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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

A question about childminders

21 replies

CJ80 · 13/07/2010 22:59

Hi all,

I just wondered if I could ask you a question. I currently have a space at a nursery for my daughter, ready for when I go back to work in October, I've had this booked since October 2009 just so that I knew I had childcare.

However I am looking at using a childminder. One I have seen has 3 weeks annual leave each year, when I would also need to take annual leave to be at home with my daughter, which is fine. However, I still need to pay her for these 3 weeks when she is on annual leave. I can understand paying for the space if I take DD out of her care for a week or so, but not if she is the one taking holiday.

Is this normal? My Mum's colleague said that if her childminder took annual leave then she didn't have to pay the childcare for that period of time as it was her choice to take time off.

I would be grateful for any answers!

Thanks, CJ

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looneytune · 13/07/2010 23:04

It's one of those questions that always leads into a debate, been done to death so feel free to search through old threads I personally DON'T charge for MY holidays or whenever I'm not available but we all set our own terms and many DO charge (NCMA actually recommend 4 weeks paid holiday). What I personally do is work out the annual cost of childcare, deduct my holidays and bank holidays and spread the cost over the year so it's a fixed amount each month.

Original poster

CJ80 · 13/07/2010 23:11

Thank you for your answer Looneytune, this is all new to me at the moment! Just trying to work out which childcare route to take, both have pros and cons!

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looneytune · 13/07/2010 23:16

No problem. Some people who charge holidays may have a lower rate per hour so it's not always as bad as it sounds, just a lot of people scream out 'BUT THEY'RE SELF EMPLOYED!!!' I personally can see both sides. I'd see how you feel about the person/setting and take it from there. All the best of luck and fire away any other questions that come up, we're here to help

CarGirl · 13/07/2010 23:18

Pros and cons to both ways - look at the overall package and just ask about if they want to take all 4 weeks in the first 6 months or something!

Original poster

CJ80 · 13/07/2010 23:25

the nursery, after a discount will be about £150 per week. The childminder has been recommended and I got details of her fees on the childcare website also, which was £28 a day and she said they were her fees when I went to meet her and see her at her house. I'll be working 4 days a week, so that would be a saving.

However she has now advised that she charges £3.50 an hour, which will be £35 a day, (I'll be working 8 and a half hours a day, so need 10 hours realistically), which is £140 a week, and I can claim the vouchers through work.

I think I need to have a think about it all before making a decision. She is really nice and a friend's friend has her children with her, which is such a good recommendation in my eyes.

I think I just need to have a good think, looking at both.

Thanks for your replies!

OP posts:

ChildrenAtHeart · 14/07/2010 00:14

Some childminders will give you a day rate which may work out cheaper than their hourly rate, and some may be open to negotiation on this so never any harm in asking. As Looneytunes says, some cms charge full for their hols, others half, others none at all. There is always an ongoing (and often heated) debate on the rights and wrongs of this, but the main difference between CM's and other self employed service providers is that CM's usually enter into long term contracts with their clients, whereas most SE contracts are short term (eg plumber fixes loo, contactor fits new kitchen etc) and CM has to sort holiday to suit a number of families so its usually easier for the cm to dictate hols and other families book theirs to coincide where possible. Personally I only charge when I am available to work but I do charge a higher hourly fee which has a small element built in to cover my annual leave.
If this cm and nursery are both within your budget I would be inclined to put aside concerns about fees and focus on quality of care and what is best for your child. Then go with whichever option will best meetyour childs needs

StarExpat · 14/07/2010 08:19

I would not be happy to pay for my cms holidays. Especially since between dh and I (both teachers with many different and some overlapping holidays) are home with ds for 21 out of 52 weeks of the year already and paying for those - which I don't mind at all, but it is very difficult for me to justify taking more time off as a teacher - with the exception of when ds is ill.

I know this sounds horrible but he's already not with her for half of the year (and they are not all in school holiday time as my school isn't British and operates very different holiday times).

