CMs - Does this sound fair?

[LingDiLong]

I've just had an enquiry from a mum who's child goes to the afternoon nursery class of my children's school. She does shift work and would need someone to have her child 1 or 2 days a week but not every week. It would involve having the child in the morning til I take her to nursery and then after nursery for an hour. I'm thinking I need to charge a full day rate for this as she will effectively be filling a whole day place - even though she's in nursery for a couple of hours. I was also thinking of proposing that the mum commits to, say, one day a week on a contract and then if she uses more she can pay for that as and when??

Does this sound fair? I'd like another customer from my children's own school and I'd like to help out a shift worker but I don't want to look like I'm trying to 'shaft' her.

Other problem I have is that I've had an initial inquiry from someone who may need me in September - this would 3 days a week and I couldn't take both on. Do I hold tight in the hope of more money from the September mum but in the process lose the more immediate prospect???

Never turn the business away in hope somebody else comes back to you. Whoever comes to me I always tell them I have a vacancy now but in a month, two months or longer it may be gone and if they want a space secured they need to come to sign the contract and pay a deposit.
Now with this lady that has just come to you. It depends on what most minders do in your area. You have to be careful not to overprice yourself. Where I live there are no 'daily rates' everybody charges by the hour. You have to remember that people don't like paying for something they are not using. They will only look at things from their point of view not from ours. I tend to charge a higher rate to those who want flexible childcare or term time only contracts rather than introducing some complicated systems with charging half/full fees here and there to retain the space. It also depends how badly you need the money now. You can also suggest an ad hoc contract ... she uses you when she wants and books a week in advance but when somebody else comes along and wants to commit to a set number of days and hours you will no longer be able to help her out. I don't think I've been much help here ... sorry.

It's not so much about fairness as your local market. In london most of the CMs would certainly charge a full day and require a fixed commitment, because there was high demand for their services. In other places there may be CMs willing just to charge for part-day.

It must be v difficult for people needing flexible care, but you also need to earn a living!

Agree with apotomak re handling of the other family.

Apotomak, you have been helpful thanks! I had wondered about suggesting an ad hoc contract and then if someone else comes along giving her first 'refusal' on committing to those days via a contract.

Dozer, round here people don't tend to charge hourly rates, just full or half day. But saying that, there's definitely not a high demand for CMs. I guess I could consider a fee that's between a 1/2 and full day. Hmm. This is the hardest part of childminding - not taking on work that pays too little but not losing out on work in hope of a more well paying job that never comes!

I think you have two issues here.

The first is whether or not to hold the place for another parent in the future. I would suggest that, since neither parent has committed to you, the place is open to whoever decides to use you. In other words, don't count your chickens! I've learned that one the hard way: who's to say your September parent won't change her mind and leave you stranded?
I would personally take on the shift parent now and let September take care of itself - they're even talking about allowing us to do our own variations then, so anything could happen.

Your second issue of what to charge, I think you would be within your rights to charge as you suggest. Another option that I've used in the past is to calculate all the hours that the parent is likely to use over the whole shift pattern and average them out, so if your parent works no hours in week 1, 24 in week 2, 15 in week 3 and 6 in week 4, you'd work out the average for the month and charge this every week. Hope that makes sense!

I would also charge while the child was at nursery, by the way.