Cm charges whilst at pre-school

Yes. The so called free hours are very underfunded.

Losing... Not sling for fucks sake!

Ginnybag it could be the fact she doesn't get her going rate if she provides the free hours so could be sling a lot of money.

For example I do the 3-4 yr free hours. I get paid £3:45 an hour from the LA.... I charge £4:00 normally. It can mount up how much I am losing. We are not allowed to ask for money to make up the shortfall.

I was wondering about the next stage stuff. I assumed what she doesn't want to do is the paperwork, because the learning through play isn't hard.

What is the "next stage stuff" that she wont do?

My CM charges me, and it's pretty standard. I don't like it, pocketwise, but I do understand it.

In fact, she charges me even though I do the drop off, because I need the space during the holidays. I get a £10 a week reduction, if all she does in a week is pick up at 12.

It's tough, but CM has a living to make. If they're good, like mine, it's worth it.

The only thing that irks me a little with mine was that she 'won't do' any of the things that would let me leave DD with her full time, which does make a bit of a mockery of the fifteen free hours. They aren't, for me, because I have to pay her to cover a gap she's willfully created. DD isn't at preschool because she needs to mix, but because she needed to move on from toddler groups and finger-painting, and the CM 'didn't want to' do any of the next stage of the EYFS. Were she to, she could claim the fifteen hours on my behalf, and they would, then, be 'free'.

That said, I could have moved my DD from her care completely, and chose not to.

One way or another, though, I understand the logic behind the way she charges.

Preschool is only free from the term after they turn three though soontobesix

Candykate - children fall into a different age bracket when they start school, so they don't block a space. You might get a set before and after school fee. You might get an after school snack, or tea, or breakfast. You need to ask around for rates and what's included.

I understand why CMs charge for pre-school but do they charge for school? DD will be at school from Sept and I need her dropping off in the morning and picking up in the afternoon. Surely I don't pay the CM for my DD being at school?

Don't understand why you think you would be paying twice when the pre school is free?

I didn't pay my cm for the 15hrs that my two attended preschool or nursery, guess I got lucky, though that was a pre-requisite for me really, I was paying £1000 a month to her at one point and tbh couldn't afford any additional.

Depends on supply and demand in your area. Where I live there are a number of CMs, we pay half fee, but if you don't pay you run risk of CM finding another mindee who is there for the hours or whose parents will pay.

Oops! * you're!!

He could go to the cm whilst your on maternity.

Personally I think preschool is a bit much for a just turned two yr old but of course it's your decision.

Doesn't your child mix with other children at the CM?

You may be able to negotiate, especially if you have one or two full day/s at pre-school rather than a few hours every day. Charging for a 3h session at pre-school to which she drops and collects is normal though.

A childminder will normally charge for those hours because your child is taking up a space.

The only way to avoid that is to find a childminder who offers half day spaces, drop the child off at pre-school yourself and then be on call for those hours, so the childminder has no responsibility for that child until 1pm. If the pre-school is term-time only you'll need to find alternative care for the school holidays as well. It seems a lot of hassle to me. I'd either pay twice or forget the idea of pre-school altogether, it really is unnecessary.

I think a lot of CMs will struggle to understand why you would want a 2 year old to go to school (especially if it costs you money!). We tend to be of the "let children be children" mentality, and feel little ones learn best from a trusted adult, if not a parent.

OP, it seems you understand the reasons why CMs charge but yet you want to find one that doesn't. You might get lucky but there's no systematic way to avoid the charge.

Pidgy, it would be usual for a CM to charge while a child is at preschool, particularly if they have to drop off and pick up, since they are unlikely to be able to fill those few hours with another child (so they are in effect blocked by yours), and also because the drop offs and pick up often entail extra cost and effort. You might find a rare exception to that rule - for example if a CM picks up a baby at preschool where their older sibling is being dropped off.

No. If you need your CM to drop.him at preschool and then return to collect him three hours later then she will charge.

Why not just send ds to the cm.l full time instead of paying for two services?

I paid full charge, but DS was only doing his free hours at pre-school so I wasn't paying twice.