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

It's understandable that she might want to do that but does that exonerate her from blame?

Unless there is something drastically different about her home that makes it dangerous in these conditions then yes, she can be blamed.

She has dropped a client with no notice, for no good reason, knowing that she will face difficulty. Not on.

I would be keep my powder dry @SweatySpider321 but immediately begin looking for someone else.

Is she still expecting to be paid?

I’d say I’m assuming you won’t be claiming my funded hours then and I will use those another time - but yes so hard when you are at work.
my childminder used a converted double garage and has air con thankfully 😅

How is legal advice going to help?

Breach of contract?
unless she has an “extreme weather caviat”?

But to achieve what?
The OP sues her childminder, has no childcare, and no other local childminder will ever touch her?

No extreme weather caveat

We have air conditioning units and can't get it to that temperature ATM! 😂

Heat can be very dangerous to young children and I expect that she doesn’t want to be responsible for them becoming ill if she can’t mitigate the heat. This is not only perfectly reasonable imo it is also very sensible. It is also not her fault your partner hasn’t left any contingency/ emergency annual leave or that you’ve just started a new job.

My kids nursery is shutting 1pm wed & Thurs with 35c forecast

Is she reducing your bill this week too?

When I have my son at home on a 30 degree day we just get in the bath at about 2pm and get nice and cool in there, then play in the dark and shady parts of the house.

Any reason why she couldn't use an ounce of gumption rather than skive her job?

My nursery just gets the kids out early then set up lots of wet/ice play. It's different in a school where there are more kids, bad classrooms and they're supposed to learn.

You are having a laugh, right? The childminder can't get in the bath with the kids!! Also childminders often have 4/ 5 kids, especially with older ones being off too. They can't fit them all in the bath.

Ofsted are really clamping down on safe aleep at the moment so the reason a lot of places are asking to collect by 1pm is to make sure they nap at home under parental supervision

Sick of all this heat hysteria

All our local schools have closed from 12pm / 1pm today until Friday.

Don’t understand all the “how is their house different to yours”

Your house probably isn’t filled with as many kids

There is a red weather warning in place - I wouldn’t want to be a childminder responsible for keeping so many children cool. I’m sure you are aware at this age they struggle to regulate their body temp?

Yes it’s inconvenient but the child is your responsibility not the childminders - whether you use your funded hours or not

What county is it? Struggling to believe this

''Your husband should take dependent's leave since you're a week into a new job.''

''That probably won’t be paid either. Plus once it’s used up it’s gone, it should be used for something illness / accidents not my childminder feels a bit sweaty.''

OP, you really don't seem to have any respect for childminders and the valuable service they provide.
Or the extreme weather guidelines they have to follow.

Please don't be THAT PARENT, who disregards the 1pm requested pickup and rocks up at 5pm regardless, because you feel your job is far more important than that of your childminder.

The childminder is being so ridiculous ! I am a childminder and it’s expected to be 36 degrees where I am. We go out in the morning in shady places then the afternoon we stay in. They play calmly, we watch a bit of TV and drink lots of water. In 2022, I have invested in aircon unit and it’s the best thing I have done. The temperature was 20 degrees in the living room all day. I only have 3 x 3 years old to look after. Couldn’t imagine letting down the parents like that. Don’t put all childminders in same bag !

So you can look after your children safely then? In which case you should absolutely provide your service. But bear in mind not all childminders have air con units or just 3 3 year olds

No way! That’s ridiculous. You have to be at work, she has to be a childminder. I lived in Spain for years and the schools and nurseries are generally not air conditioned. They just take measures to keep young children relaxed and not overheated. It works!

Even if the children were younger, I’d find ways to keep safe. And how she expect to be paid when she is not fulfilling the conditions of the contract ? It’s mad !

Maybe she has covered in her contract circumstances regarding weather warnings etc? How do you know she hasn’t?

Absolute pisstake, I would be looking for more reliable childcare ASAP and I’d be telling her as well when you leave not before

Again bear in mind not all people have the same resources as you. You also don’t know her own medical conditions or if she has children whose own schools could be closing at midday. You seem very keen to make this all about you but this is about another childminder whose circumstances we know nothing about yet you want to bash her and compare yourself to her

I'm a childminder. After all the posts I'm seeing on fb about the heat I'm not surprised to see this post!!
It's been 32 where i am today but my garden is half in the shade so I barricaded sunny areas off had water play trays on the grass with children in nappies. They had a great time! Yes sleeping is an issue as temperature in sleep areas is supposed to be between 16 - 20 but what can you do? Obviously avoiding blankets and checking regularly it's no warmer in my home than if child was at home. I think some CM just panick. I also know my LA would not be happy paying funded hours if you closed unless you offered them another time.
OP I suggest you sympathise with your CM if she has concerns but at the end of the day you are paying for a service and if she really, really is refusing to have your child she needs to refund/offer hours elsewhere and probably accept future notice been given