C/M's, help me not feel bad about charging for bank holidays..

well i charge half rate on bank holidays BUT am available @ £5 p/h if needed.I also charge full rate for my holidays (4 weeks) and half rate for theirs (upto 4 weeks)don't charge if i can't work due to sickness and half rate if they're ill.This was all made clear and agreed on when drawing up contracts so there can be no arguing with it !! also i would've charged full rate bank hols except that's one of reasons mum left previous minder. if it was all in the contract they signed you shouldn't feel guilty. ENJOY THE DAY OFF.[GRIN]

To be totally honest the way I as a self emplyed person look at any sort of fee charging is on a supply and demand basis.

In m y line of business we charge decent fees for a very high quality service and people will pay that. They would not pay for days where the service is not provided, they would go to a competitor instead.

If there is minimal competition and you know that you will keep your mindees then by all means set your charges accordingly (though do make sure parents signing up know this). As a parent I personally would go elsewehere, but then again where I live I have several options.

Some of the minders on here possibly have a situation where there is a shortage of good childcare, you need to balance out your situation.

HOpe you don't mind me butting in here. But on various childminding threads I have heard many CM's say that the parents are not employing you. You are self employed. Therefore, you are not entitled to paid holiday IMO.

I do not think of my CM as my employee in anyway whatsoever, and she doesn't charge for Bank Holidays, the same as my husband doesn't get sick pay, holiday pay etc as he is self employed.

Just to add another pov: I approached a childminder to look after my 2 dcs. I wasn't working at the time, I was a student. I just needed 1 day a week child-free to enable me to study. The only day she had a vacancy was Mondays. So I agreed, but then had to pay all her bank holidays, at £70/day for the two of them when I was unwaged (she knew this). She never worked on a bank holiday.

So after a year I moved the children to another childminder.

I think if you can be flexible, it would help.

If you know the parents have a paid day off for bank holidays, then by all means charge them. If they don't, then perhaps you could come to some other arrangement?

I don't charge for BH as I wouldn't want to work them but I agree with lots of the other posts and I think you're completly justified charging them (does that make sense?!). I tried to give mindee1's Mum a refund for next Monday and she refused point blank! They also pay me over Christmas as a bonus as my holidays are supposed to be unpaid.

Rebi - I think your post was lovely and you sound very much like one of "my" Mums! I'd also like to be put on a waiting list for your dc!!!

My childminder charges full rate for bank holidays, half rate when she is on holiday, full rate if we're on holiday and she's working. I completely agree with her. And yes, I'm self-employed too - but those are her terms, and I respect her for sticking to them.

my first CM charged for BH's which I thought was cheeky as one of the draw backs of being self employed is that you don't get holiday payb etc..... My new CM (the other one moved away) doesn't charge for BH. We still pay when we are on holiday, but not when she is on holiday, which I think is fair.

crace - I don't think you are wrong - I'm just one of the "old school" who never charged for bank holidays! I think all the new information and guidelines (including NCMA) say that you should charge for bank holidays.

I was only asking my question for interest, only because this is something I would have to explain to one of my families if I decided to charge (which I won't be anyway!).

If you charge for bank holidays but are not available for work, how do you explain this to parents who still have to work on bank holidays?

I've never charged for bank holidays - it wasn't done locally when I first registered, and I really don't have a problem not charging even now. I do have minding parents who work bank holidays though, so still need childcare (they have to use friends and family).

Same as mumlove - dont charge for hols but do charge for bank hols

As a parent I wouldn't pay it unless you were available to mind in which case I would probably use you on some bank holidays.

I am self employed on Mondays though. Childmonders are self employed and providing a service.

I don't get charged bank holidays at nursery as they are not open. We get charged our holidays but not the 2 weeks at Christmas that nursery closes.

parents pay me for bank hols but i have let one parent off this time as her dd comes to me mon and fri and i feel bad getting paid from her. must be getting soft

im sure the mum is being paid for bank holiday like everyone else who is employed

can see it not being likes if parenst are self employed (like childminders) and wont get paid themselves though

i pay nursery the same every month, regardless of whether dd is there or not - for whatever reason, they can't fill the place with other children if she's not there, and i'mm paid every month.
would be different if it was a child you had occasionally, who just paid per hour, but not a regular child.

I always send out a letter saying we will be making Spring/Easter type things, asking for appropriate clothes as it can still be cold desopite the sunshine (otherwise no coats and I'm still wearing my scarf and gloves), raise any other issues and THEN I include
'I will not be working on BH, though as agreed in our contract, I will still be paid for these hours'
Then I wish every one a Happy BH.
It seems to work well.
(I'm hoping to have an extra day next week as I've got an allotment now and am hoping to have a chance to do some digging!! I think I am a masochist!!)

Rebi, we will all be asking to have your details and hoping you live near us!!
I'm lucky with my parents but some-one always comments about BH, having to pay while at pre-school or when they have days off.

I think that's the difference. I have experienced the other side!! It is beyond me how parents don't see the connection with treating their childminder well and having a good relationship which benefits everyone. My childminder is flexible with me because she knows I don't take advantage. Although I did have another childminder before who took that to mean that I was a soft touch and she tried to stick the arm in big time. So it works both ways I suppose. (I looked for another childminder!)

You all do a trully amazing job and you should be appreciated for the role you perform for your families.

Rebi - why can't all parents have the same attitude as you?
Like looneytune, the only people who have ever been like that with me are people who ahve previously been CM's

My goodness Rebi - if only all parents were like you! In fact, the only person who was ever like that with me had been a childminder before too!