Starting up as a childminder- advice.

[4mogirl]

Hello, I am starting up as a childminder and was looking for advice from other childminders/ parents who use a childminder.

Childminders:
What information do you wish the parents told you, or what rule/condition do you wish you had set before you started, that would have saved a lot of hassle later on?
What toys/ activities would you recommend/ not recommend getting before I start?
All being well I’ll be having children between 1 year and 4 years old.

Parents:

What do you look for in a childminder, what activities do you like them to do with your child?
Is there anything a childminder does that you don’t like?

Anyone else got any other advice that might help?

Thank you.

In a rush so excuse bullet points.

• payment in advance. No excuses. Even the nicest people can screw your over.

• be strict about early drop offs/ late pick ups if it matters to you. It does to me because I have my own children who need me after work but some minders don’t mind.

• don’t get too many toys. You’ll be surprised how little you need. I have far far too much and finding it hard to get rid. Place just gets trashed some days.

• don’t hold out for full timers. Part timers will often slot together beautifully and it can be better to spread your income and vary your week.

• get out and make friends. Do something each day otherwise the job can be lonely.

• stay on top of paperwork. It can get on top of you really quickly if you don’t.

I’ll probably think of more! Good luck!

Thank you, this is very helpful; this is exactly the kind of kind I need!

Do I need to take a deposit to secure their place?

I was planning on just charging by the hour; so if they were late, then it’s just another hour added on to the day. I have asked them to text me if they will be late.

I don’t understand your comment about charging by the hour; wouldn’t charging by the session be less hassle for you? If parents are late to arrive or pick-up, you’re not out-of-pocket.

Can you work like that? Not knowing how long you’ve got the child? How much you’ll be earning? That will get tiresome very quickly.

I charge daily and they get 8-6 for that. I don’t work outside those hours and most collect sometime between 5-6. I charge heavily for late beyond 6pm. I’m knackered!

I would definitely go for pre-agreed (& paid for times) as it's amazing the number of times parents will drop off late/collect early and you'll soon feel the pinch if you're an hour or 2 down each day.

ETA I charge a £100 deposit if nothing else to show serious intent.

I love my childminder. I would look for: kind but firm, a home from home.
Outside play time when possible.
Plenty of variety. My childminder goes out to playgroups several mornings.
Healthy, filling meals included in costs.
Hourly rate but set hours each month normally.
An element of flexibility where reasonable, so I don’t stress if stuck in traffic on the way back from work example or have the option for extra hours if you have space on a day where I have an issue and am stuck
Ability to claim my 30 free hours (I currently do this split with nursery)
Overall a 2 way respect between parent and childminder and communication on progress and what they have been doing . As long as I get plenty of notice I try and take leave when the childminder wants to go on holiday for example.
Of course ultimately a happy relaxed child means I am happy and relaxed 😀

Sorry I should have said that the parents have already agreed their
start and finish time, and I’ve given an hourly rate for this .but said they might get stuck in traffic some nights, and those nights I would just add on another hour.

So I would know how long the child is with me, and if they were running late they would text me, but still get charged.

Thank you, tor answers are very helpful.

Flexibility for shift workers are a real winner. I liked working with NHS staff with changing work patterns and those who do 4days off and 4 days on, It gave me whole days. with just my own DC. I included weekend work but did not charge extra for that. Just had a slight higher rate all over for shift workers

@Hermie12
Can I ask how you apply for the 30 hours childcare? Does you childminder need to do anything?
I have signed up for Childcare Choices too, is that the same thing?

@Grumplegranskein
Good advice about the shift workers thank you, and to the other poster who mentioned about not stressing about having full timers, meaning you get time with your own DC. I so far have it worked out that I have 2 days a week off, so that’ll be nice.

What happens if I take the child somewhere that needs paid entry, I.e. swimming, or if I buy them an ice cream when we are at the park.

Do you ask the parents to pay? I’m assuming this needs to be discussed first, and I could just go to the parent the next month and say “Here is a list of thing I spent last month?”

What do you all normally do?

Couldn’t go to the parents, I meant, Not could!

You need to decide what your fee includes - find out what is typical for your area.
Generally fee can include food, drinks, outings, nappies - or you can ask parents to include some or all of those things.

@4mogirl The parent applies on line and gets a code. We have to reconfirm details every 3 months. I then give my code to the childminder and she gave me forms to complete showing exact hours both term time and school holidays and then I think she has to go through to the local authority but you’d need a childminder to confirm this . One thing I would say is to be careful as the rate each authority pays can vary per hour and although parents think it’s free childcare you don’t want to lose out. For example I get an averaged out 17 hours per week year round for childminder and 6 hours a week term time from nursery. The childminder receives £3.97 per hour for those 17 hours so I agreed to pay her an extra £1 an hour to cover shortfall. As long as parents know in advance I’d say most reasonable people would be happy to do this .

I prefer not to add extras as I think it can build up resentment as whilst it's lovely to do lots of exciting trips it's your choice and there are plenty of free outings & activities that will satisfy most pre-schoolers. I have a caveat that I may do the odd big trip once or twice a year and look for payment eg activity farm in the holidays or soft play for end of term treat but day-to-day my fee is fully inclusive except meals & nappies.

