General Information

• If your child has any existing medical condition which requires special consideration or treatment (i.e. the administration of medicines) you will be asked to complete a health care plan. Our nursery manager will discuss this with you in more detail before your start date. You are required to notify hopscotch in writing of any change to your child’s medical situation and you may be asked to complete a new medical information form.
• Hopscotch staff will always do their utmost to care for our children including those with medical conditions and / or allergies. However, please note that Hopscotch does not take responsibility for any illness or medical condition which may arise from circumstances beyond our control and that children attend Hopscotch at their own risk.
• We ask parents not to be ‘friends’ with staff members on social networking sites such as Facebook or Instagram or similar. Staff are under strict instruction not to befriend parents or carers. Please notify us if you become aware of any breach of this.
• You have the right to complain about your experience at Hopscotch at any time – please email  office@hopscotchmail.com  to raise an issue. More information available below.
• Early years funding entitlement (EYEE/EYFE) – Hopscotch uses online software called Funding Loop to help us complete paperwork submissions for EYEE funding. You will receive more information on this when your child has started and depending on eligibility.
• Hopscotch accepts a variety of payment methods including bank transfer, card payment online, tax free childcare (TFC) payments and childcare vouchers. If you have any questions about these then please contact our Head Office.
• Hopscotch reserves the right to increase fees with one months’ notice given.

Booking Conditions and Deposit

• Full day bookings only at the Seven Dials and Hove Station Nurseries
• Once agreed start dates cannot be changed
• A £50 registration fee is payable for every registration
• A £550 deposit is required for ‘Full-Time registrations’ (i.e. totalling 4 full-days or more i.e. 8 sessions in a week)
• A £250 deposit is required for Part-Time registrations’ (i.e. totalling less than 4 full-days i.e. less than 8 sessions in a week)
• Deposits held will be credited to your final and or penultimate invoice account on receiving two calendar months written notice that your child will be leaving Hopscotch
• Deposits will not be refunded by any other method, even if a booking is reduced from ‘Full-Time’ to ‘Part-Time’
• On occasion a further deposit might be required, depending on the increase in the number of sessions
• Deposits are non-refundable in any circumstance (including cancellation of booking before the start date)
• A medical information form and other relevant documents must be completed before any booking commences
• Booked session times must be adhered to. We cannot accept children before their booked time. Children must be picked up promptly or late collection penalties will be applied.

Absence

• Full fees must be paid if your child is absent from nursery for whatever reason. This includes absence from illness, holidays or other circumstances such as bad weather conditions or transport problems.
• This includes time away from nursery due to self-isolation or quarantine, which will be treated like illness.
• No fees are due when the nursery is closed e.g. Bank holidays and Christmas closure (except on Christmas Eve when the nursery closes at 4.00pm for which normal fees are due).
• In the event of closure, as a result of pandemic or infectious disease, and as instructed by the UK Government, Hopscotch will invoice a 20% retainer fee during the period when the nursery is closed.

Lunches and Teas

• Meals are provided by external catering suppliers (Little Tums)
• Hopscotch is not responsible for the content or quality of any meals provided.
• Hopscotch has no responsibility or liability should your child become ill as a result of allergies, food intolerances or other issue.

Payment

• Monthly invoices are emailed at the end of the preceding month.
• All fees must be paid in full by the 15th of each month.
• Direct debit payments will be taken on the 15th of each calendar month (or next working day if falls on a weekend)
• Debit/Credit card payments can be made online. Please see the Fees & Funding section of our website to make a payment. • Hopscotch does not accept cash or cheque as a payment method • No arrears are permitted. Hopscotch reserves the right to withdraw the childcare service and terminate the booking immediately if fees are not paid in full by 15th day of the month. • Hopscotch policy is to pursue all unpaid fees through County Court Judgements as required. • Employer Childcare Voucher Schemes – accounts will only be credited upon receipt of a remittance advice of the bacs transfer. No fees will be refunded due to late payment of childcare vouchers. Deposits are not refundable due to overpayment of vouchers. • Tax free childcare payments – we require your child’s TFC reference number to reconcile payments. Hopscotch accounts will only be credited upon receipt of the bacs transfer from your TFC account. No late payment charges will be refunded due to late payment of TFC. Deposits are not refundable due to overpayment of TFC payments.

Charges

• £50 registration fee added to initial deposit invoice (except EYEE/EYFE only bookings).
• 5% of monthly fees for late payment of fees.
• £10 for a returned direct debit.
• Late collection charge is £15 per 15 minutes late, or part thereof.
• Hopscotch policy is to pursue all unpaid fees through county court judgements as required.

Notice of Termination of Booking or Change of Booked Sessions

• Two calendar months’ notice must be given in writing to notify us that your child will be leaving Hopscotch or the appropriate fees must be paid in lieu.
• EYEE/EYFE funded sessions termination notice period is 4 weeks.
• A minimum of one calendar months’ notice in writing must be given to notify Hopscotch of any change to your booked sessions. Extra deposit is required for an increase in sessions. Deposits cannot be part-refunded if there is a decrease in sessions.
• Hopscotch reserves the right to suspend or terminate a booking with or without notice for non-payment of fees, misconduct of child or parents, or any other reason, as deemed necessary by Hopscotch management.

GDPR and Data Management

• Hopscotch takes privacy and data management seriously and will use and store your data in line with our GDPR policy.
• Hopscotch is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
• We will only use your personal information and your child’s personal information to provide tailored childcare to your child. This includes entering your data into third party software such Famly.
• We may also use other third-party software providers as required and without further notification.
• Occasionally we may contact you via telephone or email to issue invoices and provide you with essential information relating to nursery life.
• We will keep and then dispose of your personal data in line with our data retention processes and procedures which form part of our GDPR Policy
• A completed registration form assumes acceptance of all terms and conditions including our GDPR policy and supersedes any other written or oral agreement, either expressed or implied.

Adherence to Hopscotch Policies

• By accepting our Terms & Conditions, there is an expectation that you (i.e. parents and families) will adhere to and abide by relevant Hopscotch policies, especially those which are designed to protect and safeguard the wellbeing of our staff and children. Failure to comply with our policies could result in further action being taken, which could, in extreme circumstances, include either the suspension or the termination of a booking with Hopscotch.
• Hopscotch takes no responsibility for any external childcare embarked upon by our customers with our staff i.e. babysitting - these are individual agreement between two independent parties and not related to Hopscotch in any way.
• Parents and Carers should be aware that Hopscotch staff are bound to their safeguarding duties at all times.