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

Childminder here…yeah she’s being ridiculous/looking for a cop out so she can take it easy!
Took my mindees to a water park today, we are now home, they are all in nappies and watching peppa pig, lots of water available.
It’s 35 degrees here!
Just say no, that doesn’t work for us, can’t get the time off.
My LA would expect funded hours paid for but not used to be offered at another time, if she’s tricky ask her when she intends to offer you the funded hours instead, she will soon back down 😁

Very few people in England, which is where i am based have air con. We just have to get on with it. I think it is unreasonable for her to close.

Every CM i have ever used has a car....

Even if she doesn't you are paying for a service
As a professional she should have proper provisions so a shaded part of the garden and water play materials etc.

Sometimes people take the piss. What’s the situation with the nurseries where you are? Also full mostly? They would be more reliable.

This.

Think it’s a poor show tbh, though if the mercury got to 38/39 I’d be more understanding

we’re going to have more and more of these heatwaves and most of us just have to cope

I’m really surprised with these comments.

I have one toddler at home right now and it’s utterly miserable and she’s quite poorly from the heat no matter hydration levels. It’s ridiculously uncomfortable where we are.

I can’t imagine having multiple smalls (maybe including babies which is hugely worrying when they’re very small) and the risk of them getting heat stroke which could lead to medical aid being needed.

She's cheeky selfish and unreliable. Absolutely ridiculous. I would look for alternative childcare. A nursery is better. At least they're not closed every other week for spurious reasons. And she absolutely shouldnt be paid. She has broken her contract.

She should do what any parent would do at home. Get a portable fan and water misters or air conditioning unit for inside. Put up a big parasol and paddling pool outside. Make some ice lollies using squash or orange juice and water. Or put lolly sticks into pots of fromage frais and freeze them.

The nurseries here also closed at 12pm.

There also isn’t an abundance of childcare settings in most areas now.

She has to follow the safeguarding guidance for legal reasons so it is what it is.

It's good to see a decent reliable childminder. Childminders like the one OP has give childminders a bad name.

I don’t know, I do think it’s different. As we alll know, looking after small children in heat is more work and monitoring and more risk. If she fears not being able to keep the environment safe, I see her point.

Today my husband has gone to his air conditioned office and is working as usual. I am at home with a small child who has wanted to drink and sleep way more than usual. I’m monitoring windows and shade across them as the sun moves but she is not herself and if she were someone else’s child I would be very uncomfortable. She has also been in only her nappy all day, which again is fine as she is at home, but I wouldn’t want to be taking care of other children in my home in just their nappy.

So not in a Red Alert area and not that hot considering.

She's taking the piss.

My youngest's childminder is currently remaining open but says they had a really scary briefing yesterday about danger to life and lots of childminders round here are choosing to close. My eldest's school will be closed, as will many others locally.

It sounds like what yours is proposing is very much inline with what lots are doing and not at all outrageous like OP and PPs are suggesting. It's likely that a lot of people from work will be in a similar position - these are very unusual circumstances and work may be more understanding than you think.

She’s inviting you to fetch your child early so any voucher or financial loss is on you. If she genuinely felt it was an unsafe temperature she would put it in writing that she is closing. Tell her you’ll be there at 5 or whenever is your usual time.

Reminds me of the stories of Air BnB hosts who want the customer to cancel their stay so they can hire out their home for that weekend at a higher rate.

No, sorry, if you feel the danger is there, you be the one to take the financial hit!

This.

A couple of years ago we didn't have these alerts.

If the forecast is for 32C she ISN'T in a red alert area. The ONLY places that should be closing are those in Red Areas. Amber areas are take precautions only and its reasonable to expect them to be open, at the very least, for front line workers.

We've lost our minds over these alerts and they are going to start being ignored because people are not acting appropriately and can't tell the difference between Amber and Red.

She is taking the piss.

Absolutely ridiculous. I’m a nanny and it’s business as usual. One of my houses I work at isn’t suitable so we tend to go out a lot- today we have come to my house for paddling pool/sprinkler fun and indoor play. In the past I’ve taken little ones to the supermarket/cafe for decent air con- we did drawing. It’s hardly unmanageable

I don't know about childminders but most of the schools in our area are closing at 12.15 or 1. Your child is your responsibility so if she is closing you need to tell work you have to take emergency leave like every other parent in this situation.

Surely you shouldn't be taking children to your house unless you are a registered childminder?

This is ridiculous and it would make me wonder if she’s going to be flakey in the future too.

DH needs to be the one to take time off though.
You’ll still be on probation and if you want to keep your job then this will not look good.

School are very different and I understand why they might close early, especially if transport may be affected.

But having a couple of young kids in your home is no reason to close early because it’s hot.

Probably best that she isn’t a childminder then isn’t it.

Yeah that's what humans are best at, after all; putting the blinkers on and just carrying on as normal regardless of whether we're walking ourselves off a cliff or not. 😂 Hilarious. Do you intend to teach your children to do the same in a few decades once you've died and they're left trying to survive on an inhospitable planet?

Unless she’s amazing I agree you should be looking elsewhere and on those waiting lists. She sounds sketchy. If you were under a red warning and it was going to be 40 where you are fair enough. If she’s closing every time it hits 32 then it’s going to be a long summer.

I’s be asking if she’ll be making up those funded hours free of charge at some other point. You may find she suddenly finds she can manage it.

She's a professional in theory, so her place of work (her home) should be adequately set up so she can do her job in different kinds of weather. We've had very hot weather before. Curtains closed, portable aircon, fans, water mist spray, cool drinks, ice lollies and layers of clothes removed. If she can't operate in summer conditions she can't be a childminder.