My fees cover everything we do, including food. So if we went swimming or had ice creams I would pay for that myself. I think, if you start asking parents for extra money all the time, it could lead to problems if they can’t afford it, if they have budgeted childcare fees at £500 per month and you start asking for extra £5-10 each week, that could soon add up.

I base their fees on the contracted hours they want. So if they say 8-6, that would be £40 for the day, even if they only actually do 9-5 in the end. They can change their contracted hours when we review it. If they were late I would add that on to the next bill. For me, I need to know how much I’m earning, so to charge hourly based on when they actually turn up, wouldn’t work.

My rule I should have stuck too at the beginning - don’t do tea! The first child I had, I fed tea, they were never bothered about eating at 4.30 so I said to the parents I would give a snack and they had to feed tea at home. Once they organised themselves it was fine. I then had two after schoolers, who were with me until 5.30. On reflection, I didn’t charge enough for the hours plus food. It was always such a rush and the kids were so fussy it was a nightmare. They couldn’t have hot school lunches as ‘they didn’t like them’ so I had to work around all the dislikes to plate up a meal for them. Never again!! I’ve learnt a lot in 10 years in the job and I think carefully before I take new families on. If I don’t think they will fit, I say no.

I agree with not asking for extras. I found that it was. It really necessary to go to much paid entry things. Be very clear about fees when the children don’t come on their scheduled days. It is full pay. Just because granny has them for a day or the parent does half a day does not mean you don’t get paid. Also think about holidays, yours and theirs. What ever you decide be very clear from the start and get it in writing.

Special toys are another area to consider. If the child has something they don’t like to share insist that they do not bring it with them. It is hard for your little ones to be made to share if the other child does not. The exception I make is if it is a Comforter.

Are you providing food or will the parent bring it. Factor that into the price. I put menus up on the board weekly so parents could decide. Just easier for me to cook as I had quite a lot of children.

Thank you very much everyone, lots of brilliant advice.

That’s good to know about the free childcare.

I had thought that my fee would include food, and they are providing the nappies.
That’s a good idea about mentioning payment for a big trip, and any other wee ice-creams/swimming’s - I’ll just get those myself.

Include nappies or you will end up carrying loads of different brands out with you.

I made PE bags in different colours, so that each child had their own Stuff ready to go, when we went out.

Ahh now @MyDcAreMarvel I disagree as with 3 children in nappies average 6 changes a day (as they all seem to like a nice clean nappy for a poo ) and that's quite a big extra to have to fork out yourself. I have a nappy roll for all changes at home & out and just pack it first thing in the morning with 2 of each plus wipes/bags and restock as & when throughout the day. Spare Pack of wipes in the car & kitchen but otherwise good to go.

Always be paid in advance.
Being flexible is great but be aware that some parents can take advantage I've had ones who have been home showers put the dinner on then picked up late, Persistently. Ones who claim delays on tubes yet my daughter uses the same line. Some who pop to the shops without letting you know so I'm waiting to have family time, go to parents evenings etc. whilst they take their time being late picking up. To avoid this I have a late fee of £1 per minute which I apply for persistent cases. When you have done a 12 hour day and a family is late leaving because it was easier to pay you £5 rather than collect on time it can get very annoying.
I do charge for additional outings in the school holidays but will only do one or two over £5 I hold a float for ice creams. treats etc as a treat for 6 children can add up and sometimes its nice for them to get the experience of a drink out or choosing from a shop on an outing.

Our childminder doesn't charge for trips out. This is normally things like soft play/child groups etc.

I think if we are late for pick up we are charged something mad like £3 per 5 minutes. That seems fairly standard, and I guess it prevents parents from taking the piss. Especially on the evening.

When we were looking for ds, we wanted a clean home (toys out are fine, but at least hoover up. (One place we looked at was vile!) we also wanted space for ds to play outside. So she has swings, slide, water trays etc.
For us snacks are provided but we pay for meals. If I am paying, I expect healthy balanced meals. I would be slightly annoyed if pizza and chips was the meal every day.

Sorry clicked post to soon.

We pay per hour as opposed to a fixed full day or half day. So we pay for 3-6. I couldn't afford to pay for a full afternoon session 12-6 when I don't need those hours. But these hours 3-6 are obviously my contracted hours.

I wouldn't expect a childminder to pay for nappies/wipes. I drop ds with his backpack and it has spare clothes, nappies, wipes and a sippy cup. If childminder takes them out she can just throw everyone's bags in the buggy and she's ready. I wouldn't bother with paying for nappies. Especially if you plan for a supermarket brand and the child gets nappy rash or you find those
Nappies leek for a specific child.

One thing our childminder does is for parents birthdays, Mother's Day etc, she gets the kids to make them a card and sometimes a small gift. So she did key rings for Father's Day last year, hand print thingies for Mother's Day. I always quite like that

Also no pets! Saw one lady and she had her cat all over the place. Some people love pets, I don't want your scruffy cat walking all over the kitchen worktop when your preparing my child's meals.

Make sure if your taking on toddlers they have a place to nap in either a proper cot or a travel cot. I've seen some places and they just let the kids sleep where they dropped; sofa being the main place.