Before you sign a contract, you can negotiate this with the cm. If she won't negotiate and you aren't happy with the contract, then don't sign it and go with your nursery place. If you sign something you are completely unhappy with, it leads to resentment and not worth it. It's best to have a very happy, open relationship with your childcarer

StarExpat · 14/07/2010 08:20

sorry, in my first line it shoud have explained. I would not be happy to pay for my cms hoidays when ds is not already on holiday with us because it would mean I would have to pay someone else to look after him, so double childcare costs and I cannot afford that.

underpaidandoverworked · 14/07/2010 11:26

I dont charge for my 4wks annual leave, but I do work out annual charges for 48wks then divide by 52, so in effect I am being 'paid' when I'm off, even though am not really, IYSWIM. Is this not the case with your cm?

Have to say, my arrangement works well for myself and parents.

EmMum06 · 14/07/2010 11:45

CJ80: will the cm charge you for your holidays? i currently pay 1/2 for either mine or my cm's holidays but in the past i paid for my holidays and not the cm's.

you will also find that most nurseries charge for bank holidays and whenever they are closed.

StarExpat · 14/07/2010 12:30

underpaidoverworked - that's what my cm does. I think it works well - then I alway pay the same and she always gets paid the same.

mycarscallednev · 15/07/2010 16:49

As a Nursery Nurse now working as a childminder I've come accross all sorts of contracts and ways around the hoilday a/l thing. I don't charge for my two week break in the summer, or for the week I take at Christmas, so suggest that where possible the families and I take holidays at the same time, but I can see this wouldn't suit everyone. I give my families 4 extra weeks for their own holiday - but they pay me half fee as a retainer, as they would do in a lot of Nurseries[ some do charge full fee regardless]. A good childcarer is worth their weight in gold as far as I'm concerned and we desereve a break as much as the next person and as we are self employed its a fine line between having a break and not having an income. Its more about how good your childcare is and how much you value their service. Some feel that as parents mostly get paid leave then so should they. I'm not on that wavelength but think there needs to be a meeting somewhere in the middle. In 25 years of childcare this way of thinking has worked well!

kitkat2507 · 15/07/2010 18:20

My CM charges for her holidays, she takes 2 weeks term time and 2 weeks holiday time and pro ratas this over the year so she recieves the same pay weekly no matter if kids ae at school or on holidays. however i have recently discovered she has not calculated her pro rata thing correctly meanng she has been overpaid, my own fault really i should have checked but im in the position now where i feel awkward telling her that hr sums dont add up and she has in reality added an extra 12 days onto the year at full pay!

StarExpat · 16/07/2010 18:13

Sounds like you have a few things to discuss with your cm....

looneytune · 16/07/2010 19:29

Oh no, I do an A4 sheet with all the calculations split to make it very clear. I really really hope a parent would point out any mistakes, I'd hate it if a parent felt they couldn't talk to me!!! (I have made the odd little error in the past and the parent has told me and it's been quickly sorted!)

Original poster

CJ80 · 16/07/2010 22:43

Thanks for all your responses, you've been really helpful. It looks like we may not need childcare after all as DH lost job now so he could be staying at home!

Thanks all again :-)

OP posts:

StarExpat · 16/07/2010 22:48

Sorry my last post was meant for kitkat

StarExpat · 16/07/2010 22:49

Sorry to hear hat, Cj I hope it works out for the best.

kitkat2507 · 17/07/2010 08:06

hi starexpat, i am having a few issues with my cm at the mo, the girls absolutely love her though so dont want to have to leave her, i really should have sat down with her when she did the sums, I sat with her on wednesday to go through the sums from september and pointed out all the errors her DH was not too happy that i was questioning her anyway he got a bit agitated, the CM however realised she had not calculated correctly and it is all done for september now, however I have not broached the subject of all the extra money she has been paid!

dmo · 17/07/2010 23:25

kitkat does your cm work with her dh? if not why was he there getting cross not good

gald you talked with her tho at least you can stop paying to much now

kitkat2507 · 18/07/2010 09:08

Hi dmo, No he does not work with her, I think because no one else has picked up on the mistake he just thought i should prtend i hadnt, but i could not afford to, i pay more than 200 per week in childcare the eldest is at full time school and the youngest at nursery I just had to check what i was paying

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