Puddleducks Children's Day Nursery

I think the cleanliness, approach to child development and outdoor play are looks fantastic. I viewed the nursery in January 2021 and registered for a place after being advised by the owner that a space would be available for Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from May 2021 onwards and Monday and Tuesday from around September 2021. Initially I only wanted my son to attend one day a week but was advised by my health visitor to send him twice a week to help him settle.

I spoke to the owner about this and she said I could have a Wednesday and a Friday. After thinking about it for a few weeks this wasn't going to work as I actually work Tuesday to Thursday so I called the owner back to ask if she could do those days instead. I've now been told I need to wait until Autumn 2022 so in the meantime I will be stuck paying for a Friday I don't even need for over a year and a half.

I tried to ask the owner if there's any way she can help adjust my days. I'd understand waiting a few months but over a year/18 months is a shock when I'd not been warned this could happen. I can't believe the waiting list time has increased so much in a few weeks.

The owner doesn't speak to me directly and asks her assistant to talk to me. The solution according to the nursery is to change the hours I work (my employer has already agreed their staffing levels with my co workers so that would involve upsetting them plus I work long distances from the nursery and logistically I would struggle to pick my son up from nursery on time due to excess traffic to the coast on Fridays over the summer). Also I first made contact with them in December 2019 on the proviso a space would be available come May 2020. I'm now looking at autumn 2022 for the days I need and an due to start work soon with childcare for only one of the days I work and paying for another day that I'm at home.

So far I'm disappointed and feel other parents have been prioritised over me as the owner just wanted to fill Fridays her quietest day so put me on the back burner for allocating her other days. If I'd gone straight in demanding a Tuesday and Thursday I would have got what I wanted but trying to compromise doesn't work. I also only signed up with Puddleducks and no one else because I really liked them. I have heard of parents signing up with lots of nurseries and then dropping them at the last minute. I haven't done this and I've played fair and this is how much Puddleducks nursery value my custom.