Would you stay with childminder if she opens a nursery?

[Questionsanswers]

I am currently a childminder, running a very successful business. However I have been offered a premises in which to open a nursery. I am quite keen to do this however I am nervous about leaving a successful business to go into the unknown. I'm wondering how many of you out there would stay with your childminder in moving to the nursery with her or how many would look elsewhere for a different childminder? I understand people choose a childminder over a nursery for several reasons and vice versa, it's whether it's me they like or my setting lol. It's really hard to know what to do, I don't feel I can ask the parents direct yet as it's very early days and I don't want them to get nervous and move on if I decide not to go ahead. Any thoughts?

[cx5221]

It will come down to cost, location and availability I guess.
If your costs are going to rise quite a bit or you're moving too far out of the area this will definately impact whether parents choose to stay with you.
Also whether you will be offering the same hours.

As much as I love my childminder if she moved somewhere difficult for me to get to, wouldn't be the one looking after my child anymore for example if she was taking on other nursery nurses and was going to act more like a manager and it was going to cost me twice the price then chances are I would find another childminder.

Also some parents chose the childminder as they like the idea of their child being cared for in a home environment with various aged children in small group
(Main reason I chose cm over nursery tbh) so again if these are the parents reasons again it will have an affect.

All of that said though you have to do what's best for you, people are always going to need nursery places and as a childminder all your current kids are going to have moved on in a couple of years anyway so you can't base your decision on the children you have now as you're going to be affected by this decision a lot longer than your current families so if it's the best decision for you then there's nothing wrong with making it.