Cm club - I need some advice/reassurance please.

[Cmneedsadvice]

I've been approached by a family, who are looking to change cm. CM has moved house and the extra time added to their morning drop off and afternoon pick up has become too big a problem to get over so they are looking for alternatives.

I know the cm (there is a clique...which i am not part of) and am a bit worried that it'll look like I'm taking her business. Actually, typing that out makes me sound a bit silly! I feel quite uneasy around them at the best of times because they all know eachother really well and spend a lot of their week together whereas I only pass them on the school run or once a week at playgroup.

So, am I breaking a massive rule of CM club by even considering this or is it every cm for themselves?!

Amongst the families I work with, I have a family who came to me after their previous cm gave them notice for behaviour and a mindee who had a trial session with another cm which went quite badly. Both cms are part of the 'quiche'. Am I going to be labelled a 'mindee snatcher'?!

Well i am part of a childminding group and we have a kind of uwritten rule about this kind of thing.............. if a parent approaches you and enquires about your services for whatever reason they might have then its fair, afterall is up to the parents who they choose to look after their children. The big no no is if a childminder approaches a parent offering to give them a 'better service' or 'a cheaper deal', thats poaching and if you did that then you would be labelled as 'a mindee snatcher'.

I dont see anything wrong with taking on this child, afterall if the commute is making it impossible for them then if you dont take the child then someone else will because they not going to stay with the original childminder.

I took on a child because the parents weren't happy with their cm, I didn't know the cm well as I was new, this was 2 years ago and her clique still Ignore me but the parent told her it was only distance so as not to upset her, so whatever you do could be deemed as wrong. At the end of the day you're running a business so you do what you think is best, the one who ignores me is no loss to me and is practically empty because of how she behaves.

I took over a child.from another local minder. I told her the parents had approached me and she accepted it was their choice and not my fault, although she was understandably upset. As long as you are not undercutting or deliberately poaching, then you are operating a legitimate business.

Has the parent told the other CM yet?

I had one exactly the same as south. The parents actually live next door to me and when I registered they came to me as we were closer. The whole clique still ignore me, and plan get-togethers in my earshot at groups. It's a good job I am not bothered as I can tell they are trying to annoy me, its like being in the playground

ps you said quiche he he (imagines a group of mean cms baked into an egg-based pastry tart)

Have the parents told their current childminder of the problem they are having and that they have spoken to you? If so, why not approach the cm and ask her if you can contact her or get together for a coffee to discuss the child and have a handover for continuity of care (with the parents permission)? That way she knows that the family approached you and hopefully avoid any anomosity.