paying my childminder for hours spent at school nursery?

[gemmiegoatlegs]

Does anyone know if I am obliged to pay my childminder for the 2.5 hours each day that my ds attends school nursery? He's starting this week and I am unsure as to what my fees should be. I understand that if my childminder is keeping the day to look after my children i have to pay, but i was also thinking that the government subsidises childcare for 3 and 4 year olds. So if I didn't send him to nursery we would get assistance with our childminder's fees. Surely I wouldn't have to pay cm as well??

I charge because I cannot possible fill those hours with another mindee and it's not costing my current mindees parent any more anyway.

As for government subsidising - they pay for 5 nursery sessions a week (every morning or afternoon) to encourage children to start preparing for school. They wouldn't subsidise general childcare ifswim.

HTH

This should be covered in the contract you set up originally with the cm, along with holidays etc. I would expect to pay as who is responsible for your child during that time otherwise should there be an issue or emergency?

p.s. you're not obliged but if they do charge (it's up to them, it's their business), you may have to find another childminder if you don't want to pay.

Would they be dropping off and/or collecting your child?

yes its normal to pay. after all the CM cant get another child for these hours

I pay, seeing as the childminder is "on call" if my child falls ill @ school and she needs to pick her up etc... Only fair, I say

Hi
I charge for the time when my mindies are at nursery, as long as I am both dropping off and collecting and/or if care is needed in the holidays. I do this because the parents still need the place when the child is ill or when nursery is closed and therefore I am still available when the child is at nursery.

I think that this is pretty standard. If you dont pay, then its unfair to expect your CM to keep the time available during holidays etc.

You would only get the Nursery Education Grant for your child if your childminder is accredited to deliver early years education.

It is pretty much standard practice to charge whilst a child is at play grup or nursery, otherwise the childminder doesn't need to keep the place for you, example what happens on occasional days and inset?

I always had to pay my childminder for the whole time I was away from my child even if I dropped DS off at playgroup and she didn't see him until she collected him at the end of the morning. She would have been the first point of call if he had been ill.

I will be dropping ds off at nursery, cm will collect. Of course I was prepared to pay the time she travels to collect him. As for being the emergency contact, or having my son when he's ill, that is not an issue. I will always be there in case of illness/accident as there is nothing more pressing than my children's welfare. My cm would not take ill kids anyway. I am starting a uni course, not going to wortk so holidays will not be a problem as i will have nothing but time...

well then it's down to what your childminder says she charges. she may still charge as she's very unlikely to get a child for those few hours in the morning. you never know though.

Gemmiegoatlegs - unfortunatley that makes you an even more undesirable client

Ideally a childminder wants 3 children 8 til 6 50 weeks a year
You are looking for say 12 til 5 termtime only

If I was interviewing prospective clients, unless you were prepared to pay for the time you weren't using, you would go down on the list

Sorry if I am blunt - but over a year she will lose nearly £5K on the transaction (using my rate of £3.30 per hour)

So unless she can find someone to fill that 8-12 space & the whole day in the holidays, she may well want paying

Obviously I dont know either your or her circumstances. But that maybe the way she sees it? Sorry

Just in defence of childminders - there are lots of us out here who are happy not to have full-time, all-day, 50 weeks/year minded children!

If you are dropping off at nursery and the childminder is collecting - then isn't this quite similar to your child just starting later with the childminder (as long as you pay for travel time to the nursery as well as from).

As for having time in the holidays - you will need to do assignments etc.

Sorry Gemmiegoatlegs - there is a possibility I was having a very bad day yesterday.

Three of my families cut their hours last week - and it might have made me a little sensative about the matter

Sorry

When my mindee starts nursery i was thinking of charging half pay (as thats what i had wrote in my prospectus) Half pay for when at nursery. I thought that was the norm??

i have children i pick up from nursery and dont charge for the morning (dont even charge for travel)
as for school hols i have a list of children who just want school hols so would be pleased with a term time only child
not to bothered on loss of earnings as i'm on a good wage and enjoy quiet mornings

We are all different. Id prefer term time only really as my dh is a teacher. Also I only charge for 48 weeks of the year as just taking two weeks off a year would drive me mad but there you go.

i will be charging whilst mindee is in nursery as ill be the one 'on call' whilst shes there..thenursery palces are free, but if you choose to use a cm, to drop of, pick up and look after till you finish, its highly likely you will pay for that full day as has been said no one can fill a place for 2 1/2 hours a day.
so if you refuse to pay, you might find it hard to find someone who would do such hours

you'll have to ask around the childminders in your area gemmie.

the hours you want to pay for are exactly the hours I want to work (are you in Glasgow??!!)

all childminders are different , it's getting one that suits you thats hard.