CM CLUB - I feel like GIVING UP! Moan.

[LoveMyGirls]

I really do i have 1 ft mindee who may be leaving by december (ive had him for about 4 months) i havent had any phonecalls for after school care, any phonecalls i have had have been for part time or too many children.

I dont know what to do, unless i get some more children soon i just can't afford to run with this, im working weekends to make end meet (but they're not meeting, they're miles apart!)

I'm fed up. I can't go out to work in the daytime because my dd2 is only 1 and i can't afford childcare because we don't get working famillies tax anymore so between my 2 children i would be paying out more than i could earn as i'm not skilled in anything.

so i'm left with working eves n wkends (if i take up working eves again i won't see my dp ) why does life have to be so difficult sometimes.

when i started this i knew it would take a while to get going but i'm tired and fed up of not even being able to pay the bills never mind enjoy ourselves when we're both working so hard.

Please someone tell me this will get better and it's worth sticking it out. I need some motivational stories please........

sorry for moaning thanks for reading.

I know, there seems to be a bit of a shortage of children in some areas including mine. You don't seem to get the full-time ones like you used to perhaps cos parents are working shifts and covering for each other. I hardly ever get phone calls (last one over a year ago), but my e-mail is on the local childcare service info. on the web and my last parents contacted me this way - my reply included a photo of the garden with all the toys out. Where I am, new childminders go to the childminding group even if they're not minding yet, and childminders who are full-up might recommend them to parents. Consider taking on a part-time one - parents like to see you already minding. Have you tried cards in the newsagents etc? - remember many parents don't mind at all driving some way to a good childminder's so put cards where it might be busier or a posh area. Some parents prefer e-mailing to phoning so consider putting this down.

I have a website, all my business cards and flyers have my email on as well, i got to 4 groups a week and have put the word round that im looking for more children, there are 2 ft'ers in the pipeline but whether they will come to me remains to be seen and if they do it could be months, im already well into my overdraught, working 57hrs a week but things keep happening to cost us money, in the past few weeks we've had the tumble dryer break down, the computer, my car, both my childrens birthdays and now we've got christmas coming up! i need to earn more money its that simple.

you say you've had phone calls for part-time. cant you take on part-timers. i think alot of childminders make up their hours and money from lots of part-timers rather than 2 or 3 full-time mindees.

i had the phone calls about pt'ers when i was waiting for a ft'er to start (but he didnt start as planned so they have found someone else) i was holding out as i thought waiting a month for a ft'er was better then starting immediately with a pt'er.

Lovemygirls, Don't give up if minding is truly want you want to do, as you my know from my threads a while ago it has taken me over two years to be nearly full, I have a space on four days which I don't want to fill as I'd rather be flexible for my parents.

Don't give up on the partimers as these if they go are easier to fill than a fulltime place (imo), as for phonecalls I hadn't had one for over a year untill I had one in the hols (which I couln't do )and all my mindees are all from word of mouth.

Oh dear, sounds like you've got it covered on the childminding side apart perhaps from advertising in a wider area. In the longer term things will probably get better for you income-wise so you need a short-term solution? A friend of mine has been without an income for a few months and has been making enough to get buy by selling nearly everything she doesn't need on e-bay; regarded it as a job in itself - says her house is quite minimal now! What about grandparents, if they're benefitting from you doing a good job at home with their grandchildren why shouldn't they help out? Also, looking at it from another angle, there are some American books written by stay at home mothers about ways to save money on outgoings but can't remember the names, perhaps someone else does?

im working wkends as a carer but its still not enough to pay back what i owe on my od its enough to stop us going any deeper as long as nothing else breaks!! (fingers crossed) and we will have to tell our famillies that we can't afford much for xmas this year. i wouldn't mind not buying/ recieving anything from my family but dp does mind as his family always spend a fortune on all of us and so he feels we should spend £20 each on members of his family as they buy for 4 of us iykwim. Then if he does that i feel awful if i dont get my family anything as then it looks like favouritism and my family will always buy for my kids and a little something for each of us.

i really hope things improve as theres no way i really want to give this up but if mindee does leave then what am i supposed to do?

cant sell on ebay as we hardly have anything as it is.

amphion - whats that about grandparents i didnt get it? do you mean they could help us by looking after our kids so i can work? we can't do that as im only 24 so our parents are still in full time work themselves.

You may have tried this already but local schools are a good source. I mentioned at my son's school I was thinking about starting and have been inundated. No full time but two separate little ones over four days plus midday pickups to 6pm. Some schools have newsletters you can advertise in. Hope this helps.

i did ask in the school office when i first started but at the school has a nursery and a kids club attached its a bit of a no hoper, but do you think they would let me hand out flyers or cud i put a laminated flyer up on the lamp posts near the school? (im not sure what the rules are with this?) i dont want to get in trouble but i do need more business coming my way.

Don't know about the lamposts but maybe the office could take some flyers or aposter for their notice board if they have one. The kidsclub might even be oversubscribed or be willing to recommend you to people with preschoolers? What about local papers too some are free to advertise. As for the Chrissy pressies I bet your families would hate you to be worrying about them. We just buy for each others kids-huge releif all round.

regarding grandparents, well.... I meant a bit of short-term financial help - surely they must see how hard you're working (weekend work plus childminding plus looking after your own, a lot more than previous generations had to do I think)? Anyway no need to answer, don't want to pry, I just sympathise with your situation.

