child care advice - help a dummy

[CherylWillBounceBack]

I'm coming into this very naively so please be gentle!

I'm a single bloke who wants to adopt. I'm completely flexible on the age of the child (I think probably a range of say 4-7 would be appropriate as I hear school age kids are more difficult to place, so I could make a difference there). I only work part-time through both fortune and misfortune.

Given that I'd be adopting a school age child them. the way I see it, I'd only need childcare for three days per week due to working part time - and then only after school only so it'd come to not more than about 4 hours per day assuming I'd typically be able to pick them up by 6:30.

So...the questions!

1. Do childminders charge a fixed fee to pick up kids from school, or just an hourly rate which includes that?

2. How flexible are childminders generally about pick up times? If I had to work a bit late occasionally (something I'd tend to only know on the day) do they mind getting a call to say it'll be another couple of hours?

3. How much do you all think it would cost for 3 days per week, 4 hours per day including picking up from school?

4. Are after school clubs etc a better option (or even an option??)

I'm sorry for asking such specific, yet hypothetical questions - it's just I'd like to go into this with my eyes open and armed with all the knowledge necessary to show how seriously I'm thinking about everything.

Thanks so much for any advice you can give!

Well done you! Though I know there will always be folks out there ready to question your motives so be prepared.
In answer to your questions...
it varies!
Fom CM to CM, from area to area, from club to club.
Some CM's like me charge a fixed after school rate, others by the hour, some will include food (I do) some won't, some will be flexible, some won't (though clubs generally less flexible than minders).
To give an example:
I am in Worthing (South Coast). For school children I charge a fixed fee of £20 which covers up to 4 hours between 2.30pm & 6.30pm and includes school pick up, snack & evening meal, term time only (£18 if all year). I will work later than 6.30pm by prior AGREED arrangement, every week or ad hoc, at a rate of £5.00 per half hour. I am at the pricey end of the market locally and work mainly with pre-school aged children.
After school clubs tend to be cheaper, may/may not offer an evening meal, tend to close at 6pm
HTH & good luck

Thanks so much CAH!

Of course, in my newbieness I hadn't considered holidays. That makes an interesting aside, so my annual budget for childcare would have to include probably extra costs then. Duly noted and I'll look into that!

For what it's worth, I think £20 sounds extremely reasonable for your time - especially if it includes pick up AND a meal. I'd be looking to cook for both of us anyway in general, but its good to know that would be an option too.

Yup, I'd expect it and people can question my motives all they like. All I know is that adoption has always been the only way I want to have kids, as I feel very strongly that if there's already a child out there who needs a family, that's who I'd want to look after and strangely I just know I'd feel the same way for them as if they were my own. As for being a single adopter - at 33 I think that I should make a start on at least looking seriously into this. I know it's going to be hard to find a partner who feels exactly the way I do (someone who doesn't want their own kids), and I can't let life slip by waiting to meet someone who does. I've never wanted to be an 'old' parent (my dad was late thirties when he had me, and I'd not want that sort of gap with my kids) so best to crack on! I've got plenty of other questions on other topics, but this was one that I'd been wondering how single parents coped with, so thanks again for your help!