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

Well yes , they’re your kids.
No one else , nursery , childminder or grandparent can absolutely 100% guarantee childcare , it’s either a business arrangement or a favour but the buck will always stop with you .

i only have one parent paying for private hours and that because they are using 30 hours elsewhere. Four family all funded hours (I’m only open three days) and term time only . They pay for lunch and snacks but can send a packed lunch instead . I provide wipes , they provide nappies , all trips included .

@Ilovemychocolate do you mean lying babies on their backs etc?
I get that cm cannot guarantee cool rooms but no one can right now. I think this is a parental choice not a cm one - she should just keep the kids in the coolest room, bring the cot mattress downstairs, keep fans on, plenty of water etc. They are as safe at cm's as they are at home.

Does she just look after people’s children?

You genuinely can’t understand that a parent at home can provide much closer care & checks 121 than a childminder can provide with multiple children at once?

If a childminder does not feel they can safely look after children, the right thing for them to do is close. Just like lots of nurseries are, just like schools are, then children are with their parent.

It's because she cares about the children that she is closing!
And she isn't employed by the OP childminders are self employed. She can take her business away from her if that's what she wants but she can't sack her!

I mean the regulations where you have to ensure a child under 12 months must sleep in a room with a temperature between 16-20 degrees.

The “extreme heat” that has led the government to issue a red weather warning because it is dangerous to health. You think we should just all ignore it (like too many people did in 2022) and get on with our lives (like 4,500 people no longer can as they died due to the heat)?

No one can guarantee that temp right now. Not the cm and not the parent

Is she refunding you for those hours?

And what does that have to do with anything?? Irrelevant to both the op and childminder who does not have this condition

If she lives in an area where the forecast is 32 for tomorrow it's not a red alert area.

Therefore it's unlikely the school will be closed.

Why are people struggling with these two points?

It's only 32 meaning it won't be a red alert area = sensible precautions not closing bloody everything.

I don’t. Imagine if nurses said they’d decided to stop work at 1pm? Or Sainsbury’s shut at 1pm when you needed shopping for tea.
Its very unfair OP

THIS ONLY APPLIES TO A SMALL PART OF THE COUNTRY.

THIS IS RELEVANT.

OP Says it's forecast to be 32 where they are - it can't be a red area.

Ok? Not sure what point you making? If you only open 3 days a week, term time, then I am not sure what else you'd expect really. That would be useless to the majority of people who need to utilise childcare. And that one scenario makes absolutely no difference to the amount that I, and many, many other parents who have to work more than 3 days a week year round fork out for childcare every month.

She shouldn’t be closing for temps of 31!! It’s 39 here and my children’s nursery is still open

Of course 🙄

It has been said every which way now l agree! It’s going to be 32, NOT a reD area and NO schools in the county are shutting. The childminder may want her chikdren off school but it would be unauthorized abscence is my understanding

I agree. If it’s her home surely she can get an air conditioning unit?

Completely agree with this,
Some of the responses have been mind bogglingly flippant and dismissive of childminders following guidelines during an extremely hot week.

And the fuckwit government just made a law that said childminders can only let the children sleep in rooms 16-20 degrees, and they will say settings are breaking safeguarding guidance by not abiding to this. And there are enough fuckwits in ofsted to not give a crap about the outside temperature when assessing this.

Childminders have just had to buy an extortionate amount of new equipment on the back of new guidance overnight, they can’t be expected to magic air con units out of fresh air.

What the fuck is wrong with people! It’s hot for a few days! The world doesn’t stop, people just have to work as usual! Snowflakes.

Probably people who have had negative childminder experiences with flakiness and bring let down routinely. While still having to pay through the nose for the privilege, as they often have you over a barrel and an expectation of gratefulness

We’re in a red area and it’s only saying 32/33 for the next few days here.

I remember your post on this. I'm not sure why you're still using her? I wouldn't trust someone dishonest and lying about my own child's health with my children.