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Paid childcare

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

Question!

20 replies

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 16:41

If I have a 3 (almost 4) year old that is in nursery full time (9-3.30) every day. Is she classed as a 5 year old?

She isnt is she .... yet she is full time at nursery.

Also, I have her for an hour or so in the morning then a few hours after nursery - do I just charge for those hours even though she is taking up a whole full time under 5 place?

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katymac · 26/09/2005 20:34

No they must be at school in reception not nursery class at school

Sorry Pecka.....whether you charge or not is up to you

If she were off nursery (eg it closed)- would you have to pick her up?

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 21:30

Yep I would I suppose

Its a bit of an ethical one I suppose as the mother in question is under 19 and gets her childcare paid as she has returned to college.

So....knowing that I wont be putting her individually under financial pressure I could charge as its the care to learn or something but then I wouldnt feel comfortable doing that if it was completely out of the question to charge in those circumstances

What should I do?

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starlover · 26/09/2005 21:32

could you charge half price?

katymac · 26/09/2005 21:48

What about filling the space with another child

I would charge full price (sorry - I'm mean)

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 21:54

well thats the thing - of course i would love to charge full price but do you think that could be construed as me taking the piss?

what i suppose i want to know is am i within my rights to charge for the time she is at nursery

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katymac · 26/09/2005 21:58

Do you drop off and collect?

If the Nursery closed (ie cos their heating went off) would you have to pick up the child?

If you turned up at Nursery and they were closed (because they had a leak) would you ring the mum to come and collect her?

Do you charge or not?

Tanzie · 26/09/2005 22:07

If she's taking the place of a full time child, and you can't take another child because of her, you should charge her accordingly. You're running a business, not a charity!

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 22:13

Its a slightly bizarre arrangement and probably because Im so new at it Im making huge mistakes. I drop off and collect every day at the moment but she is soon going full time. When this happens I will be required to drop off and collect as and when - sometimes the mum will drop her off and sometimes I will, sometimes she will collect sometimes I will but that space is there the whole time as she never knows when she will need me. She also wants me to have her in the full holidays so she can study/have a holiday job.

So even though I wont always be collecting her I have to be available to in case I have to and if anything was to happen during nursery hours it would be me that had to get her!

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katymac · 26/09/2005 22:17

Pecka - be very careful

To be available for this child (as and when the mum wants) - you could loose a full-time child (at £3 phr that's £150 a week)

But if you make the contract you will find it very difficult to end it (see my 8week rota child - I'm loosing hundreds a month on him - but 'cos he was one of my first I can't end it)

And you can't have an under 5 for just the hols (as you will loose loads of money)

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 22:18

Thats what I mean though, because I am pretty much required full time even if not always used can I then charge her a fee - full or otherwise to make it worthwhile?

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katymac · 26/09/2005 22:21

Yes

Who else would do it?

But you must not take on another child in her place because that would (prob) be fraud as she isn't paying her own way

But that's not a problem - is it?

peckarollover · 26/09/2005 22:25

No! I will quite happily leave that space open for her if I am getting paid a decent amount for it. If I couldnt claim anything whilst she was at nursery I would have to get straight with the mum.

Ok....so lets say I charge for the place. Do I put her in my register every day?

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katymac · 26/09/2005 22:30

What is your register for?

Charging
Fire Drills
Meals (for IR)
Child protection

ThePrisoner · 26/09/2005 23:22

I can't imagine that whoever is paying for the childcare is going to accept paying for a nursery space and paying a childminder. (I assume that 5 sessions are funded anyway.) I've had a similar situation, and they would only pay for the hours that the child attended (no holidays, sick days).

Who would be paying the bill in the holidays?

I think that the only way I would accept something like this job would be if there were set hours (eg. 8am-9am and then 3.30pm-whatever).

If I was able to take someone else on during the nursery hours, then I wouldn't charge the student mum, but she would have to take responsibility for child's sickness, having to collect from nursery if sick etc.

If I had to have responsibility, then I think I'd want paying a very decent amount of money to make up for the fact that it uses up a full-time space - not sure if I could be that generous and charge anything less than full-fee.

I guess that depends on how much work there is in your area. How would you feel if you agreed half-fee with the student mum, then someone calls you tomorrow with a full-time mindee that you would have to refuse?

As she is not asking for set hours, and you might have to collect earlier sometimes, I think you need to be very clear as to what you will accept (both financially and with regard to who has responsibility).

Re. putting info in register - if I am being paid but child does not actually come to me, I put in the paid hours in brackets, but also write somewhere why child is not attending (off sick, picked up by granny, going to after-school group etc.)

Phew, that was a long one - sorry!

katymac · 27/09/2005 00:01

It's not a contract I would jump at - to be honest, sorry

JELLYJELLY · 27/09/2005 10:39

Pecka, is this under care to learn?

peckarollover · 27/09/2005 10:39

yeah it is jelly

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JELLYJELLY · 27/09/2005 10:49

I have one under care to learn and i dont think they will pay for both because they have a limit that they will pay for childcare each week.

Do you know the limit or would you like me to find out, i have a meeting with a coordinator today about the teen mum.

peckarollover · 27/09/2005 12:05

I dont think the nursery is being paid for. Its a nursery class in a state school and she will be going full time in a couple of weeks.

I think the weekly limit is £145 a week.

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peckarollover · 27/09/2005 12:12

Although I think that limit includes any travel expenses she wants to claim too

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