Questions about childminding fees

[melpomene]

Hi,

I am thinking about looking for work and have some questions on childminding fees:

• what hourly rate could I expect to pay? (I'm in Cambridge)
• if I need a childminder to look after my dds before/after a session at preschool, will I have to pay the childminder for the hours they are at preschool as well?

Hi
I'm in Bury St Eds and childcare here is expensive but Cambridge is far worse!
I pay £16 per session (morning or afternoon, 5 hours) for my 3 yr old, it's £19 for under 2's.
that's at a cheaper, friendlier nursery!
Childminders are less but you can still expect to pay upwards of £3 an hour. most will offer 2 types of care, before & after school, and full-time. Look for one that does what suits you best, you should expect to have to pay even in holidays when you're child isn't there. lots of them do it to fit in with their children so have the flexibility to take children for extra hours in school holidays too. Remember with childminders that if they are ill, you have no childcare, whereas nurseries have staff to cover illness.
A good option for school age children are nurseries that do before/after school clubs, mine will collect the pre-schoolers after their session at the local 'big school' and just charge for the time they have them, not the hours they are at school.
see cambridgeshire childcare advice for more help
anyway, before I ramble on too much, Cambridge is expensive, and has VERY long waiting lists so do lots of research and compare prices, if it's possible to work outside the city and get childcare near work it would probably be cheaper!
hope my ramblings have helped x

Thats not always true about illness because childminders sometimes have arrangements with other childminders to cover sickness. Some childminders work together. Also childminders as a rule do tend to be at 'carting off in a box stage' before they will go off sick whereas nursery staff I imagine are not like that. After all they are not running their own business. For instance I was poorly last week with food poisoning but my husband walked the preschool children to school for me as he is named as my assistant and has had all checks etc.

that's great but unfortunately in this area those kind of arrangements are few and far between, it is still quite rural. and no, as a former nursery nurse we do not take days off sick at the slightest thing.