What do you do if you own children have evening activites etc ??

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

I mean if you are a chldminder and your own dc have evening activiites ??

Dd1 does dance twice a week, Mondays at 6pm and Thursdays at 5pm.

Also what about if your child has a hospital appointment ?? Dd1 has one about every 3 mths atm, and dd2 has one about once every 2mths. I know you can obviously give the parent as much notice as possible, but wouldn't they get fed up of me constantly not being available ??

I am still very much wanting to become a chldminder myself, but I am worried that these time limitations etc would limit my business, and as a lone parent I need to make this work.

Well I'm not a childminder but I am at work when my dc have activities, which is effectively the same as you.
I have pay other people or rely on friends to do drop offs and pick ups.

some parents may be happy for you to take the dc to an appointment my daughter have never had hospital appointments but has had doc appointments while i have been childminding and i have taken minded children with me. my daughter does gymnastics on a monday it starts at 6 and is about 20 mins away i therefore do not work till 6 on a monday last pick up is 5.30 sharp most are away for 5.20. occasionally one parent struggles with the 5.30 pick up as ideally they were looking for a 6 pick up so in that case i take the we one with me' drop my daughter off then drop the we one off at his own house and go back and pick up my daughter. with regards to the 5.00 class is it local could you take kids with you drops your daughter off and then head home for kids being collected. what ever you do tell parents at the start before they sign up that you finish sharp at 5.30 on mondays due to your daughters class and that on thursdays pick ups are either before 4.45 or after 5.15 when your home.

My DD had an after school activity on Wednesdays, so I had to finish work early that day. Swimming etc was done at the weekend. Not had regular hospital appointments, so that might be more difficult.

Thank you

I don't have anyone else i can ask to take them to things and i can't afford to pay either so will need to have a think. It is the thursday class that would be a problem.

I assum the class is only half an hour... or maybe an hour tops?

Id just do what others said.... insist of pick up time before OR after the class.
You can normally occupy children for an hour or so.... take some books / colouring / toys or even make a thing of having a picnic tea while you all wait etc. Is there a park nearby where you could kill time or even a corner shop you could nip to, to buy somehthing you "need".

Many people like CMs because its like being part if a real family, and that can include taking other children to other places.

Agree hospital appts are slightly more difficult to accomodate

I'm a childminder, and if mine have after school activities the others just tag along.....it works both ways, as it means that minded children can also do the same or other activities.

Sometimes we tag along (its a beaver outing tonight, so we will take a picnic and enjoy the sun!)

If they parents don't like it then they can find another childminder!

TBH I wouldn't ddo hospital appointments

I can take children to activities, in fact the minded child has joined the football club where my son plays and so its so much easier to take them both and drop mindee off after.

I should really charge while I have him (mindee) but I feel my own child is there anyway. I would if I had to take and pick up.

If the prospective mindee was in a dance class/swimming lessons etc I would take them.

I'm a childminder and while I'm more than happy to take various children to activities - which I do, I do draw the line at doctor appointments and hosptial appointments. I respect my own children's need for privacy at appointments and sometimes they do have to come first, which isn't very often, and I do lose money that I can ill afford, but sometimes........

Depends on age of mindees and how accommodating their parents are, but I've just dropped 8 year old mindee home cos it suited me to drop her back on way home from taking my dd1 to choir. Suited parents too.
Meant to be working next fri but dd2 has hosp appt - just agreed with mindees mum that I'll take my 3dc and her dd to hosp then we'll go to park and museum near hosp for picnic. DD2 getting hearing aids fitted and happy for her pal to come too. Wouldn't take her if it was something more personal though.
No hard and fast rules with childminding - just go with the flow, it makes life much easier for everyone if you can be flexible!

I have gained work sometimes, eg when other members of son's football team wanted after school care & drop off at training. At other times, my children have missed out because I couldn't arrange transport for activities they wanted to do.

Childminding routine changes often, as does the ages & needs of the children in my care. If my mindees or my own children have existing commitments then new mindees have to fit in with that. If my own children want to do something new it has to fit in with the needs of the mindees already in my care.

For hospital appointments, it is usually necessary to close ... depends on the nature, time & location of the appointment, the behaviour & dispositions of the children and the attitude of the parents.