Do all childminders charge for hols?

[sheepgirl]

I just wanted to know if it is standrad practice for childminders to charge parents for when they go on holiday and for public holidays?

Sheepgirl, believe me we are NOT quids in. During the school holidays I had dd 20mths, mindees 2x2yrs and a 4yo. My shopping bills alone came to £800 every 4 wks, not to mention Soft Play at £12.50 per session for 4 kids, swimming £5.00 per wk, petrol to and from places, paper, paint, pens etc for art and craft, replacement toys, days out to various attractions etc. You really have no clue about how much a CM pays out, PS I was paid £1,100 for that. So I maybe cleared £300 if lucky!

PS thats working from 7.15am until 1700 every day.

hmm...like motherinferioir says...she earns 10 times as much as her childminder..so, for her it would not be a problem...I suppose people that intelligent will understand that it might be whole different kettle of fish when you earn only marginally more as your childminder and only when you work....
I do understand that a good childminder, good childcare ,is worth it's weight in gold..but....well...if you are not a high earner....it might still be a financial liability, making it impossible for you to even contemplate work....

tori, op did not complain about the price whilst her cm is actually working...she complained about her wanting full money whilst she was off on holiday...

Yes but then she said we were quids in! BTW I have no complaints from my parents that I take 2 wks paid holiday and bank holidays and they pay for all theirs except my 2wks unpaid IYSWIM. PS I completely agree that financially it is not always worth working, thats why I became a CM, my job as a theatre nurse didn't pay enough for me to warrent not seeing dd for most of the week and I only cleared £500 per month after childcare.

booh I'm sorry but you are talking rubbish. Parents seek childcare because they have to. I'm returning to work because a) I have to as I am obligated to work 3 mths prior to takiing mat.leave 2) I can't afford to live otherwise. So while I don't have a problem with paying the top end of the market for a CM as my child's happiest is paramount to me I refuse to be ripped off. I work bloody hard and I think asking for money when you haven't earned it is a bloody cheek..

tori32 my comment about being "quids in" was in reference to getting money for looking after someone elses child and being in a position to look after your own children.

tori32 I take on board your comment about having to replace stuff etc but serioulsy how often do you have to do that and i can't believe you don't make a profit other wise why bother? Also you get the added bonus of caring for you child as well.

So CM's don't deserve holidays paid Do you not realise that if a CM comes back from holiday skint that its your child who will suffer by having to eat cheap food, go out on less outings, and basically care would suffer. Open your eyes and look at the broader picture. Also, if a CM doesn't get paid for holidays she may not take any, the job is stressful over prolongued periods and without a break the CM would have less patience with your lo, again, compromising care. I think you have a very short sighted view.

btw, I used to work as a childminder many years ago..and I found it very difficult, and the under £2.00 wage and hour, per child....really did not make up for my personal sanity, lol...
and i never charged when Kids were absent, or when parents were away and certainly not when I took a holiday...

kaysamuels I just want to clarify that I think the CM is very good and I like her calm and nurturing home environment. She has lots of nice toys and a well presented house etc etc. I am happy with her ability to take care of my child. Y'day evening I was reading through her contract with a view to taking it back nxt mon and realsied that she expected payment for her 4 wks off. Thats when I started this discussion to find out if this is common practice.

In reference to alternative Childcare what I meant is if she does not budge on the situation I will go with her as I am returnign to work shorlty and simply am not in a great postion to start looking again. Then I will look for an alternative CM for later on in the year so I can end the contract before having to pay her for nothing.

Ive been doing this job 28 years, and I dont know any CM who makes much of a profit. I have only paid tax about 6 years in that time, all the other years my expenses took th erest, and yes I did take my mindees to everything as I would rather have high expenses than give the money to the tax man, money thatthe parents had already paid tax on.

tori32 please tell me you are joking? With pleasure take a hold. I totally 100% believe a Cm should have a rest as I think it is a very challenging job. BUT WHY THE FECK SHOULD I PAY FOR IT. I think you are under the illusion that any mum who returns to work must be loaded. Anyway if you are returning from hol skint do what the rest of us have to do BUDGET OR GO SOMEWHERE CHEAPER.