I think you should consider taking on part-time if you are asked - I actually only have one full-time child, but all my other slots are filled in with a variety of part-timers.

Have you put flyers through letterboxes? Don't just offer part-time or full-time, offer occasional care too (for people wanting a break from their children!) just to keep you going until you have more permanent children.

Have you exhausted all the possibilities on this thread here .

Around here there doesn't seem to be many full timers so when I started out I decided to take on part-timers and I now have 13 of them .
One only comes for 5 hours a week, one comes for 20 hours, the others come somewhere inbetween and some of them are after schoolers and some are school age who only come in the holidays. I also do emergency care for another one whose proper childminder has had family probs and I have him when necessary.
They all slot in nicely together and the bonus is that if you lose one you only lose part of your income not the whole lot.

hi thanks everyone,

i have done alot with advertising, i've done leaflet drops, flyers up in shops, word of mouth, free websites, bumping cis. i'm considering getting a sticker or sun blinds for my car but they need money i havent got.

i will consider part time if im asked as i cant afford to be picky but it will be just my luck taht a pt will start just as i get someone wanting ft. i guess thats just the way it goes.

thanks for your support everyone sometimes you can feel very alone. (esp as i really had to convince my dp this was a good idea so i cant tell him how scared i am that i will be out of work by xmas, though he has said as soon as mindees mum gives me notice he expects me to go out and get a job)

as for family help we have got no chance, my mum is in debt and any spare money goes on the house or holidaqys which is only fair for her plus if she started handing money out to me my brothers and sister (5 of us all together) would expect the same so she cant give my anything really. dp's family would help if they could too.

Totally agree about part timers. This lot on MN persuaded me to go with part timers and boy were they right, it worked out perfect. I was worried too about taking on a part timer and then getting an enquiry for a full time space but I'm so glad I listened! If a full timer leaves, you've got a massive drop in income so I'm happier this way now.

I really hope it all works out for you, I know how you feel about the work not coming as I had loads as soon as I started, then it went really quiet and I'd got rid of 3 (long story, had to be done otherwise was going to loose my full timer), then dh lost his job on xmas eve and I was panicking!! Then in January the calls started coming again and I soon filled the extra space with part timers. It went quiet again and all of a sudden, I've had about 6/7 enquiries in the last week or 2. Just trying to say, it can go all quiet and then the opposite so fingers crossed you get the calls soon!!!

By the way, totally agree with offering occasional/emergency care. Let CIS know, put posters up on village noticeboards if you have them, in local shops and up at the toddler groups. I also have an advert up at my local soft play area when I need the work.

I'm sorry it's such a quiet time for you right now. It must be very frustrating. When I first started minding things were so quiet I started dropping flyers advertising babysitting only but mentioning that I was CRB checked and a registered childminder etc. I got lots of babysitting bookings from that who are still regular clients and they got me a few childminding leads to boot.
I always took my whole portfolio, photos and business cards round whenever I did the initial babysitting meeting and also provided a form for them to fill out their children's details and contact details. This they would keep in their own homes for future use should they ever need my babysitting service again.
It's not great money but may just keep things afloat for you and leave you free to accept that elusive next minding job.
Good luck.

I've never had a full-timer in over 5 years of childminding. I've always taken on anyone I've got space for but I charge different hourly rates - £4 per hour for less than 20 hours weekly, £3.60 per hour for more than 20 hours and £32 for a full day. I would discount again if anyone ever wanted a full week.

I encourage callers to visit - if I haven't a space I suggest they keep my details & give me a call when their chosen cm is sick/on hol etc. And if I do have a space, I rarely turn people away. The hours/days people want often change between their first phone call and the signing of the contracts. Once I took on a 6:30 am start - no-one else here would consider it. Happened that mum changed jobs & i only had to get up early for a couple of mornings after all.

Currently I've 10 part timers & am earning slightly more than dh. But 3 have already requested reduction in hours - nothing ever lasts.

I've often been on the point of giving up, because of lack of income and the pressure from family to get a "proper" job. But I love my job & I keep on going. Last June I faced the prospect of summer with 1 mindie. 5 mindies signed up in July so hope something similar happens to you.

Chin up!!

That's true. My 2 one year olds started off as 1 day a week. One has turned into 3 days a week and the other has used me for the extra day for a couple of months. That will be ending (the extra day) once we've moved so I will offer occasional care again. All worked out well for me and I honestly didn't think it would until everyone on here convinced me

well i've bumped myself on childcare link so fingers crossed i will get some phonecalls by the end of the week/ month as i've called my weekend job and they don't need me for the time being so this is my only hope of surviving!

Can you work for sitters or something. Jellyjelly used to get lots of babysitting work out of this!

I've also had work through Social Services needing emergency placements - perhaps you could give them a call to register your interest?

I've signed up with sitters but they want 2 references from families whose children i've looked after so ill have to try and get some.
then she text me and said she'll let me know when they're interviewing in my area.

well thanks to LOONEYTUNE i may be in for some good luck!

first of all the kids club at the school passed my number onto someone wanting care for a 7 yr old (ok so she hasnt called me yet but the interest is there)

2nd LT helped me sort out my CIS advert and now it looks much better and today i got a phonecall for a 10mth old baby, part time.

so hopefully things are on the up!

Thanks so much LOONEYTUNE!!!!!