CM advice re Fees

[bigpaws]

Briefly - a child starting school in Sept is doing 4 weeks of half days. Second week is a couple of full days; last week 3 full days.

Parent gave me the rota from school, and I agreed to do all the half days but will only charge for what the child is here ie 1pm-6pm + 30mins allowing for school run. Not charging when the child is on a full day at school.

Seems reasonable of me since I can't fill the place?

Parent is now saying they will take a couple of days off work to collect the child themselves. I had already done the invoice for next months fees, and included all the half days we had agreed.

Parent is objecting me charging the days they are off work.

I feel I'm getting myself in a muddle. What is everyone else doing about fees?

as a person who's DD goes to a childminder, if i set something out with my CM and then change it at the last minute, i would still expect to be charged as its my fault for changing plans....x

Absolutely. I had many times when I was childminding where parents took time of work and didn't use my services, they always paid as per usual as they pay for when I'm 'contracted' to work. Tbh, your parent is lucky you didn't charge all day for those half days as they still count as an under 5 year old. I always gave parents a choice of not using my services for those half days so they didn't have to pay or I charged all day as before until they started school full time as I was unable to fill their space with a new under 5 until they started school. Stick to your guns! :)

Have they given sufficient notice as per your contract to take 'holiday' as they are not needing you those days so is same as them taking holiday.

How long term a client are they? You may have cared for this child a number of years and could do for a number of years to come.

Thank you for your replies.

I charge full fees for parents holidays/child absence, no fee for my holidays. So that isn't a deciding factor in this instance regardless of how much notice was given.

I could have charged for the full days as I am unable to fill the place due to the child being under 5yrs - however it didn't seem fair as I am unable to do that particular school run in a morning or afternoon. So I knew I could only manage half a day.

I'm just annoyed that the parent and I went through the whole 4wk schedule together and I was accommodating - wanting to disrupt the child as little as possible.

The parent has since decide to work the two days I invoiced as (in their words) 'I begrudge paying for a service I am not using'. If they resent paying me £40 for the 2 half days, rather than having the joy of collecting their child from their first days of school then no I don't feel bad.

I have had the child full-time from 6wks old, and they are asking for me to collect them anyway.