Holding Fee

[Moomin]

I have arranged temporary care with a childminder for my dd2 who will be 8m at the time of care. I only need care from this childminder for 6 weeks, 2 days a week from June. She told me there was a holding fee of £150 so I paid it but now I've read the contract in more detail I can see this is non-returnable and not to be used as payment for care. I can understand a holding fee is used by childminders to hold places open, which is fair enough but £150 seems VERY steep for just 6 weeks' worth - it's about half what I'll be paying for the whole 6 weeks!!! is this usual?

It is completely up to the childminder.
Some charge half fees to hold the place open, some don't charge at all.
From a CM's point of view for the next two months she will have an empty space and if no retainer was charged, she would have no income for that period.
What is it? About 8 weeks? So the equivilent of 16 days? 150/16... brain not really working but under £10 a day.
I'd say fair enough.
I've only had this once and I charged the parents 1/3 of the weekly fee's to hold the space.
I felt bad, but it is a business...

I agree with Jackmummy that it is obviously up to the individual childminder to set her own terms and conditions, but I do think that it's a bit steep considering that it's only short-term, temporary care!