Childminders - do you take the children to any daytime activities outside of your home?

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Just wondering if you take the children to any activities outside of the house? and if so do you charge the parents or do you include it in your fee?

When mine went to CMers, they were out and about every day.
They would take the "big boys" to school, stop off in the park on the way back. Would often go somewhere like the Post Office or to a shop. Then a couple of times a week they would go to Childminder Groups, or toddler groups that welcomed CMers. Sometimes they would go to the library.
Sometimes they might go out and about - to a different park (for example, with ducks) or if there was something going on in the locality.
No, there was never any additional charge.

My childminder was the same. Rarely would she take them somewhere that needed an entrance fee, maybe once every 6 months. And if she did she didn’t charge us.
She mainly hooked up with childminder friends and did Days Out to each other’s houses, the park, the airport viewing platform, post office. That was more than enough for the little ones who were still neeeding naps and sorting the school runs as well.

Ah ok and another question if an outside activity provider was to come to the childminders to do a learning/educational activity would you pay extra for it?

Yes, I do all the time. We go to groups and on trips out with friends, train rides etc. i have never charged parents extra but if it was a special event that cost £10 or similar I would. We go to something every day, the kids love it.

And re your second question, it’s not something I would do. The families I work with have very varying incomes, for some that sort of thing wouldn’t be an issue at all but for others it would be a huge worry to find the extra.

This is nearly 10 yrs ago, but my CM used to take DD to a variety of places, didn't charge us extra. She had an annual membership to the zoo and aquarium, so those were regular visits, plus mixed in with free activities like library story time or playgroup at the local children's centre.

I’ve had a childminder who had someone do a class at her house and we weren’t charged for it, it was all factored into the fee. Also another one who would do day trips in the holidays and again didn’t charge extra.

I would not have an outside entertainer to my home.

As a parent I would definitely expect a childminder to be taking the children out and about. For me that was one of the big draws to a childminder over a nursery.
Mine never charged for any of the regular activities for the preschoolers but occasionally, maybe 2-3 times per year she would take the older ones to somewhere like the cinema / bowling in the holidays. She wouldn’t ask for the fee for going but may suggest they bring a couple of pounds for a snack or something.

Assuming you mean things like Tumble Tots? As a cm I actively avoid pay per child sessions as I don't like asking parents for extra plus there are plenty of non/low cost activities that I can cover myself. As an end of activity or for a special occasion I sometime go to soft play or to the local petting farm (bloody expensive) but that's my choice and I would feel comfortable asking parents for extra particularly as my families have such wildly different incomes some wouldn't think twice but other would struggle.

I wouldn’t want to be regularly finding extra money for entry fees, class fees etc. Include it in your business plan and work out how much extra you need to charge if that’s your plan.

Ah ok and another question if an outside activity provider was to come to the childminders to do a learning/educational activity would you pay extra for it?

No
a) Money was tight and I wouldn't have been impressed if I got bills on top of what I was being charged
b) I think it is a bit weird for someone to come into the home to "entertain" the dc. Isn't that what the CMer is being paid for ?

As a parent I would definitely expect a childminder to be taking the children out and about. For me that was one of the big draws to a childminder over a nursery.

This ^ I always saw it as being one of the positives of being a CMer, BUT, I would expect them to be just the everyday things I would be doing myself if not out at work, not some kind of "needing to be entertained" / expensive add ons.

CM here. Pre Covid lots, less so now but all mine in nursery or school so less time. Always out in the holidays, mostly parks, forest, beach but occasional zoo, museum etc

I wouldn't ask for extra but wouldn't pay for expensive days out either

Our old childminder took dd to parks. Soft play. Theatre. Cinema. Sure start things
No extra cost. I always offered.
Plus the activities she did indoors were amazing!
The room she used was purpose built was like a pre school. The garden was out of this world.
Unfortunately she had to give up for personal reasons.

My dc are a bit older now, but when they were little we had the most fabulous childminder. She took them out all the time to loads of places and we never paid extra for anything.