Childminder Holidays.. Please Help

[phillippa1]

Hello all.

I have re registered as a childminder.. Prior to my registration infact before I decided to re open We booked a holiday to South Africa. (My husbands family are there)
We dont get to go often so we are booked to go for 3 weeks.
Here's my dilema.. I have written a letter to give to all my potential mindees advising them of our trip away.
I have already lost one family due to this and am sure it will stop more from coming.
How do I get around this? can I offer to help find other minders for them for the duration or our trip? How do I go about contract agreements and such?
Any advice will be greatly recieved.

Thanks Pippa

I would not inform anyone until they suggested they may be interested. By telling them at the off, you risk losing them.

Let the potential mindee's parents develop an interest in you first and then let them know. You may find that some of then will postpone taking you on til after you get back.

In your contracts, you would merely state as usual that you take x number of days per year and will give y amount of notice.

Thank you numberfour!!

I had parents visit me last year who wanted their child to start on 1st December. I told them immediately that we were on holiday for 2 weeks over Christmas. They still signed contracts and used the time before Christmas for settling in sessions and started the full contract in January. It might have put them off and sent them somewhere else, but I wanted to start with a clean slate, so there would be no bad feeling.

The contracts were signed 3 months in advance, so in theory, I only had to give them 4 weeks notice of my holiday.

You may still lose some, Pippa, but then you may land up being as charming as HSMM and having them "wait" for you!

PS Have a glass of Western Cape wine for me..... Cape Town was my first home!

Pippa, two of my best CM friends are SA Childminders and go home for 3 weeks every year, They always tell parents at the beginning of the year, and usually the Parents take holiday/ Family help out, and often another CM in the group can help out.

Just be honest with each potential family, that you will be going home on such a date for three weeks.

Most new parents will be fine with it, they will expect you to have holiday at some point anyway, and as long as they have notice, they will feel you are more trustworthy by telling them and will either wait, or start as setting in.

(DDIL is SA, and we go out there a lot)

Thank you all for your lovely comments, I have some excellent news.. I have just contracted a lovely family, they wanted to sign on the dotted line so I mentioned our trip away.. to my delight they were totally fine with it!!
Contracts signed.. everyones happy.

We're going to Fish Hoek numberfour.. I dont know if you know of it, its not too far from Cape Town, Gorgeous little place.. My DH's family are there so we are super excited.
I shall most definatley have a glass of Western Cape for you

Thanks again.. I really appreciate your comments.

Pippa.

My situation is a bit different but.....I had reserved a space once around October for them to start in the February. Then I found out I was pregnant and after the 10/12 week scan, I contacted them apologising and offering deposit back as I'd be off work for 12 weeks. They decided they'd cover that 12 weeks somehow and said they wanted to start in Feb as planned. So that's what happened, they did sort out 12 whole weeks cover then came back. This was in 07/08 and they are still with me now. My advice is to be upfront with them and hopefully they'll stay

Great news

Ofcourse I know Fish Hoek! The only"dry" town in Cape Town!!
A bit windy, but there are lovely beaches - of course.

And The Brass Bell pub in Kalk Bay is a place your DH will definitely without a doubt, one hundred percent know!

Looneytune: Wow. That was brilliant for you!

Numberfour - thanks for the compliment (or were you being sarcastic ?)

Teehee.. Yep he remembers it!

We are so looking forward to going back to Boulders.. Swimming with the Penguins is on the top of my daughters " must do " list!

NO, HSMM! reallly, honestly and truly not being sarcastic. Promise!

Boulders is beautiful. I grew up in the Northern suburbs so did not often go to Boulders. But I had friend who lives in Fish hoek.... her dad owns a furniture store. As DH if he knows?????????

er.. ASK YOUR DH if he knows the furniture store on the high street!