Childminder and holidays

[FandyRenoli]

Name changed for this as don't want me or childminder to be identifiable. It's long so buckle in!

LO is 1 year old (just) and started with the childminder in September. I'm a single parent, no wider family childcare support. The childminder is new to childminding but does have extensive experience in the childcare industry and excellent qualifications and references. She is married with primary school aged children. LO started with her the week she opened. Childcare is in extremely short supply in our area and I was very happy to find someone so good.

I should start by saying that the childminder (CM) is lovely and the care she provides for LO is amazing. On that front I'd recommend her to anyone.

When we went to look around she said most of the bookings she had were wrap around school care so for most of the day it's LO and one other. At that point I checked that she isn't term-time only as this just wouldn't work for me. She assured me she wasn't and said she would close between Christmas and New year, had two weeks holiday booked in the summer, and might take "the odd day here and there" for a long weekend away or similar, but would give plenty of notice plus bank holidays. All good.

At Christmas she was actually closed from 20th December to 6th January (so not just between Christmas and New year) but we managed.

At Christmas she also sent out a list of the dates she would be closed in 2025. This came to 40 days plus 8 days bank holidays. I really wasn't expecting anywhere near this many- it's nearly double my annual leave allowance and there is absolutely no way I will be given that number of extra unpaid days even if I could afford them (which I can't).

The pattern is also very focused on school holidays. She will be closed either the entire half term or the majority of it for all three half terms - February, May and October - plus a week at Easter, a couple of weeks in the summer and all of the Christmas school holidays.

I will absolutely not get annual leave now for February as this was booked up by other staff months ago, and May and October are key times in my industry where annual leave is only approved in emergencies - one of the reasons I checked CM wasn't term time only.

I messaged CM (politely) about this pointing out I'd checked she wasn't term-time only and that I just couldn't get this amount or pattern of time off.

She replied that she isn't term time only (though by my calculations she's shut for 70% of the school holidays), that she's entitled to annual leave (I agree) and that this is the usual amount of time off for a year round childminder (I'm not sure about that one).

So am I being unreasonable to be surprised/taken aback by this amount pattern of leave, and by the limited notice for leave in February?

What are other people's experiences of this?

Would I be unreasonable to expect some level of compromise from her to resolve this?

I never used a childminder, and actually had difficulty going to term time only!
It was a nursery though.
In your situation you could speak to her again and see if she can compromise but I don't think she's going to. Simply because the vast majority of her childminding is term time anyway. As you say she's been in the industry a while and can see quite clearly that she is taking holidays for the majority of the school holidays. The amount of holidays does seem excessive, anyone wanting all year round would find it impossible!.

The only thing I can think of is you don't state you work locally but perhaps look for a child minder local to wear you work?.
Even if that doesn't work perhaps a bit further from where you live may work?

Most of your post has nothing to do with the issue the OP is having with holidays.

There are obviously good and bad Childminders, the same as nurseries.

well, she won't be running a childminding business for long.

I would look for a different childminder or even nursery (when you don't have this issue at all). You are also entitled to 18 weeks unpaid parental leave. You can take this until your DC is 18, max 4 weeks per annum. It's a legal entitlement. Maybe look into that if everything else fails.

You need to start looking for a nanny sharpish OP

@Youcantcallacatspider

Also, both Nurseries and Childminders are Ofsted registered (most anyway, those who aren't are registered with an agency instead) and have graded inspections. In what way do you think nurseries are better regulated?

Look for a club she can do
Ask at school, I would absolutely help in this situation, especially February.
Find a teenager who is studying childcare.

🙄 I was sharing my experience to emphasise to OP that she shouldn't discount nurseries. Yes they're both regulated by Ofsted but personally I think nurseries are more closely monitored. CM are often individuals or small groups of staff. There's far more chance for them to be able to run a childcare facility badly and for them to cover this up. I've seen it with my own eyes and am entitled to my opinion.

Do you have a teenage niece / nephew / cousin who could do with some extra cash? Our CM care fell through but luckily we had my teenage niece who was always up for some extra quid (and money for a McDs lunch!) to babysit DD. If it wasnt for her, we wouldnt havent coped with the holidays the CM takes.

I think you need to find a nursery. I can see lots of advantages in using a child minder but I would be too worried about being reliant on just one person, what if they get ill.

A club for a 1 year old?

I work at a nursery and we have plenty of term time only children, but also lots of term time only staff, so this isn't really a thing. Also it would be extremely unfair to a child to spend a random week at a nursery they've never been to with staff they don't know.

@Youcantcallacatspider you personally think nurseries are better monitored by who?

She isn't term time only she's open during the holidays - but if there's only your LO and 1 other going to be there in the school holidays it may well be that the other LO has an older sibling so also won't be going during those dates so she's chosen to close when it means losing the least amount of money.
Unfortunately you're going to have to find a new childminder

Actually I'd agree that nurseries are better regulated. Yes, a childminder also has an Ofsted inspection - but this can be once every 5 years.

The nursery I work at has internal quality inspections several times a year, as well as daily checks on many things from management to ensure things are running as they should be.

I'm a childminder and take a similar amount of holidays per year, 5-6 weeks in the school holidays. However I'm upfront about this with all new starters. Also I spend a lot of time with another local childminder, so we generally alternate our weeks off in the summer, and take one alternate week off each in the Easter break so the option is there for our charges to go to a familiar setting for a few days whilst the other is off. We're both closed at the same time for around 3 weeks per year, usually all of Xmas break and a few days here and there in the half terms/other school holidays.

Are there any school schemes available for those half term hols? I used to book my DC into an 8.30-4 camp/club at our local primary school in some of the school holidays. It used to be relatively cheap and was mainly art/craft/sport & mostly seemed yo be run by 18 year olds (which my DC loved).

The child is not quite 1 year old!!

I’m a childminder and I think YANBU. I also do give my holidays long time in advance. I feel for you :(

@Youcantcallacatspider let me assure you that nurseries also are very capable of running their setting badly whilst staying under the radar.

I would hope that anyone working in childcare is in it for the right reasons and has a genuine love for children, just like I would hope the same for people working in hospitals and with animals, etc.

Childminders are vulnerable are we're usually working on our own, and are out and about in public view more than nursery staff who are based indoors. I do the school run every day and we go to various groups and activities. I often feel that people are watching and judging, despite me trying my best and treating the children like my own. There isn't nearly the same security as working within a nursery behind closed doors!

Could you contact a local college to see it there are any responsible and suitable childcare students who would be available to look after your daughter in your home, or contact an agency that specialises in childcare, nannying etc to look after her in your home.

@Hellokelly

A nursery doing internal checks isn't the same as being regulated.

Childminders (should anyway) do similar themselves, I am constantly changing the way I do things and adapting/improving.

It’s shit of her to do this to you but I would focus on finding alternative care throughout the holidays. I had a lovely childminder and then a backup adhoc childminder too. Which I know isn’t always possible. Reach out to child’s friends who may appreciate the money to look after your child? Are there childminders out there who may have space just for the holidays if other children are TTO? Good luck

Put your childs name on the nursery waiting list. She's unlikely to accept funded care by the time your LO qualifies! At least you'll get a year head start.

Do you pay 12 months spread evenly over the year or does she amend the bill the months she takes holiday?

Yes sorry one of the key reasons we used a nursery. It’s hard enough trying to coordinate mine and dhs leave with each other never mind adding in a third person who is self employed and might take more than the usual amount of AL.

As others say, get on a few nursery waiting lists. Your lo will be older than most on the list so maybe going into a different room so you might not actually be as far down the relevant list as you fear.