the way I see it is if she wants a guaranteed spot for sept and its available now she should pay the holding fee. the fee is her insurance that her child a place to go when the time comes and now she can just sit back and relax and enjoy the rest of her mat leave (im assuming that this is an infant...maybe not but regardless her worries are over) if she doesn't want to pay the holding fee then she has to take her chances and there may not be a lot of options come august as everyone as already secured their spaces in daycares. maybe you could offer her a holding fee till the end of june and then 3/days/week starting in the summer ....