Do childminders normally ask for holiday pay?

[G1nger]

I'm interested in a local childminder, but on the website it says she takes 6 weeks holiday every year and that parents are expected to pay 50% of the daily costs throughout this. Is this normal? Seems a bit cheeky to me...

And how many have you read that say they don't charge?

This is what surprises me - how is it that childminders who do not operate this unfair practice defend so passionately the right of others to do so, when they can clearly see from the reaction of parents on this thread and elsewhere how badly it reflects on the whole profession?

I'm not saying they should charge- but I also realise it's nit my business of they do.

What I am trying to defend is the fact that such sweeping statements and opinions are being made about childminders, whether they go or do not work in this way.

I know many nurseries which charge for time not used, such as bank hols, week at Xmas, staff training days etc. Are you saying that's illegal too or is that different because a nursery isn't one SE person? Genuine question.

Sorry for all typos - fat fingers on phone!

I wouldn't pay someone who wasn't available to work.

I would pay 100% rates to someone who was available to work but I chose not to use on those days, or if my child was sick so unable to go to the CM. They are available to work so should not be out of pocket because my child is not there.

Our CM in London charged for 4 weeks holiday, at her standard rate (£10 an hour).

If I heard that from another person I'd be but she was so amazingly committed (Ofsted outstanding rated) I was very happy for her to have paid holiday as DS got so much out of going there.

Our new CM, out of London charges £4. She charges 50% for holidays, but I've never known her to take more than a week a year!

I wish she would, she's lovely and a great CM and I think she deserves a break!

I'm not saying anything is illegal (yes I did get carried away and make a statement which I retracted the same day, for which I apologise again). I do think that it is unprofessional for nurseries to charge for days they are not open, although in many cases this is just for two or three training days a year so the impact on parents is much less significant - and I have never heard of a nursery charge for six weeks holiday.

Here are the statements and opinions I have posted: which of these causes you offence?

• If it is the case that most or all childminders in an area operate a practice that is potentially unfair to parents then it can hardly be said that the parents have a choice; they have to pay up and put up or make other arrangements for childcare.

• If childminders want to be treated as professionals they should operate in a professional manner, and demanding payment for offering no service is simply not professional.

• Childminders in general are sometimes perceived as operating in a way that their customers believe is unfair.

• In order to present childminding in the best possible light as a caring, but professional, service the practice of charging for that service on days when you are not available to provide it should stop.

CMs (and others)can we please accept that MrAi is entitled to his opinion and has given us all sorts of fantastic help in the past.

We are self employed and entitled to set our own terms and conditions and whether they are good or bad or reflective of our practice will tell in our profits and references.

Argh! It's not your problem with holiday pay that I take issue with.

It's tarring us all with the same brush that gets on my wick!

Childminders are greedy, unprofessional, blah blah blah!

My childminder charges half fees when she is closed for holidays, of up to 5 weeks a year. We can pay half fees when we are on holiday up to 5 weeks too.

However, she also charges a lower hourly rate than most of the other childminders in the area.

All in all, I'm happy for the CM to take holiday, and I'm happy to pay for it.

Yes mr a always respected your posts, and still do, u went mad for a while but dont we all!!

Hi, I operate my childcare service just as ginger describes, it may have even been my website she is referring too!
I have six weeks holiday out of the year, use to be four but it wasn't enough for me working 55 hours a week and having two young children so as a self employed person I choose to make that decision and increase it to six. Parents are informed at the beginning of the year when my holiday will be which is usually in the summer and over the Xmas period so those bank holidays are part of my leave.
Parents have respectively taken their annual holiday from work around the same time as me or they have had extended family members to help out. Those without the extended family have I guess not used my service or could accommodate my holiday with theirs.
With regards to payments, my single parents would be claiming tax credits so they where receiving help with childcare cost throughout the year for every contracted day, and those who claim childcare vouchers were receiving up to £240 a month tax free!
I give a free 2 weeks settling in period, no deposits are requested only a registration fee at the start of settling in a child.
My daily fee does include my holiday at 50%, nappies & wipes and meals throughout the day.
Other childminders local to me I think charge a extra £1.50 an hour or £10.00 per day more than me without nappies & wipes and some without meals.
Parents are directed to my website where they are given not only the terms and conditions but also an introduction to the care and the carers, My service is based on what I can provide as a childminder, it has changed over the years as every family is different with different expectations and attitudes towards childcare.
I don't plan to make any parent who disagrees with my service or causes some conflict to stop me from childminding, it only makes me stronger!
If parents don't like what they see they have the choice to look else where. :)

"- If childminders want to be treated as professionals they should operate in a professional manner, and demanding payment for offering no service is simply not professional."

What a patronising statement!

I am full of admiration for the CM we had in London, she's one of the most professional people I've ever met! She had incredibly high professional standards for her work, and she creating a wonderful, creative, fun, educational environment for the children. She was rated Ofsted outstanding and it was obvious why when you met her.

She chose to charge for holidays. That was her business model and up to her to decide.