We pay tuition for our preschool monthly, and it's paid in advance of the child attending. So at the end of September, we paid for October, etc. They have been burned with people putting their kids in daycare and then not paying, thus getting a free month.

The late pickup fee is pretty standard. Ours is $20 every 15 minutes up to 30 minutes. If you are not there 30 minutes after the place closes they call the police. This is because teachers are paid hourly and they again have been burned by parents who are habitually late.

My program does require a 30 day notice when withdrawing from the program. This is because they have to pay their teachers and facility costs and sometimes need time to accept another child/family to replace yours.