Should I be paying my childminder

[IneedAsockamnesty]

When she cancels for things like her kids being sick or having docters/ hospital appointments.

I usually get the cancellation via txt quite late the night before meaning I don't go to work the entire next day.

I only use her 2 days a week as those days I cannot take kids with me and pay over £110 per day ( 8 hours)

These cancelations are over and above her normal holiday pay as she has 5 weeks a year on top of other absences.

So far out of the last 40 days I have paid for she has late cancelled 10 always citing her kids illness or appointments.

I cannot find our contract but apparently its a standered one (what ever that means) from a printed pad of them.

I wrote an email today basicly highlighting my concerns. Copy and pasting a few very good lines from advice you lovely lot have given me on here and via pm.

Ending it with a request to meet to discuss it ASAP, hopefully I will hear back from her soon.

£5ph per dc. 8x5 for the LO = £40pd. 1.5x5 for the 13yo = £7.50pm. Total £47.50 per day. And you are paying three times that!!!

Even if she has the 13yo eoght hours thats still only another £40 (working on fiver an hour eveb thoigh its cheaper than that round here). So £80 per day max.

And id expect meals for that.

If our cm cancels we don't pay, if we cancel we pay. Simple.

Hi, how did it go?

I honestly can't believe how much you are paying her for doing nothing 25% off the time

Charging full rate for a school age child is totally unheard off to me, childminders round here don't even charge when mindees are in nursery for their 15 hours a a week.

She is taking you for a total fool.

We are meeting Monday evening.

Update.

I had a email yesterday cancelling our meeting saying illness and a further email today saying that one of her mindees has hand foot and mouth so inline with ofstead requirements she is unable to have any mindees for a period of 10 days.

I've had a chance to check the contract and it makes no reference to absence on her behalf other than holiday.

So I have emailed her back given her notice in line with the notice period in the contract also said that I won't be sending the children back during this notice and have posted a cheque to cover the notice period minus the days she is unable to have any mindees.

I think that's very reasonable of you. But have you got other childcare sorted out?

generally hand, foot & mouth doesn't require exclusion

good for you Sock......she is giving childminders a bad name!

I have had little ones with Hand foot and mouth and if they were really poorly then they go home but more often than not they stay! I had three go down with chicken pox and they all stayed here...the consensus of all the (fab) parents was "well if A had got it then B and C will go down with it!"....and they did.

I am sorry you have had such a shit time.....there are fab childminders out there. Its a pity i dont live near to you - i would show you what a childminder is like. I am full of a cold and sinusitis and would love to have time off but i havent (all have gone home now btw- i am vegging on the sofa).

good luck Sock

Well I've had a reply to my email basically saying she's disappointed that I have given notice,

So I've just sent a rather less reasonable reply back saying that I did because I was disappointed with her lack of reliability her general work ethic the high volume of absence from being available for work,and pointing out the info given by the above poster re hand foot and mouth and pointed out that neither she nor my children actually have it even if exclusion was warrented. I added that I felt she had taken advantage of my lack of knowledge regarding ofsted rules to try and use them as an excuse for not working and also taken advantage of my reasonable nature when it comes to making payments.

I haven't yet obtained other childcare but my brothers just told me his wife is finishing work next week so I'm going to ask her if she would be willing to be employed by me on a temp basis until I can find a suitable nanny.

Good for you Sockreturningpixie. I too would love to be able to help you out and show you how reliable and honest a good CM is.

You tell her!