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

This is why I used a nursery when DS was young. With childminders you are at the whim of one person.

She sounds like a right piece of work. The lying would have ended it for me, although if it's like where I lived when DC were small, the childminders were in a cabal and much of a muchness.

I hope your DC like her at least.
It's such a shame you can't find alternative provision.

Oh I must have misread that. It is 34 where I am and we have a red warning in place.

But again, OP does not live in an area that is under a weather alert.

There's a whole country beyond SE London that is not currently under a red weather warning @selondon28 Scotland, Ireland, Northern Island, Newcastle, Hull, Liverpool - so why would schools not under a weather alert, and therefore not impacted by the heatwave be sending children home early?

Do you cancel plans every time there's rain in Manchester?

Presumably this is your attitude towards schools and nurseries and early years settings that also close/finish early during extreme weather then, as they are also ''full time'' settings.

Or is it just childminders that you have an issue with?

As for 26 degrees - that was yesterday's temperature, the extreme weather covers today and tomorrow.

Of course I don't disbelieve everything on the board - my issue is with your sweeping assumption that the childminder is a ''proven liar'' after one comment.

It’s going to be 26 here tomorrow so very much a none event

She lied saying the OP’s child was unwell. When the child was not unwell. That is a lie.

True, I´m 52 and have never been in a UK home with aircon. Ever.

Where do you think the children of people who work in the emergency services go?

Childcare.

You're deliberately missing the point.

Seriously?

Childcare is there so people can work. If employers aren't closing for the weather, what are parents supposed to do?

No school closures in my area. Not one. Or the OP's area. Just her childminder.

I’m wonder if you have the same Child minder as me! Are you in Surrey?

Agreed

She’s being ridiculous frankly and clearly trying to skive off to spend the afternoon in the pub. Glad you have stood your ground and refused to enable this. Imagine if all childcare providers and schools closed when it was hot, the country would grind to a halt.

Agree she’s daft re weather, but I’m amazed you’re comfortable leaving your kids with someone who lies to you and you don’t trust.

As someone in childcare I understand that running after kids in this heat is literal hell on earth, but I wouldn’t close earlier. I’d just make it clear to parents that we’ll be staying in doors with fans on and a lot of down time. More TV etc

The whole of summer 2022 was a scorcher.

I wouldn't want my children being left with this flaky, dishonest and unprofessional person. I'd be polite to her face (in case she took it out on my children if I wasn't nice to her) whilst looking for an alternative.

@Sartre many schools have closed, and where others haven’t pupils (or parents) have voted with their feet. Local schools in amber zone are having at least a third of pupils not coming in

Schools here in my area are closed for today and tomorrow but the private nursery my child goes to in school holidays is still open. I can work from home so I’m lucky that I can have my child here when school is closed unexpectedly but that seems ridiculous as a childminder I wouldn’t be happy with that, I have two fans in my living room with the blinds closed and it’s manageable.

I would be asking her what it is about her house that is more unsafe than having them at your house and day you have concerns about safety in general

@Trainup surely it’s more about responsibility and how many children she is minding, not necessarily her house and why different in the parents’ house. She doesn’t want the responsibility of keeping all the children cool, hydrated, no risk of sunburn etc.

Well yes, it’s minding children. It can be a tough job but most of us have looked after children! It’s something the majority of us know how to do.

I know plenty of childminders and I know that of course that isn't what they do day to day. Just like it isn't what I do day to day as a parent.

But it sure was hell was what I did as a parent on Monday when it was 30 degrees here, my son was unwell and I was unwell.

Adapting to the conditions should be fairly easy. To think that a childminder couldn't sensibly adapt their practice is the patronising thing.

(Tbh, unless a child is under 12m, the safe sleep guidelines are a bit overegged for temperatures.)