Parents, can I ask you a question about holidays if you use a childminder ?

Our old childminder charged half fees for holidays with a minimum two week notice period on both sides and max of four weeks holiday, but in practice the only time she ever gave us just 2 weeks notice was to attend a funeral. We paid full fees if we chose not to send at short notice/if he was ill.

Our new childminder charges half fees for her holidays (four weeks) and full fees for ours, but averages it out so we pay the same each month over the year.

They do vary in terms of what they offer. New CM charges more and doesn't offer dinner (but is happy for us to send a packed meal), but does more activities and takes the kids out a lot. Old CM included all meals but didn't take them out - it was a real home from home environment. Neither included nappies; new CM includes wipes, etc, whereas we had to supply those previously.

So far, we've been very happy with both and had far better experiences than most of our friends who use nurseries.

Don't forget that other things than the actual fee come into any comparison. Work out an annualised bill and include costs of anything you would need to supply at each setting ...outings food wipes snacks nappies laundry etc. then compare each.

At a £5 a day 9 hour day a cost of paying 8 days holiday is around £2.50 a week is the service offered worth this?

All cm's charge for holiday in some way many who give free holidays have higher hourly rates or may take more holiday meaning you either have time off dictated completely by a cm or you often pay a higher rate for alternative cover and your Lo has to settle in with someone new for a short time....consider all this in your comparisons.

Strangely some bulk at a paid holiday and choose to pay a higher rate of say 30p an hour which actually works out more a year and of course if you get tax credits your paid that amount regardless of if the cm charges for holidays or not.

Look at what works for you in terms of stuff like regular payments vs saving and putting by, if you know you may have to dip into savings it may not be the best option to choose to charge a higher rate and save as you may find 10 years go by and you never get a holiday which when your working a 60 plus hour week is not good for you your family or the children you care for.

Full fees if I'm away, 50% if she is. She's legally entitled to paid time off like anyone else.

I'm a cm, I charge full fees for their holidays/days off as I'm still available.
If I take a day off/holiday there is no charge on the basis they may have to pay someone else to have the child.

We pay our cm when she is available & offering her service. So we don't pay if she is on holiday or off sick but do pay if we are on holiday, the DC are sick etc.

Option 2 here (50% for hols either ours or childminders)

Wow - we are clearly very lucky where we live. I've used two CMs and both only charged for what we used. No charge for either our holidays or theirs.

They've both been brilliant - really flexible and helpful. And clearly word gets around because they are never short of customers!

Growing up my DM was a CM (in a different part of the country) and she did the same. I thought it was the norm with CM's!

1. We paid if she was able and willing to have dc whether we used her or not. We didn't pay if she was unavailable.

I pay half fee during Christmas and Easter school holidays (am a teacher so never use her then), nothing during the long summer holidays but full fee for both bank holidays and her holidays when she isn't available at all, and things like October/Feb half term when I don't send the kids.

My close friend has to pay full fee for both hers and CM holidays. She also has to have her DS with CM on a Monday yet the CM doesn't work bank holiday and she pays full fee.

CM in my area (there are a lot!) are the reason I chose alternative care for my DS

Also we pay if DD sick but don't pay if CM sick.

We pay full fees for both ours and the childminders holiday. That's the norm where I am.

2. 50% for my holidays and the CM holidays

8 weeks holiday in total - CM can choose 4 weeks of holiday and we can also choose a different 4 weeks of holiday. Both of us must give 1 months notice of any holiday to be taken.

We paid full fees for our holidays or sickness and nothing for childminders holiday or sickness. They would tell us holiday dates so we would try to take holiday at the same time.

Same as moreis - I paid if the CM was available and I didn't want to use her but not if she wasn't. She gave me really good notice of holidays though so I aligned mine with hers as much as I could

I'm a childminder and I charge 50% for either holidays. It seemed the fairest way when I first set my conditions.

I paid full fees for when I was on holiday but none for when the CM was. Similarly if DC was sick I still paid but not if they were.

At the moment it's no.3 as I use a childminder afterschool term time only.
I pay full price for 3hrs per day school term and out of term 50% retainer fee with childminders holidays (think it's 4wks per annum) unpaid. I mostly take my holidays out of school term and would pay full price if he doesn't go afterschool whatever reason

Previously it was no 1

Never used a childminder but would think it insane if I was expected to pay 50% when the service was not available!