Do all childminders charge for hols?

I did forget to add that it also depends what else you get for your money. I charge for holidays (2 wks) however, I pay for everything else including nappies, wipes, bags, formula if required, all food including puree for babies, all outings/activities, snacks, drinks, basically everything, which would cost you a damn sight more than my holiday pay for 2 wks if you added up over a year. I also mean full cooked lunches most days, not sandwiches.

Hi SG, I had a childminder for three years for my first child (currently on mat leave with my second). I signed a contract with her (without reading it properly i must admit as she did not give it to me to take away and read) which agreed to pay her 4 weeks AL which she always took in Aug. She also expected to be paid BH's (which I don't mind) and xmas week (from 24th dec to 2/3rd january however the dates fell) PLUS 5 days sick per year (which she always took). I would advise caution with you agreeing to your CM's contract as it was something that annoyed me intensely from day one. I got on well with her on a chatty basis and she took good care of my daughter BUT it definately soured our relationship from my side anyway. I resented every August and xmas as I do not earn that much more than I paid her. I stayed with her as my daughter liked her and ultimately that was more important to me than the money (your relationship with your childminmder is not a simple business one as there are emotions and your child welfare at stake too.. I did not want inflict upset on my daughter by finding a new childminder and the weeks turned into months etc). However, I never recommended her to any of my friends looking for a childminder purely because of her extra charges and I will not be using her for child number two and would never sign a such a contract again. It was worst for us as my partner is self employed and he had to take off a lot of days when she could not work (once my AL had gone) and he never got paid for them!! I would definately renegotiate (agree BH's and perhaps a week AL for her) and check her policy on when SHE is sick as the NCMA does include an option for payment on "Occasional days" which for my CM was interpreted as her sick or things like hospital visits with her elderly mother (of which she had 5 per year). I am still annoyed about it all now! must get a life!! x

Agency and bank nurses I can vouch for, do not have the same responsibilities as contracted staff and are more closely supervised, are not required to take on the same managerial responsibility, granted they do have responsibilities to their patients but ultimately it is regular staff who take most responsibilty in nursing. I have worked with plenty.

If you were a temp you wouldn't have the same responsibility. The point is that we do have that. Including administering medications, making sure diet is good, adequate sleep, that reading homework is done and to prevent accidents, i.e. TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE WHILE YOU ARE NOT THERE. BIG RESPONSIBILITY.

And that what Shoshable said!!

well said katy, far to many people do not realise how many weekends we give up to do compulsory courses, how many hours we give up to do paperwork that Ofsted insist we do. how many hours we take writing curriculum, that in a nursery is written by 5 people, how many hours we spend shopping for mindees. The hours we have the children is just the start of it.

What is the saying walk a mile in my shoes before you judge.

looks like those in regular jobs, as well as the childminders themselves are drawing the short straw...so, yet again it's a case if you earn loads tis not a problem...but most of us don't earn loads in te first place....

Yes but thats what I am saying, its the children who lose out if the CM cannot afford to do her usual activities. Also, I challenge you to not go out when looking after 3 toddlers and a 4yo, every day for 1 wk, see if you would not be cracking up by the end of it!! Yes you should pay for holidays if you want good service and a happy CM.

I was in on this thread way back in the begining, I haven't read all the posts in between, but in answer to your op, no, CM's don't generally charge for their own holidays! I don't and I certainly don't think I deserve to be paid. It certainly sounds like she's a nice cm and I hope you can come to a better arrangement with her. Before I became a CM, I was a working mum and I struggled to find good childcare in my area, so I draw a line on a map from home to work and got the numbers for all the cm's in between. With a bit of luck you won't need to go to this length and you can return to work with the stresses of choosing a CM behind you.

My daughter is 9

I work a 50 hour week plus planning/observations/accounts/paperwork/talking to parents during the evenings and weekends.

Last tax year I 'earnt' £4700 which works out at £1.88 an hour

I do wonder why I do it, especially when a parent argues over a 15 minute charge or arrive 45 mins late.

I really am considering giving it up - especially as we now have (well from Sept 08) plan and impliment the 'Early Year Foundation'. I was on a course last night from 7-9 learning about my statutory duty to use this framework alongside a council chief executive, several head teachers, a large number of nursery managers and half a dozen childminders. We couldn't understand half of what was going on - but we are required by the gov to use this new system just like the others however their organisations will be throwing money at them to get it done & I will be working out how to afford even 2 or 3 new resources

Which has nothing to do with whether or not we deserve or not paid holidays - but it does have relevance with regard to the respect childminder either do or do not receive. I think if we were to charge for the stuff we do out of hours, parents would be understandably annoyed.

Bit irrelevant but I thought it needed saying

hm...not really to this point...but, there is always freecycle for playthings...so, you don't have to pay...just an idea...to cut some expenses...

My dd doesn't get my undivided attention as I have 2 other toddlers to care for and believe me they get treated equally, from discipline and praise POV. I have been minding for 6 mths, so am still building up the business, OFSTED dictates that you need certain pieces of equipment. I have had to pay for extra car seats to the new standard £140, booster seats £30, booster high chairs, stair gates extra for kitchen, 2 x first aid kits, thats without toys. I have also had to buy garden play equipment. It all costs money. I bought a my little pony set with swimming pool which has already been broken after 6 weeks.

Ive been doing this job 28 years, and I dont know any CM who makes much of a profit. I have only paid tax about 6 years in that time, all the other years my expenses took th erest, and yes I did take my mindees to everything as I would rather have high expenses than give the money to the tax man, money thatthe parents had already paid tax on.

btw, I used to work as a childminder many years ago..and I found it very difficult, and the under £2.00 wage and hour, per child....really did not make up for my personal sanity, lol...
and i never charged when Kids were absent, or when parents were away and certainly not when I took a holiday...

So CM's don't deserve holidays paid Do you not realise that if a CM comes back from holiday skint that its your child who will suffer by having to eat cheap food, go out on less outings, and basically care would suffer. Open your eyes and look at the broader picture. Also, if a CM doesn't get paid for holidays she may not take any, the job is stressful over prolongued periods and without a break the CM would have less patience with your lo, again, compromising care. I think you have a very short sighted view.

Yes but then she said we were quids in! BTW I have no complaints from my parents that I take 2 wks paid holiday and bank holidays and they pay for all theirs except my 2wks unpaid IYSWIM. PS I completely agree that financially it is not always worth working, thats why I became a CM, my job as a theatre nurse didn't pay enough for me to warrent not seeing dd for most of the week and I only cleared £500 per month after childcare.