 sessions per week (i.e. one full day or 2 mornings / afternoons). All parents / carers must complete a registration form, detailing in full any health, dietary, medical, medicinal, allergic or other special needs.

Fee schedule

Fees are payable in accordance with the published tariff. Fees quoted are per child. Reductions in fees as a result of a change in age or a sibling joining the nursery will take effect at the beginning of the month following the event.

Fees are payable on the first day of each calendar month in advance, payable by Direct Debit and childcare vouchers. Payment may also be made by debit card (Maestro, Visa Delta) and credit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) either on-line via the secure Mama Bear’s web portal or by phone by calling Mama Bear’s Finance Office on 0117 958 2032. There is no charge for paying by debit card, however payments made by Visa credit cards and MasterCard will incur an additional charge of 2.45% and payments made by American Express will incur an additional charge of 3.05%. These charges will be taken from your credit card at the same time as your nursery fee payment. By separate agreement with the Mama Bear’s Finance Officer, payment may also be accepted by standing order, cash or cheque.

It is essential that you quote your 8 digit account number as a reference for all payments, especially electronic payments and childcare vouchers. This will help us identify your payment and credit the correct account. Your account number can be found on your invoice.

Monthly fees are calculated by multiplying the weekly fee by 52 weeks and dividing by 12 calendar months. No charge is made for the working days (i.e. non-bank holidays) when the nursery is closed over Christmas. There is no reduction for other holidays or child absence (see ‘Holidays’ below). To register for a place, a fee of £50 per child is payable with the completed Registration Form. This non-refundable fee secures the place in the nursery or on the waiting list, depending on availability. Where a child does not subsequently take up their place the registration fee is non-refundable.

Mama Bear's Day Nursery Limited reserves the right to recover costs in full and to charge interest (both before and after any judgement) on overdue accounts at the rate of 2% per month until payment is made in full. Any payment returned by the bank or cancelled by yourself will incur an administration charge of £20.

Free Early Education Entitlement for 3 and 4 year olds and qualifying 2 year olds

From 1st September 2010 every child is entitled to up to 15 hours free nursery provision per week during term time from the term after their third birthday until they start school. These sessions are funded by the Local Authority. Parents / carers apply for the entitlement on a termly basis via the nursery. This is a simple process which we will help you with.* Free Entitlement sessions are offered flexibly in line with the DfE and Local Authority’s Codes of Practice and are subject to their terms and conditions. Please ask your Nursery Manager for the current details and term dates. Please note that demand for these places is high with availability on a first-come-first served basis.

Under scheme rules, parents / carers registering for FEEE-only sessions are not required to pay a registration fee, however a registration fee will be required to access all other and additional sessions. Please note that conditions are set by the LEA and may vary. This information is therefore for guidance only. Parents are not entitled to claim the childcare tax credit for the time their children attend free nursery sessions.

* Please note that, whilst we can assist, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure that their application for FEEE funding is made in line with the LEA’s requirements. Late or incomplete forms may invalidate the claim resulting in nursery fees being charged at our normal rates for these sessions.

Holidays, absences and notice to terminate

The nursery is open for 51 weeks of the year. We are closed between the Christmas - New Year period and on all statutory bank holidays. Our quoted fee schedule has factored in these days to give a flat-rate throughout the year, except for December when no charge is made for the non-bank holidays when we are closed. Fees are payable at the full rate for all periods of child absence, including holidays, bank holidays and sickness. A calendar month’s notice in writing or a month’s fees in lieu of notice is required from the parent / carer to terminate a child’s place in the nursery or reduce the number of sessions normally taken by that child. Where a child’s place is terminated by the nursery due to non-payment of fees or other dispute a charge equivalent to one month’s fees will be made by the nursery in lieu of notice.

Disruptions to Service (Force Majeure)

In cases of disruption to service Mama Bear’s will do everything in its power to operate the service where it is safe to do so. However, severe disruptions may require the closure of the nursery or reduction in service. In such cases fees remain payable during any period of closure. Examples of force majeure include but are not limited to extreme weather (including snow and ice), other acts of God or third parties outside of the nursery’s control including disruptions to highways, public transport, utilities and industrial action.

Sickness and illness (for more information please see Policy No. 05-408)

Any child who has, or develops, an infectious illness must be kept at home. This includes conditions such as vomiting, diarrhoea, discharges, conjunctivitis, sore throat and obvious rashes. In order to prevent the spread of illness, any child suffering from vomiting or diarrhoea must be kept at home until clear of symptom for a minimum of 48 hours. Children who have been prescribed antibiotics must be kept at home for a minimum of 48 hours from the beginning of the course. Fees are payable at the full rate during the period of sickness absence from the nursery.

Late collection charges

Mama Bear’s supports working families and understands the difficulties of balancing work and family commitments. To this end we do not charge parents for occasional late collection of children for up to 15 minutes after the agreed collection time. However late collection does cause significant disruption and increased staff costs. Therefore repeated late collection or collection beyond 15 minutes after the end of the session will be charged at £10 per 15 minutes or part thereof. Parents who have difficulty collecting by 6.00pm can pre-book a late collection (up to 7.00pm) but please note that a minimum of 48 hours notice is required in order for us to arrange appropriate staff cover.

Data protection

Mama Bear’s Day Nursery Ltd. is registered under the Data Protection Act 1998 (Reg. No. Z8008837) to process personal information pursuant to the provision of child care.

Notice of change

Terms are subject to change in whole or part with one month’s notice by the Company.