Childminder's holidays

[cjm10979]

I toyed with the idea of putting this in AIBU, but thought I would get more relevant responses here.

We have a childminder to look after 2 DDs, one school age, one pre-school. I have known her for some time and is a good childminder with no complaints generally over the last few years of using her.

Around 85% of the children she regularly looks after are of school age. All the clients have different hours/days for the care, so no one family's requirements are exactly the same.

We have an all year contract and up to 6 weeks holiday for either side (some others do have term time only and pay a higher rate accordingly). During holidays for either party she charges 0.5 the usual rate. The problem is that the childminder mainly takes her holidays in term term. Her children are teenagers, 1 is about to go to uni and they get the grandparents to stay in their house when they are way. Our relatives are not close by/have their own health issues so we are not able to do the same when she goes on holiday. Additionally, some of the other clients are foreigners with no family in this country, so it's difficult for them to do the same.

I understand that she needs to take holidays and it not an issue with the 0.5 rate, it's just that we have to take holiday in term time to cover hers. Then we have hardly any holiday left ourselves to take as a family. We can only have 2 weeks & 1 day off together this year. I don't think we we be able to both take time off around xmas as we won't have enough. She is going on a 10 consecutive day holiday in September.

How do other childminders deal with this? I do think she is taking the piss a bit, given that 85% of the children & almost all the families will have at least 1 school aged child.

I'm a childminder. I have 11 families on my books, with 6 preschool / babies and another 5 school aged children. It is impossible to balance the needs of all the families so I take my holidays to suit my family.

I am taking a week in term time next year because it is saving us quite a bit off our holiday. My parents understand that I work my arse off for them, am rediculously flexible to the extent that I've taken kids on family days out with us because the parents were stuck.

Me too mean. I'd consider it a breakdown of our relationship.

Absolutely me too MeanAger!

Another CM here who would give notice to a client trying to bully me/ tell me how to run my business.

My childminder chooses her own holidays. She takes Christmas but the rest can vary. We are lucky with family help.
Our school has breakfast club and after school care which I would use if I was stuck. Also the nursery my son went to offered breakfast and after school care.

If it's younger kids maybe nursery is a better option for you.

It is tough and I think it is important holidays are together as a family as often as possible. But also good childminder is very valuable it's hard to trust someone with your children. Balancing act. Don't envy you.

One suggestion could be that the childminder explores other CM that have spaces to help with holiday cover. Could the parents look at using a nanny agency to care for all the DC during term time holidays?

You could alternate houses every 3/4 days?

I'm a CM and a single mum. I take some holiday during term time with my boyfriend, as my own DCs only need looking after for a few hours after school, so their dad can have them. If I went in the holidays their dad would have to take holiday to look after them all day.

As most of my customers are also school age, they only have to find cover for 2-3 hours as well, so can use after school club or grandparents.

If I go away with my school age DCs then it has to be during the holidays for obvious reasons. This means I miss out on the more lucrative holiday sessions at 8-10 hours a day instead of just mornings or just after school.

I do what works for my family - one o he perks of being self employed. If I wanted someone to dictate when I could take holiday I'd work for someone else and get holiday pay!

It's all in my T&Cs so if anyone doesn't like it they don't have to sign my contract.

Sorry, just seen that you only want parents to reply as you don't find the CMs' posts constructive. Wonder why?!

Hey,
I'm not really sure what you want your CM to do, term time holidays are imo best as they don't let clients down for the whole day's care, and they mean the CM doesn't lose as much money.
Anyway I hope I can help you.
I'm not sure how far from your childminder you work. Or how flexible your work is, I'm also not a parent but I thought I'd advise you of the term time childcare arangements I made when I was caring for friends DCs for a short period of time last year without any wraparound provisions.
I worked fairly close to the pre school/school (12.5 miles) and they could be dropped from 0830, I was able to get to work for 0850, and Were to be picked up at 1530, meaning I left at 1510. With 20 minutes lunch, I was able to work six hours, a day, taking 1.2 days a week A/L I was able to then do some work in the evening for an hour maybe a tad more each night whilst DP was cooking dinner. Meaning I only had to take half a day A/L a week!
I did have a lovely flexible employer, who was happy to let me work at home, but even if you couldn't make up your hours it would only be 2 and a bit days of A/L between you and your DP for the duration of your CMs leave, meaning you'd only lose a day's holiday each :)
Hope this helps.

I took term time holiday this year. Parents split it between them and some decided mum would go in early and finish early dad would go in later and finish normal. They have an hour commute. They also did similar when I underwent chemo so I could have shorter days.....and because they all support me I support them so wen they are stuck and cant pick up sick child, need something collecting from the GP that shuts before they get there etc. I do my best to help. When their children go to senior school they are still welcome to come in for company chat or help and I wont be charging.

In 25 years I've never had more than 2 weeks family holiday all together and often only 1 or less. That's life with children.