Childminder wants to close at 1pm for the rest of the week

[SweatySpider321]

Woke to a text from my childminder, announcing due to the weather we need to try to collect our children at 1pm for the rest of the week -530pm is the usual finish time. I’m not even a week into a new job and my husband has no leave left (mainly due to covering her annual leave). It’s not in our contract and it’s funded hours we use with her

Oh and we both do public facing roles. We have face to face meetings that were booked a few weeks ago now. It will be tricky to reschedule them and it’s busy where both of us work

Is there a particular problem with her house in the heat? Struggling with why her house is a less suitable place for the kids than at home as they can equally nap there.

I can’t remember who deals with funding for funded hours as my kids are older but is she planning to inform them that she’s not providing the service?

I’d call and ask her if you could be an exception since you’re in such public facing roles and can’t WFH. Maybe enough other parents will collect their children that it eases the burden on her enough to make an exception for you.

I think thats fair enough for the childminders/ Both my kids schools are shut wed & thur and she may not have air con in her house.

How is being at the childminders house any different from being at your house?

I'm a childminder and, although I'm not doing school runs for the next two days due to the heat, I'm still open as normal. Curtains are closed,fans are on, drinks available at all times. Not going outside because its unbearable, but lots to do inside!!

What reason did she give? My childminder is operating as normal as is my son’s school and we’re in Sussex where we’re expecting 39C tomorrow.

If she's asked to 'try' and pick your DC up at 1pm, just tell her that you have tried and you can't because of work commitments!

It's absolutely ridiculous imo. I'm a nanny and I wouldn't dream of telling the parents I'll be knocking off at 1pm today as it's hot!! Some things have to continue even in extreme heat and one of those things is looking after children! What does she think you're going to do at home?! Pop them in the fridge until the heatwave is over?

She definitely wants to pop off and sit in her garden with a glass of wine

The heat. It’s meant to be 32 tomorrow here

Who could blame her?

Both my kids schools have closed.

YANBU. Unless she has a good reason why her house is particularly unsuitable then she should just do her job as normal like everyone else has to do.

Don’t we all 🤷‍♀️

Hardly anyone has aircon in their house though?!?! I doubt OP does.

This is what I think - there’s surely no discernible difference between one and another.

I get that someone might not want to be doing childcare in the heat when they can potentially wangle the afternoon off but this seems unreasonable of her to me!

I'm jealous. Ours closed at midday today and is closed all day tomorrow!

Initially she tried to close after lunch any time it got above 29! And still charge us, of course.

So what? Most homes in the UK don’t have air con 😂

Lots of people have bought portable air con units over the last years.

Not blaming her but there’s no reason for her to close at 1pm

again, Lots of people have bought portable air con units over the last years

Its a red weather warning so 'danger to life' so shes entitled to work how she sees fit.

Our childminder remains open. They’ve just made the garden safe from direct sun and lots of water play/ paddling pools. Unless there is a reason they cannot manage the children safely then it’s not really fair to ask parents to collect children earlier.

Oh that's just utterly ridiculous. She's being unreasonable.

I literally said that 🤣. I said we could try but 1pm isn’t very realistic as we both have face to face appointments booked in for the rest of the week. She’s annoyed clearly by the response she sent -banging on about safety, risk assessments etc

If she does this all summer and it’s meant to be a hot summer, then what are we meant to say to work -we will pick things up properly at the end of September?!

No schools here are closed or meant to be closing