My dd doesn't get my undivided attention as I have 2 other toddlers to care for and believe me they get treated equally, from discipline and praise POV. I have been minding for 6 mths, so am still building up the business, OFSTED dictates that you need certain pieces of equipment. I have had to pay for extra car seats to the new standard £140, booster seats £30, booster high chairs, stair gates extra for kitchen, 2 x first aid kits, thats without toys. I have also had to buy garden play equipment. It all costs money. I bought a my little pony set with swimming pool which has already been broken after 6 weeks.

hm...not really to this point...but, there is always freecycle for playthings...so, you don't have to pay...just an idea...to cut some expenses...

My daughter is 9

I work a 50 hour week plus planning/observations/accounts/paperwork/talking to parents during the evenings and weekends.

Last tax year I 'earnt' £4700 which works out at £1.88 an hour

I do wonder why I do it, especially when a parent argues over a 15 minute charge or arrive 45 mins late.

I really am considering giving it up - especially as we now have (well from Sept 08) plan and impliment the 'Early Year Foundation'. I was on a course last night from 7-9 learning about my statutory duty to use this framework alongside a council chief executive, several head teachers, a large number of nursery managers and half a dozen childminders. We couldn't understand half of what was going on - but we are required by the gov to use this new system just like the others however their organisations will be throwing money at them to get it done & I will be working out how to afford even 2 or 3 new resources

Which has nothing to do with whether or not we deserve or not paid holidays - but it does have relevance with regard to the respect childminder either do or do not receive. I think if we were to charge for the stuff we do out of hours, parents would be understandably annoyed.

Bit irrelevant but I thought it needed saying

I was in on this thread way back in the begining, I haven't read all the posts in between, but in answer to your op, no, CM's don't generally charge for their own holidays! I don't and I certainly don't think I deserve to be paid. It certainly sounds like she's a nice cm and I hope you can come to a better arrangement with her. Before I became a CM, I was a working mum and I struggled to find good childcare in my area, so I draw a line on a map from home to work and got the numbers for all the cm's in between. With a bit of luck you won't need to go to this length and you can return to work with the stresses of choosing a CM behind you.

Yes but thats what I am saying, its the children who lose out if the CM cannot afford to do her usual activities. Also, I challenge you to not go out when looking after 3 toddlers and a 4yo, every day for 1 wk, see if you would not be cracking up by the end of it!! Yes you should pay for holidays if you want good service and a happy CM.

looks like those in regular jobs, as well as the childminders themselves are drawing the short straw...so, yet again it's a case if you earn loads tis not a problem...but most of us don't earn loads in te first place....

well said katy, far to many people do not realise how many weekends we give up to do compulsory courses, how many hours we give up to do paperwork that Ofsted insist we do. how many hours we take writing curriculum, that in a nursery is written by 5 people, how many hours we spend shopping for mindees. The hours we have the children is just the start of it.

What is the saying walk a mile in my shoes before you judge.

Sorry but we could all sit hear and bitch about our jobs......I have endless reams of paerwork, legislation to keep up-to-date with, mtgs, clients mtgs, put up with aggressive clients etc etc. I could go on and on. I don't think my pay reflects the hard wotk I put in but I work for a council and the pay is set in stone so I have to lump it or look for another job.

However to get back to the point if I was a self-employed temp I wouldn't expect my employers to pay for my leave entitlement.

And that what Shoshable said!!

If you were a temp you wouldn't have the same responsibility. The point is that we do have that. Including administering medications, making sure diet is good, adequate sleep, that reading homework is done and to prevent accidents, i.e. TO KEEP YOUR CHILD SAFE WHILE YOU ARE NOT THERE. BIG RESPONSIBILITY.

tori32 your argument is blowing me away. There is no self-employed position on this planet that can by right demand pay for work not done. It totally goes against the logic of being self-employed. And you say my child will suffer if a CM can not do "their usual activities". So the fact that I work my arse off to pay my bills, pay the tax man and then anything left over goes to CM means I can whistle for any kind of "usual activity". I have the gretest respect for CMs but I am afraid they are in a line of tough jobs!!!-

tori32 temps do have the same amount of work as permanent in most professions ie nursing, child protection social work, drug user needle collectors to name but a few. You just don't have CMs that are temp as it goes against the point of the job.