Daycare is demanding a mandatory $500 "development fee" not mentioned in my signed contract. Is this legal?
Location: Florida
I am a single mother and my daughter has been attending a small private daycare for about eight months. Everything was fine until last Tuesday when the owner handed me a flyer stating that starting next month there will be a mandatory five hundred dollar facility development fee due from every family. This is in addition to the monthly tuition which they already raised by ten percent back in January.
I looked through the original contract I signed when she started and there is absolutely no mention of any development fees or mid-year surcharges. The only thing it says regarding extra costs is for late pickups or field trips. When I tried to talk to the director about this she basically told me that if I dont like it I can find another daycare but she knows every other place in town has a six month waiting list. It feels like she is holding my childcare situation hostage because she knows I have no other options.
Is it legal for a private daycare to just invent new fees that are not in the signed agreement? I am worried that if I refuse to pay she will just terminate our contract and I will be stuck with no one to watch my child. Does the fact that it is a private business mean they can just change the rules whenever they want or does my original contract actually protect me from these kinds of random charges. I am already stretched thin and five hundred dollars is a huge blow to my budget.
I want to know if I have any legal standing to refuse this fee based on my contract or if Florida law allows private daycares to add development fees at their own discretion. I really dont want to pull her out but I also cant afford to be an interest-free loan for the owners renovations.