Over Due Fees 

Rationale:  To ensure that Management and administration are aware of the process for recovering outstanding parent fees.

• Bright Beginnings is committed ensuring open lines of communication where parents and whānau are behind in the payment of fees.
• Bright Beginnings will establish management systems that will monitor weekly the payment of fees by parents and whānau to ensure early discovery of outstanding fees.
• Bright Beginnings will ensure that management systems to secure the recovery of outstanding fees are easily understood by parents and whānau, management and administration.
• Each month, as the administrator is invoicing parents and whānau, the administrator will check the outstanding balance of the child and their families account.
• Parents and whānau that have not made a payment in four weeks will be verbally spoken to regarding their account, this is for the purpose of determining a valid reason for non-payment. A note will be made in the diary regarding this conversation.
• The following week, the administrator will check if a payment has been made. Where there is non-payment, parents and whānau will be informed of the minimum weekly amount that is to be paid to ensure the child’s space remains open.
• Where non-payment by a current family is a continuous issue, the child’s space may be revoked at the management’s discretion.
• Where parents or whānau have given two weeks notice of no longer requiring a space for their child at Bright Beginnings, payment of their account will need to be made in full before the child’s last day.
• In the instance that the family account has not been paid in full upon the child’s last day, the administrator will issue a friendly reminder of the outstanding account balance.
• The letter will remind the family of their obligation to pay the fees issued. Payment is to be made within seven days. The issue of the letter is to be recorded and dated. The follow-up date will be recorded in the diary.
• If there has been no response after seven days, a second letter is issued. This letter reminds families their obligation has not been met and if no payment or contact is made within seven days Bright Beginnings will refer the family to a collection agency.
• In the instance that the family have not responded or made payment within the seven days, i.e. 21 days after the first contact, the administrator is to seek approval from management about referring the family to a debt collection agency.
• Costs will be made recoverable from all accounts sent for collection as agreed in the payment of fees clause on the enrolment form.
• Accounts of less than $50.00 will not be sent for collection.
• Families who leave Bright Beginnings with a credit balance are to be contacted to be reimbursed.