CM Club - HELP, had enquiry for after school care, got some questions........

1. Am I right about him being classed as an over 5 as long as attending school all day? YES
2. Do you charge the same hourly fee as normal? My rate is $3.80 an hour and I'd be needed from school pickup (around 3.10pm) til about 5.45pm. The school is probably about 5+ miles away at a guess? Certainly have to drive, it's in the sticks. Not sure when I'd have to leave but would you charge from the time you have to leave your house? I CHARGE MY FULL HOURLY RATE AND ROUND IT TO THE NEAREST HALF HOUR
3. I'm not sure if I'm required during the school holidays? What do you lot do/find out about this side of things? ASK THE PARENTS OR DECIDE IF YOU WANT THEM IN THE HOLIDAYS THEN TELL THE PARENT WHAT YOU CAN OR CAN'T DO
4. What to do after school? - when I had the children I had at the beginning, we used to go to the park, come home and play in the garden/do arts and crafts etc. I'm trying to decide what I should be doing? Do parents expect you to help with their homework? Or have the kids had enough work time and just want to have a snack, unwind etc? Any thoughts at all would be great IF THE WEATERH IS FINE WE PLAY FOR AWHILE BEFORE COMING HOME - IETHER IN THE SCHOOL PLAYGROUND OR A TRIP TO THE PARK. HOME OFR A SNACK THEN PLAYING OR AN ACTIVITY OR BOTH. I DON'T DO HOMEWORK BUT THE PARENTS DONT WANT ME TO AS THE CHILDREN ARE ONLY 5 AND 6
5. FOOD - this is VERY important for me to decide up front because I had big ps taker problems with one 8 yr old when I started - I can't have earnt a thing after the amount of food she ate!!! If they require a meal, fine. If they require only a snack, can you give me examples I can show the parents so we all know what's expected I PROVIDE A SNACK AS PART OF MY CHARGE BUT CHARGE £1.50 FOR AN EVENING MEAL IF REQURED AT 5.00

1. Am I right about him being classed as an over 5 as long as attending school all day? yes

2. Do you charge the same hourly fee as normal? My rate is $3.80 an hour and I'd be needed from school pickup (around 3.10pm) til about 5.45pm. The school is probably about 5+ miles away at a guess? Certainly have to drive, it's in the sticks. Not sure when I'd have to leave but would you charge from the time you have to leave your house?
   I would charge from time you have to leav house and for any part time mindes i charge £1 extra, you may want to ask for more if its very far for you?

3. I'm not sure if I'm required during the school holidays? What do you lot do/find out about this side of things?
   ask parent re holidays and if they need more/less care and if they want space kept but will not use it, you need to charge a retainer for space to be available once back at school..normally half normal fee.

4. What to do after school? - when I had the children I had at the beginning, we used to go to the park, come home and play in the garden/do arts and crafts etc. I'm trying to decide what I should be doing? Do parents expect you to help with their homework? Or have the kids had enough work time and just want to have a snack, unwind etc? Any thoughts at all would be great
   ALL those things sound fine, maybe help them with a bit of reading when they get in, then play..the rest is up to parents at home.

5. FOOD - this is VERY important for me to decide up front because I had big ps taker problems with one 8 yr old when I started - I can't have earnt a thing after the amount of food she ate!!! If they require a meal, fine. If they require only a snack, can you give me examples I can show the parents so we all know what's expected. I have my snack menu already but wasn't sure if more would be required for an after schooler?

snack only (fruit/cheese and breadsticks/yogurt)or extra for evening meal and give them all same amount(as long as you think it is a reasonable amount, then a dinner and desert is enough until they get home. Icharge £1.75 for evening meal for older ones(3plus)

hope some of this is of some use..good luck with getting them on

is it the same school your ds will be going too?If so then thats great and I wouldnt charge for petrol.If its not the same school will u be able to do 2 school pick ups? My mindee's finish at 3.20 & 3.30 and I charge parents from 3.15.I also provide food & dont charge but Im really considereing changing this some way-either stop providing all together or just doing snacks. Fussy eating habits are effecting my sons normal healthy eating routine and Im not happy with that!
I also charge £3.50 for school runs compared to £3.00 for day children.

2. I charge session rates - £4 for an hour before school and/or £12 for up to 6pm after school.

1. I ask parents if they need the place in holidays - contract will either say no place in school holidays or state the days they have booked in the holidays. £34 per day, reduced if attend all week.
2. I ask parents what they want to do about homework - with reception/yr 1 parents often want to do it with them. As they get older & have more homework parents like to know they have a quiet place at childminders. I offer help as necessary and supervised internet & I get books from library to support topic work.
3. I provide snack after school - its a sit down job/ take it or leave it, once they get down there's no more food til dinner time. Snack is variety of fruit, sometimes cheese & biscuits/crackers/breadsticks/rice cakes. Occasionally cake or biscuits as well as fruit. On occasion I'll do sausages, boiled eggs or similar.

i also list under miscellaneous charges on the contract:- School closure days (eg, heavy snow, staff strike), staff training days, bank holidays in the middle of school holidays, bank holidays in a school week.
also to avoid misunderstanding, state the name of the school whose term-dates the contract refers to.

HTH

My CM doesn't do homework (but I have never requested it). She will provide a meal, but I don't request it apart from on Tuesday when DS has his swimming lesson she makes him a sandwich (turned into fishfingers, mash and brocolli last week) because it is too late afterwards for him to eat. She doesn't charge me for meals/snacks, even in the holidays.

Hi looney, just started a school run morning and afternoon, about 10 mile round trip each way, (my old schoolies went to school on camp), I charge from 3.00 when the school releases them at normal rate 3.25, BUT I charge 30.00 per month petrol charge.

My schoolies, just love to do whatever to be honest, usually they have a snack (and yes do they eat!) then I do some reading with them, then they just play, outside on the trampoline if its the right weather and inside with anything they really fancy to do that day.

I wouldn't expect a special activity, just some gentle play or run round the garden, though would be happy to skip homework some nights for a trip to the park

Hi - Answering as a parent.

1. I think you are right as him counting as an over 5
2. I would expect to pay slightly more as less hours, a round up to 3 hours sounds good to me. (from someone who is paying)
3. Ask them,
4. If you offered to do homework with my dc I would love you forever - because they get too tired later and what would only take 5 mins at 4:00 would take 30 mins at 6:00
5. Ditto, if they are not picking up till 5:45, home by 6:00, dinner at 6:30 just makes bedtime too late.

So perfect schedule for me would be
3:10 pickup & home
3:30 drink & a bit of fruit
3:45 5/10 mins of homework, reading the school book which is all they would normally get at this age
5:00 dinner/supper - a proper meal

For all of that, I would be happy to pay £15 per session

Right I am a parent and my 6yo started with the CM when he started school at 4 1/2 and he definitely counted as a 5yo for her numbers then - I think they call them "rising 5s". I am happy for him to just relax after school rather than do too much in the way of activities, although often the CM stops at the rec outside school for a while and lets the children run around - often with mindees of other minders and other children who's Mums hang around too. I like this, it lets them let off steam and get exercise. He goes in the holiday and I think then that the CM should (and she does) provide more activity. She also charges slightly more for after school but reverts back to her full day rate in the holiday. I think it is 20p more per hour for before/after school.