can i get some advice about whether i should get a new cm when we move?

[VulvaVoom]

firstly, i don't normally write like this but am on my phone and it's a massive pain!
anyway, Im moving approx 20 miles away in a few weeks but staying in the same pt job. this would mean Dd travelling with me about 45 mins each way. their house will now be directly on my way rather than driving down to them and back up to work iyswim? Im just wondering if this is a bit much for Dd? she loves them and i feel a bit sick if i think about moving her!
lots of people are shocked by the cost of my cm, as they charge for our hols (6-8 weeks a year) our hols - understandable but also for bank hols.
i don't know what to do for the best, any words of wisdom appreciated!
also, does anyone know a good cm in melksham, Corsham, atworth or shaw?!

sorry, should say their hols (6-8 weeks a year)

I am a childminder. It isn't all that unusual to charge for CM hols, though 4 weeks is more standard IME. I used to charge 50% of my fees for up to 4 weeks hols, though I have recently stopped charging for my hols. I do charge for bank holidays if I am available to work them and I do charge for parents hols. 6-8 weeks at full pay is at the top end of reasonable though, particularly for that area. Having said that, if you are happy and your child is happy there I would discuss it with them before pulling your child out. Good childcare can be really difficult to find and it isn't good for your DC to be changing care very often, particularly when they are quite young. You could always have a look at childcare.co.uk or speak to your local Family Information Service, who will have a list of childminders. Even if you don't intend to switch you could ask around to see what is normal in your specific area.

Give it a try and see how it goes, meanwhile keep you eye out for childminders local to your new home.

Long term you will need to change childminder as your current childminder won't be able to take/collect dd from school.

thanks for your replies. lightening - i went on childcare.co.uk recently and it reactived my profile, without me realising, my cm saw it and texted me to ask if she'd upset me - so Im scared to go on again atm. they do know we're moving though. argh, its so hard.

As a childminder I would say there are advantages either way. With your daughter staying with a current childminder. She is closer to your work. So if she is ill or has an accident it will be quicker for you to get to her.
If you change childminders, as you say, you won't have the long drive with her either end of the day.

You could have a chat with your childminder and see if you can negotiate some changes to the contract.

By the way, you don't have to log on to childcare.co.uk to check out other childminders. That way your current childminder won't know you're looking ;)

Sorry not much help on your actual issue, except that I don't see much of a problem with the 45 min drive, if she is very happy and settled.

As for the childcare website, you could just not log on and still search (I do this as I sometimes don't want people seeing I have been online).

Good luck :)

My only issue about having such a long drive home after a long day would be that my dd (age 3) would fall asleep and then refuse to go to sleep again until really late. Although you would see more of your dc, you might not appreciate having them up really late because they fell asleep in the car on the way home.
If child goes to cm near home, they will get to know the local area, people around them, eg, shop keepers, other children they will go to school with, which is nice for them.