Paying childminders holidays

[Rainbowchampagne]

I’ve met with some childminders but my favourite charges for my child not being there due to our holidays (completely understandable) but she also charges for her own (6 weeks!) The others I met with didn’t charge for their holidays, but have other drawbacks which is why I’m asking about this.

Is this fairly standard practice? I thought it’s unusual to charge for any service when you’re not providing it but I’m very new to this!

The way my childminder works is that if I choose to not send my child (sickness, holiday etc) then I pay to keep the space.

If the childminder chooses to not work due to her own holidays, I do not pay for those days.

6 weeks paid holiday is really excessive!

But if she's in demand then she can charge pretty much what she likes.

Is she cheaper per hour/does she offer better value anywhere else? It's important to look at the whole package.

What will you do for childcare if she's closed for 6 weeks a year?

Round here it averages out, so CMs either charge holidays and have a lower hourly rate on average, or don’t charge holidays but may have a higher hourly rate.

The hourly rate also may at for other things like food and activities. We personally use a slightly more expensive childcare provider and pay holidays as the quality of care, activities, resources was proportionately higher.

I’ve always paid 4 weeks holiday (plus bank holidays) and when i don’t send DD. Six weeks does seem excessive, does that include bank holidays?

Thanks for the replies!

They all charge £4-£5 per hour and she is £4 but that’s not including any meals.

The main bonus is she is in my area of the city there don’t seem to be many so maybe that’s why she can charge it.

I thought 6 weeks was excessive! A single parent would be a bit stuffed, me and DH would have to split our holidays which would be rubbish.

My second favourite is outside of our district and out of both mine and DH way but not horrendously so. But it would mean I would have to choose preschool & primary school in that area at a later date.

I’m looking for end of Nov, so maybe it might be feasible to wait for others 🤔

Keep paying when you go away is pretty standard. Paying while there is no service provided is ridiculous. She should figure in her charges enough money for her expenses.

Your childminder choice doesn't need to sway your primary school choice, you can always change childcare at that point.

OP really consider if you want a CM who doesn't provide food, I found it a HUGE pain in the arse when my old one didn't.
The holiday pay would not bother me, it all evens out in the end, some charge a higher hourly rate etc.

Work out what you would pay over the year for each childminder rather than thinking about whether the holiday pay is reasonable.

It only bothers me because she is the same price as the others per hour so she becomes more expensive when I factor in her holiday.

@Darkestseasonofall you’re right. I think “how hard is it to do a packed lunchbox” but if I think about it I can barely be arsed to do my own. If they do meals I know she’s had a cooked dinner as well!

I always suggest parents annalise the bill taking into account everything included like outings food etc. Then compair with their favourite providers to decide if its value for the service and quality provided. As a general rule
On a full time contract 8 days paid is a weekly cup of costa coffee.
You could discuss with her when she takes time off..for example many close Christmas to new year which may coincide with what you would take off.

All in all, it depends on whether you’re willing to pay happily for someone you really like. If you feel like you’ll begrudge her it then don’t go with her and go with someone else.

CM’s around here either charge half fees for holidays on both sides, or some charge some don’t.

Where abouts are you based? You’d never find such a low priced childminder around these parts of London, how does she make any profit for her own family!

There is no norm, some charge for there holidays, some don’t. I don’t charge when I am sick or on holiday but charge full fees when the child is off sick or on holiday. I find most parents just take the same holiday as me. I send out my holiday list at the beginning of the year and add the odd day here and there always giving at least 8 weeks notice if I can. I will always have 2 weeks in the summer off and all of Christmas, and the May half term. I do not provide food Or find alternative care for the parents when I am not working. So you may need to have a back up for when she is on holiday or sick.

I am a childminder I have 4 weeks paid a year. I tell the parents at interviews what the weeks are always have the same, so they know when booking theirs. I try to encourage them to have the same weeks. If they choose different weeks they pay for them too. But we try to have them same weeks. Basically most childminders charge for 52 weeks per year. X

6w paid holiday and more If you go away at diff times is a lot

But if she is a rarity in the area she can charge and chose what she likes

I do think a week or two is fair for cm to charge for holidays as long as dates planner in advance so families can plan

Agree use a cm that cooks if can. Makes life easier

Calculate it over the year as others have said. If the others are cheaper, but further away, would you spend the difference in petrol? Would you have less chance of getting in to a school near the other childminders? If she didn't charge for her holidays, she might charge a slightly higher hourly rate and still work out the same over the year.

It's really up to her what she charges and provides, and up to you to decide if it works for you.
There is no standard, nor should there be: parents differ widely in their requirements.

Self employed people should not be charging for their holidays.

Six weeks! So you're effectively going to paying double if you need to find someone else during that time.

Really greedy.

I'd look for someone else.

@malovitt.
There is no law regarding if self employed people can charge for holidays or not. They are free to set their own terms and for most who have many clients for an hour or so every 6 weeks or do single jobs the only way they can and do charge for their holidays practically is by factoring it into the labour charge within the hourly rate. Childminders are pretty unique in working for a small number of clients often for years so it is possible for them to charge in a way similar to employed people.
The law is there to protect employed people who dont have the ability to negotiate their own terms a self employed person dose not need to be protected by an employer.
Anyone who takes holiday charges either in pennies per hour or days per month. The self employed who dont take holiday are not doing anyone a service.

I'm well aware that there is no law.
I just think its morally wrong to charge when not providing a service and six weeks on full pay for a child that is probably going to have to be paid for elsewhere for at least some of those weeks is greedy.

If she's providing food, check it's what you would feed the child yourself. We had a bad experience with a CM who we realised too late was only providing processed food... Eg nuggets and chips with a tiny bit of frozen vegetables

Mine did but it was only 4 weeks, and she was slightly cheaper per week, so it evened out. We got the dates a year in advance, so arranged our own holiday's to match.

This childminder's charging policy suits herself and her clients. It's impossible to suit everyone. If her fees don't suit, then the client goes to another setting that better matches their requirements.

Some childminders charge holidays; some don't.
Some charge retainers and deposits; some don't.
Some charge late fees; some don't.
Some charge notice period; some don't.
Some provide meals that may, or not, be charged.
Some provide nappies that may, or not, be charged.
Some charge for trips; others don't.
Some have better facilities.
Some are ultra-flexible.
Some are specialised.
Some have higher qualifications.
Some have provided activities and online links during lockdown; others have not.
Some charge overtime; others do not.
Some work late or overnight; some do not.

I could go on and on and on. It's between the childminder and her clients what is fair and acceptable to both parties and what is . It's not for anyone else to state what she should, or should not, charge.

I think she is a cf for charging you for her holidays. But as others say, it’s demand and supply.