Childminder and holidays

The only real suggestion is looking for a nanny to do a stint with you for that Feb week. There are websites where OFSTED registered Nannies look for work and have references etc.. it will costly but better than not having a job.
You need to get your name on a nursery list now ready to pick up any spot that appears. Whilst the waiting lists are long you never know when last minute spots come up that you could fill.
Do you have any mum friends who would benefit from some extra cash and could have your little one with theirs for the Feb week?

It's a 1 year old. I cannot imagine any workplace that would allow that. Some posters are bonkers.

Could you bring your child to work? My parents often did when I was a child (they worked in a bank). I would do some homework, chat to people, draw and watch.

No, the employer can refuse the dates requested but must offer an alternative date. doesn't help the OP though if she needs a specific time in Feb off which won't get approved.

The child is 1 and not at school! No school holiday club will take a baby.

Hi, when i was childminding all my holidays were also in the school holidays as I had school age children myself. I would have the two weeks at Christmas, 2 weeks in the summer, may half term and then the odd extra days around bank holidays I did not work bank holidays. My families were advised of my holiday dates by middle of January At the latest for the year. I did not charge for my holidays. Working 50 hour + weeks I needed this down time. Sadly you will have no say in how many or when your childminder has her holidays. So long as she is giving you plenty of notice as written in her contact she is not doing anything wrong apart from not being entirely honest with you how much and when she would taking

Is she expecting full pay on all those weeks she isn't available? So roughly 9 weeks of pay where she isn't available to care for your child?

Ask for parental leave for February, I believe parental leave has to be agreed (but I could be wrong).

She simply hasn't been honest with you. Is a nanny an option whilst you are on a nursery waiting list? Could you do shared childcare with a friend or another parent of the CM for some of those days?

Could you contact the other parent whose child she looks after and see what they do? I agree that she has misled you. Could you ask cm to include your child in their family time during the school holidays as a compromise to you not looking elsewhere. Is she OFSTED registered, could you look on their website at expectations of leave for your cm. No doubt you are paying a huge amount of money to her and your agreement needs to be acceptable to you both.

YANBU as she's screwed you over, but this is a good lesson to get all your agreements in writing next time.

I wouldn't use a childminder for that reason. When you have a job you need a reliable child minder who won't be on holiday when you need her. Find a nursery.

YANBU
but I’m a childminder and I also have children myself in school, I have taken pretty much the same holidays off as your cm. I make sure my parents aware that I take my holidays in school holidays.
she is self employed and she is entitled to take as many holidays as she can afford.
I also put out a letter detailing my planned holidays for the year although I tend to do this at the beginning of the academic year.
in your contract it should state how much notice the CM will provide you with for any holidays she needs or wants to take.
from her perspective she has children of her own and when they are off school they are at home, it can be so hard for children to share their space with lots of different little ones.
she is putting her own families needs first.
if it doesn’t work for you then you need to find different childcare.

You're entitled to 4 weeks unpaid leave per year in 1 week blocks with little ones (max of an amount of weeks total until certain age). See gov site for unpaid parental leave.
Speak to your boss, explain your situation, request paid or unpaid leave for February.
Add your LO to a couple of waiting lists nurseries around you.
In the meantime speak to your childminder see wether she'd make an exception for February or some of February?
And see where you get at

She’s really screwed you over.

Dies your contract with her say anything about holidays?

Does she have a network of other childminders who can cover when she's off? I presume you don't pay her for hols so you could cover the cost of other childcare?
I was a cm for 5 years and we all helped each other out where we could
For info I used to take approx 1 week in May, 2 weeks at summer, sometimes I took a week in oct or just a couple of days, I would always take the same time off as my children at Xmas so approx 2 weeks.

This is why I chose a nursery over a cm. The cm I went to see was fantastic and said she was open year round, but has primary aged kids so I realized she would be off school holidays or have them round the LO which I didn't like. I also don't like if they are doing after school care as it's a lot of car time for the LO. Nursery waiting lists are long around here but add your name to all of them, explain you want to start asap and you'll get one when someone moves for whatever reason. My friend did this last Jan and had a space within 6 weeks, despite me registering at 16 weeks pregnant and only getting on when DD was 15mnths.

I wouldn't be happy either and this is why I chose a nursery over a cm. That being said even though they are full is it worth a call to nurseries anyway purely because you never know and we had one that pulled something right out of the bag for us which I never thought was possible so you never know x

As others say, get on a few nursery waiting lists. Your lo will be older than most on the list so maybe going into a different room so you might not actually be as far down the relevant list as you fear.

Yes sorry one of the key reasons we used a nursery. It’s hard enough trying to coordinate mine and dhs leave with each other never mind adding in a third person who is self employed and might take more than the usual amount of AL.

Put your childs name on the nursery waiting list. She's unlikely to accept funded care by the time your LO qualifies! At least you'll get a year head start.

Do you pay 12 months spread evenly over the year or does she amend the bill the months she takes holiday?

It’s shit of her to do this to you but I would focus on finding alternative care throughout the holidays. I had a lovely childminder and then a backup adhoc childminder too. Which I know isn’t always possible. Reach out to child’s friends who may appreciate the money to look after your child? Are there childminders out there who may have space just for the holidays if other children are TTO? Good luck

@Hellokelly

A nursery doing internal checks isn't the same as being regulated.

Childminders (should anyway) do similar themselves, I am constantly changing the way I do things and adapting/improving.

Could you contact a local college to see it there are any responsible and suitable childcare students who would be available to look after your daughter in your home, or contact an agency that specialises in childcare, nannying etc to look after her in your home.

@Youcantcallacatspider let me assure you that nurseries also are very capable of running their setting badly whilst staying under the radar.

I would hope that anyone working in childcare is in it for the right reasons and has a genuine love for children, just like I would hope the same for people working in hospitals and with animals, etc.

Childminders are vulnerable are we're usually working on our own, and are out and about in public view more than nursery staff who are based indoors. I do the school run every day and we go to various groups and activities. I often feel that people are watching and judging, despite me trying my best and treating the children like my own. There isn't nearly the same security as working within a nursery behind closed doors!