Am i BU?

[goindowntoyasgursfarm]

I've asked my CM for a couple of changes to my DCs' arrangements, one of which is that she picks up DS2 at 8.30am and drops him at nursery for 8.45am, one day per week.

She says she has to charge me all the way up to 12 noon for this day, as he is her responsibility?!? Is this normal/reasonable? Have only had a CM for a few months so I'm really not sure. Surely he's the responsibility of the nursery teachers once he arrives there??

Yes he is the schools responsibly once there, but she prob means if he is ill/nursery shut that she will have him all morning/go and collect him. So she will need to keep that space open for him.

Also I think you will find most cm will charge a full half day fee for that time as not worth doing for just 15 mins pay. You may find one that only charges you for a hour but if they are sick etc you will need to leave work to collect/have them as she may not have room for him.

It's because you are taking up a whole precious preschool shift. She won't be able to fill the space with another child because she'll be over numbers.

It's perfectly normal and you'd be unlikely to find a cm who doesn't charge.

Agreed it's normal.

Thanks - ok, I kind of understand this from the 'taking up a space' point of view, but why has she framed it as though he's her responsibility when he's at nursery? That's what I find odd.

If he was sick or the nursery shut, however, I would definitely expect to take up the slack and leave work to get him - she wouldn't be looking after him all morning.

Gah, think I'll have to come up with an alternative ...

This is really common. The idea is that if your dc was ill the cm would take responsibility and xollect him. We had the same situation but got round it by asking a friend to do the drop off and the cm just to collect after so the cm wasn't responsible but I still was.

In most cases the child would be the the responsibility of the childminder, so maybe she has assumed that this will be in this case.

Have you told her that you'll be responsible if he is sick/teachers on strike/snow day/school holidays etc?

I suspect the real reason for her not wanting to do this for next to nothing is that it would be a lot of effort and not really worth her while, and that a full day child in that place would be less disruptive as well as better financially. She may also be put out at your changing your requirements, especially if your changes impact on her income and/or her routines. I think parents sometimes forget that you start out with your CM with mutually acceptable terms. There isn't any guarantee that if you move the goalposts she will continue to be happy to go along with this, particularly if it makes no sense for her business.

With all the paperwork and effort needed, there's no way on earth I'd take on a 15min A WEEK contract especially when it sounds like all you need is a taxi service. I don't blame here for trying to make it worth her while.

I think she'd be picking him up at 12pm that day Nick and it sounds like she also has him other days so it wouldn't be 15 mins a week.

Oh really? It didn't read that way to me, sorry. Maybe OP could clarify the full extent of the contract?

Also consider she had a space to fill & if you had originally asked for just 15 minutes pay until pick up time she probably wouldn't have taken you on but would have waited until someone needing an all-day space came along. We can only care for a limited number of pre-school children at any one time & these spaces are too precious til block a whole morning for just 15 minutes pay. IMO it's nothing to do with being 'on-call' as I would expect a parent to collect a sick child from nursery.

perfectly normal to charge esp if cm picks up at 12, as otherwise she cant use her under 5 space for another child

if you literally wants care 8.30/845 and cm wont be picking up at 12/have rest of the day, and you will be getting him if ill/falls over etc, then i would use a taxi to take your ds to nursery

maybe you can do the drop off and be in charge of ds, and cm start at 12 no matter what, but again she may not do that as then will only earn 1/2 a days pay, unless she has someone who wants 3hrs care in am but not pm

Thanks for the explanations, all - I totally see now that it's reasonable for her to charge.

Just to clarify - DS2 does go to her at other times during the week - I'm not just asking for a 15-minute per week contract! And these recent changes I've requested are almost doubling her income with me, in fact.

The taxi thing that a couple of you have mentioned, though - would you really put your 4yos in a taxi by themselves?! Yikes, I wouldn't.

Questions answered, anyway ... I'm just a bit baffled why, when I asked her speculatively about a week ago if she could take DS2 at 8.30 and drop him at nursery for 8.45, she just said 'yes' - it should probably have been 'Yes, but I'll have to charge you till 12' Ah well!

Perhaps you both made an assumption, she assumed you would know that you still needed to pay during the time, you assumed you did not pay during that time.

I have learnt that when it comes to anything that involves a financial element that I confirm something verbal later via email and state if charges remain the same or are different.

Yep, you're right, Cindy!

my friend used a taxi for 6 weeks after she broke her leg,he was crbed and same driver each time

Yes ... but 4, though?!

We have home/school taxis here. The LA uses them for children from nursery age, mostly with additional needs. They do have a driver and a chaperone, though.