Childminders - can you give me some advice please?

[puff]

I will need a childminder later this year (searching at the moment!).

How flexible are childminders generally about hours?

I'm looking at 3 days a week, term time only from 11.30 am until 6.00pm.

At 11.30, the childminder would need to pick up ds2 from nursery, then at 3.30, pick up ds2 and keep them both until 6.00.

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I have a childminder who is extremely flexible. I am doing a degree course and she has ds 3 days a week term time only :) She has him from 9am to maybe about 4/5 at the latest.

Although when we started with her we agreed that she was term time only but now we have an arrangment where she has ds 1 or 2 days a week over the summer so it will be easier on him when I go back to Uni in Sept.

I was unsure about getting a childminder who would want so few hours and each semester my times changed too, but she is so flexible and is such a help to me. Hope you get what you're looking for :)

we are all different. The main thing is to really look around and see what different cms are offering. Most of the cms I know want full days and most want full time (or as near to as possible) however, I am a cm, and am happy to do part time. I'm very pleased as my new baby is to be mostly term time only which suits me well (I have my own two of nearly 7 and 2.5) Most other cms I know don't want term time only.

Some (probably most) will charge you for a full day as your ds2 is taking up an all day place. This would change to after school only when your ds2 goes all day. Some (including me!) would only charge for 11.30 though.

Try ringing round and see what kind of answers you get.

Ime, the older, more established cms are more likely to be looking for full time and to charge a full day, where as the newer cms (and someone with their own young children) may be more flexible in what hours they work.

I'm an older and more established childminder, and I certainly wouldn't charge for a full day!!

I would also recommend just sounding out some local childminders and see what they say. If they want to charge for a full day, or charge half when your ds is at nursery, then at least you have the information about all the minders to decide how you want to proceed.

Mine charges me by the hour, is this not the norm?

Also mine is as described above, at home with young children of her own and 2 other boys as well as mine :)

i would ring round local childminders many do school runs although depends on how old ds2 is.
what area are you in

Puff, were abouts do you live?

West London

Puff ring the school and the Early years department at the council to see if they have a list of childminders who collect from the school. I know that Ealing have started to do this and I think the school has the list too.
If I was aked I would do this type of work and I know quite a few other CM's who would too.

Thanks for all the advice.

I've got the list of childminders - there are so few saying they will collect from our particular school and those that do have no vacancies, however, obviously things can change, so I'll get on the phone and ring round them.

What about childminders who list that they don't do school pick ups? Should I bother ringing them?

yes because they just might not have updated it or could be talking a while to update always worth calling in case you find one you really like.

oh good! thanks!

Also some childminders just haven't done any pick ups as they have younger children and may be able to collect from your particular school but they haven't listed it

Good luck