Question from a Mummy to all childminders : Please I need your help as I serioulsy get worried !!!!

[Summerfruit]

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Why don't you just ask the childminder? Chances are each one will do it differently so why not just ask her?

It is quite normal for them to charge a retainer for the hours they do not have them, as they can't fill those hours with another child - especially if CM will have them when nursery doesn't during holidays etc.

I put this in my handbook,

UNDER 5?S IN OTHER SETTINGS

A child is counted as an under 5 by Ofsted until they are in full time education i.e. at school for 10 sessions a week.

A child who is at pre school is a under 5 and if they are with a childminder before and after pre school, and require a fulltime space during the holidays they therefore are taking a childminders full time space. As such you are required to pay retainer fee for the time that they are at preschool, as the childminder cannot then fill the part time that they are at pre school.

but it really is up to the childminder how she runs her business, ask her.

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what do you mean by hour summer, do you mean just the hours you actually need. I would charge that if you didn't need me in holidays, or me to be responsible for the child if the nursery called to say she was ill or something, say a snow day, teachers training.

Every childminder works differently. Some may expect some kind of payment for the hours your dd will be at preschool, others may only charge for the hour before and after.

I guess that's not very helpful, but we are all so individual!

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some cm's charge a minimum hours, ie: if your LO is there just before school, they may charge minimum of two hours?

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Look one www.childcare.gov.uk it will give you the CMs in your area and the pices they charge love.

if you want both children in full days, 5 days per week , here it would be prob max £4 per hour @ 8 hours, i get that to £1280 per month(but thats here and thats me), you may pay less/more per hour or get discount for siblings.
what area are you in?

and you should get help paying for childcare from tax credits

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DS3 has been to 2 childminders part time, both charged/charge only the hours he attends. Worth seeing as many as you can.

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you would probably have to pay for full days for both your children.

So, if you wanted 8am-6pm (going rate in your area I would think about £5 per hour) you are looking at £40 per day x 2.

Some childminders will give a sibling discount, but not all.

Once your eldest goes to nursery/school all day, you would pay for the hours used for her, so 8am-9am and then 3.30pm-6pm.... and all day for your younger dd.

HTH.

most c/minders here me included would have to charge while a child is at nursery as there is no way you could fill the time - my mindee is at nursery for 2.5 hours & by the time i walk home from his school that would only leave 2 hours & actually only 1.5 as i have walk back to get him !!! plus what if you did fill the time what about holidays & training days? really c/minder has to charge to make it worthwhile

summerfruit- you need to look for a flexible childminder (or maybe one who has just started). One of ds3's childminders has her flexibility as her selling point. Some children go all day, some half days. DS3 does 9.30 to 2.30 once a week. I just pay when he's there. She's full now (and not local to you), but well worth looking for someone offering a similar service. They're rare, but do exist.

DS3's other childminder who had him part time had just started and was happy to be flexible. She moved 200 miles away - but again only charged when he was there. That might have changed if she'd filled up I guess, but it wasn't mentioned.

If it helps and you are local enough the Wandsworth Childminding Association have a Meet The Minder session coming up:
Meet the Minder session is on Friday 16th March 2007 10am-12noon at Early Years Centre, Siward Road, SW17 0LA For more information contact the Wandsworth Childminders Association on 020 8870 5396

Could be a useful way of meeting a fair few childminders and getting to know how they would charge for your circumstances.

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