Childminder and holidays

Are you in a job where you can work from home?

If so I’d plan to work from home those three weeks and look for a local teenage babysitter who can come to your house and look after her whilst you’re working. There’s less of an issue with trusting/experience if you’re in the house. Or join a gym with childcare and work from the gym. Or if you don’t have lots of meetings spend the day with her just checking emails and then work after bedtime. None of which are perfect!

If you can’t work from home you’re going to need to leave it until the last minute before the February one and then tell them your childcare has fallen through and be absent. After 15 years they won’t sack you but it’s not ideal!

Id book as many of the other weeks off work as possible now, using parental leave if needed, so it’s just the three weeks you have to cover as an emergency.

Id also pop my name onto waiting lists for nurseries you like and plan to change as soon as possible.

YANBU but she’s not going to compromise by the sounds of things! I would look for a nursery asap. We used a childminder for a while but switched for just this reason. I think especially when you don’t have a back up nursery is safer. What would you do if your childminder was sick for example?

It’s tricky because the childminder is self employed and sets her own rules!

However I do believe she should be clear in her contract about how much leave she will take. Have you checked what it says in the contract?

when I was a childminder I was really upfront that I worked mainly term time only but would have some days where in the holidays where I was available. I didn’t charge if I wasn’t available.This meant I got mainly teachers and this suited me fine.

does the childminder have any childminder contacts that she could give you that would be able to cover her holidays? They may some term time only contracts and could squeeze you in for the holidays?
Don’t lose an otherwise excellent childminder over this!

1. I would ask if current CM could consider doing any dates in FEb half term as a one off as your struggling to get this sorted. If you don’t ask you don’t get.
2. Not ideal but can you work from home for any dates in Feb half term, LO will just have to watch a lot of telly. You could maybe flex your hours to work more once they are in bed?
3. Longterm you need a different childcare provider, pop names on nursery lists. I would also ask if they can ad hoc cover Feb half term. I would expect annual no but again worth asking.

Your CM should have provided dates she’s closing when you asked, I would be annoyed too. She can set her own dates it’s her business but more transparency was needed around school holiday's.

Ex CM and friend of plenty of current CMS. Your contract should specify the maximum no of days she can have for annual leave in the year - ie, 20 or 25 days over the year. Sorry, but the number of days she is taking would be unacceptable for any business unless you have agreed she has 40days/8 weeks annual leave at the start.

I’m afraid you will need to find an alternative CM/setting. She is in a business, providing a service that enables you to work within your contractual obligations (ie you need a CM who takes a similar amount of holiday to what you are entitled to with your employer) with just the occasional time when you/DP or a family member have to step in my prior arrangement because CM’s sick leave or the off leave day clashes.

Also you could speak to other childminders to see if they can cover some of her holidays. They might not have a permanent position but might be willing to do adhoc cover so u have a back up.

Can you take the baby to work? or work in with a co-worker who has children? Ask around your workplace if there are any known options you could utilize.
Can you take unpaid leave?
Are there any good (experienced and trusted by neighbours) babysitters. Older teens or SAH Mums or Grandmothers in your neighbourhood who would like the infrequent work.
It's very difficult for you.

Whilst this is of course true, saying you're not term time only and then taking well over half of the school holidays off isn't fair. Being open and honest is all it takes and then it's not an issue.

It's frustrating she wasn't open and honest about it when you first enquired, you can't force her to open though. I'd get onto every waiting list possible in the area and as a PP said ask if she knows anyone in her network who can offer holiday care in the meantime.

It's unfair as it's not what she told you. Did your contract state holiday entitlement? When I was a childminder I took 5 weeks a year, two at summer one at Xmas and Easter and a floating 5 days ( for odd days needed)

You need to find alternative childcare asap. If you haven't sorted t for feb your only option would be to phone in sick

The childminder may well have taken these dates for a reason. Just because she’s a childminder it doesn’t mean she’s at the beck and call of her clients. OP needs all day care for the majority of the year, so really needs to put her child down for a day nursery. I find it hard to believe she has absolutely no one who could step in!

Obviously it’s not ideal for you but she can choose to run her business however she wants.
she should have been clearer upfront but if it doesn’t work for you then you need to find another solution.

Unfortunately, sympathising with you here is not going to solve your childcare problem. I would start looking for an alternative and regarding February, if you cannot find childcare you will have to take leave from work, what else can you do if you have no alternative to care for your child. I would feedback to the child minder regarding the impact, however, she has given notice of her leave, perhaps with the next provider ask for longer notice for their close down / leave dates.

Did you sign a contract? My childminder was term time only (I’m a teacher so fine with me) but if ever she was sick or her children were sick she could offer a childminder in her network. I never used this but many childminders have a network of friends who can provide this cover for each other. Is there someone she knows who works all year? Alternatively, you could find a nursery or a nanny.

OP I can sympathise because I also live in an area with heavily oversubscribed childcare, but you keep saying ALL other nurseries and childminders are full - but how do you know? Are you telling me you’ve called every single nursery and childminder in a reasonable distance? Even when they’re all full, somewhere normally has space. I say this as a mother of 3 who has ALWAYS managed to find somewhere. You just need to properly sit down and look.

Staying with the current CM clearly isn’t an option so go find somewhere else

I would expect the usual 24 plus BH

40 is a lot!!

This really. Can you find a nursery?

You being a single parent isn't relevant here to her either

My childminder shuts 2weeks (ish, sometimes less than 2weeks) for xmas, and has one week in june and one week in sept. She doesnt open for bank hols. So she has 4weeks plus bank hols

YANBU

We had a similar problem with the childminder we had for our first child but she wouldn't even give notice before texting in cancelling! There was always something that stopped her working. It meant I'd often have to pull all nighters to get work done after looking after my son all day. It was exhausting.

Our new childminder for our second child is brilliant and takes 4 weeks holiday a year plus bank holidays and a very rare sick day (our son is with her 4 days a week), plus a little extra time off over Christmas. She is so nice she tried to take the sick day unpaid but I insisted we pay her. I guess my point is that a good relationship fosters generosity on both sides. Your childminder has not been honest. Sometimes my childminder has my son with her own children (who are in school) though whether this is allowed would depend on ratios. Have you suggested that to her or is that a non-starter?

I’d stick it out with the childminder and get your child’s name on a nursery list in the meantime ASAP.

She is taking the piss IMO. Do you pay for her when she’s on holiday? I had to for my ex CM but she never took anywhere near that many holidays.

if she’s new she won’t last long with this… it’s a key factor for working parents…

Yanbu but this is why I decided against a childminder- being so tied to their holidays.
She should have made this clearer when you met with her.
Time to make alternative arrangements.

YANBU. It sounds like your CM is working around her own children’s school holidays, which is fine, that’s her choice but it doesn’t leave you with many options. You are going to have to speak to your employer and see what you could come up with between you - would WFH be an option for some of the CM’s leave? You should maybe put your LO’s name down at a nursery now so at least the ball is rolling with that.

Same here

This is why we ended up putting DS in nursery-they were much, much easier to deal with and hardly ever closed.

We had this almost exact experience with out youngest DD's childminder. Our eldest had a different CM and this was not our experience at all with holidays being an issue. In the end we moved her to a nursery, which has been brilliant, and so much easier as also don't need to cover CM illness (or when CM children are ill). Such a shame, as you seem very happy with her otherwise.