Just wanted some advice on if you think it is likely that Ofsted would give me a variation on numbers of under 5s I can care for;
I have 2 of my spaces full.
I also care for a 3 month old (who I will call baby A) who's parents are both doctors so they work shifts, so the days/hours I look after Baby A vary from week to week. Some weeks I don't have him at all. Other weeks, it may be for a few hours on an afternoon a couple of times a week when his parents shift patterns clash, and quite often it is evenings/weekends, when I don't have any other children at all so numbers are not a problem when it is evenings/weekends.
I have had an enquiry from somebody with a one year old (Baby B). The Mom is a nurse and would want to send Baby B, 3 days a week Monday-Friday only but the days would vary from week to week.
Is it likely that Ofsted would allow me to do this? Majority of the time I don't think it would even clash. It would probably just be a couple of afternoons a month where it would work out that Baby A and Baby B would need to come at the same time, so with my other 2 full timers, I would be over my numbers.
It just seems such a shame to say no to Baby B's family, as like I said before, there is often full weeks when Baby A doesn't come at all depending on his parents shift patterns. And if it did work out a day when Baby A and Baby B needed to both be with me, it would probably only be for a matter of a few hours.
Just wondering if it is likely that Ofsted would give me the variation, as I know they might be likely to if it was a child I was already caring for or if it was the sibling of a child I am already caring for, but as Baby B would be completely new to me, I don't know if they would allow the variation.
If they don't, from a financial point of view, it is likely that I would have to say to Baby A's family that I can no longer care for him, which I think seems really unfair as he is the one that I'm caring for at the moment and I very much doubt they would find anyone else to care for him, as they had tried loads of childminders before getting in touch with me, and nobody seems interested in unpredictable shift patterns and evening and weekend work.
Sorry this is so long!
Thanks in advance!