If you use before/after school childminders, can I ask…

[KPopDemonHunterRumi]

I’m considering doing before/after school childminding next year. I have a few questions I’d appreciate anyone answering!

Is 7:30am early enough for drop off?
What time do you pick yours up?
Do you expect dinner to be provided or a snack?
What do you pay hourly or daily?
Would it bother you if childminder didn’t drive?
Would it bother you if childminder had a few DC of their own?

Thank you to anyone that replies!

When I used one I dropped at 8am and picked up at 5.15pm, all on foot, had older dc at secondary school and no dinner (my preference because I don’t feed my dc processed food and the previous childminder I used for a month did beige freezer food daily and refused to store and heat my provided healthy balanced meals)

I don’t anymore but did for years.

7:30 was ok - 7:15 would have been perfect.
I would try to be there for 5pm but most people need until 6pm
I definitely preferred dinner but late primary school I was ok with just a snack. When they were small, snacks ruined dinner but wasn’t substantial enough to be dinner. Also meant I had rush straight into cooking where as could leave it a bit if just for me & DH.
I’ve always paid per session.
Wouldn’t mind not driving as long as reasonable distance from school. I preferred it when they walked.
I didn’t mind the CM having her own children, made it more home from home. We had a very clear conversation and agreement over what my children were allowed to do with theirs. Ie go in their bedroom / play out with them etc.

I think the drop off time depends on your job etc. I dropped off about 7.45. Paid hourly. Yes dinner was included and they had really good pudding apparently! No didn’t worry me that own dc would be there most childminders do it because it fits in with family. My childminder had own plus cousins etc. It wouldn’t bother me if she couldn’t drive the only time it may be an issue is school holidays. But ours did a lot of fun activities from home anyway. Mine are a bit older now so not needed.

It’s been a while since we used them (and before that my kids were at the same CM preschool) but regarding the school years:

7.30am worked for us - it may depend on where you live and how long it takes people to get to work. We tended to drop off 7.30-8 over the years

We collected between 5.30 and 6.15 - it varied over the years.

Dinner was provided, v much appreciated especially with the younger age group. They tended to start eating about 4.45- 5pm to fit in with the younger ones being collected a little earlier. When my kids were in infants, this was enough for their dinner. When they got a bit older this was a kind of pre-dinner and they’d eat more with us later! It’s so helpful though as if you barrel through the door with 6 year olds back home at 6.30pm after pickup, and then need to cook dinner for them, it makes the evening really late. But we’d be able to relax with them, do bedtime, one of us get our dinner on then we’d eat when they were in bed. As they got older and a bit better at being a smidge less tired we’d eat together as well, smaller portions for them.

We paid monthly as well needed holiday care too.

Not driving is fine for school wraparound as long as it’s not absolutely miles for them to walk back. Walking is totally fine.

Every CM I met had her own children, it was nice tbh, felt v family like.

My friend currently who picks up dc up at 6am (often still sleeping) and gets them ready for school, gives breakfast, and gets them to school for 8:15. She’ll then pick her up at 4pm, take her to afterschool clubs, do homework and drop off after dinner at 6:30. She pays her £30k though as she won’t do it otherwise.

Just a note that if you look after children under the age of 8yo and have them for more than 2 hours a day, in your home, you'd need to be registered as a childminder. That can be with Ofsted or a childminder agency. So you then have to factor in that you are providing "registered childcare" - you have to complete training, first aid, keep appropriate records, be inspected and so on.

If you look after small ones (up to 5yo) then you have to be fully EYFS registered, if you only have 5yo and older then there's the "compulsory part of the childcare register" and the rules are a bit less onerous. If you only have 8yo and older then registering is voluntary. www.gov.uk/government/collections/becoming-a-childminder-and-running-your-business

I used mine for years I think I paid £8 an hour but they came to my house which was even better having collected them from a/s club mine always had a light dinner that I’d left out to be reheated, lady did bath time too so I could just come in and enjoy them for a couple of hours before bed. 7.30 is fine to drop off I think.

Don't use childminder anymore as she sadly retired and mine are older but answers below from when i did:
Is 7:30am early enough for drop off? Yes , i dropped mine around 7.45
What time do you pick yours up? I picked up just before 6 normally.
Do you expect dinner to be provided or a snack? Don't expect dinner but my childminder did cook dinner.
What do you pay hourly or daily? Paid hourly .
Would it bother you if childminder didn’t drive? As long as school etc was a reasonable walking difference.
Would it bother you if childminder had a few DC of their own? Depends how many/ages . 1 or 2 older kids no but multiple younger kids i'd be worried mine wouldn't get much attention.