CM CLUB: Do you charge a late fee? Am I just a big old meanie?

[TinselHockey]

I charge £10 if parent is more than 10 minutes late. I've done this twice to two different parents but have felt terrible doing it. We were told on our CM course to charge an extortionate amount to prevent it happening again.

Just wondered what others did!

You can increase your late collection fees if parents don't seem to mind paying what you're charging now, but you need to do a new contract showing the revised fees.

If you don't mind working to the later time you can agree a new contract with the parent which states the longer hours. If this is later than you really want to work or the parent comes later still then you need to make a decision about whether you want to be working with a family so inconsiderate.

I would be sitting down with parent and explaining that its important I have a consistent "clocking off time" just as they want to go home to their families at the end of their working day, childminders want to do the same. After mindees are collected, theres still cleaning up/tidying, having your own dinner & time with your own family, evening courses, your own children's evening activities, plays or parent's evenings, planning, paperwork etc and sometimes we might have the audacity to plan a night out or invite friends & family round for the evening! Its not fair on their children either, not to know when they're being collected.

If the childminding arrangement is going to continue I need to know I can rely on parents to arrive consistently before the agreed time. They must obtain my agreement if they have a meeting or other commitment that will make them collect late. Where parents regularly collect on time I can more easily forgive the odd lateness due to heavy traffic/roadworks etc, but if they continually collect late I would be forced to give notice as the impact on my family and my own commitments is too severe.

I agree totally with ayla99, we are tired after a day's work, especially if we have had children from 7am till 5.30/6pm, then have to try and cook our family dinner, get my youngest into bed at a reasonable time and then start planning/go to courses in our time and without extra pay.

I know sometimes it is hard with traffic jams or lack of public transport in some areas but if you sign a contract with hours that we mind your child, be considerate and think about our families' needs.

i dont have late fee payment in my contract but i think i may need it with current mindees as mum frequently rings with five mins notice,then turns up anything from 30 to 80 mins late i obviously charge for an hour.last friday she did not ring after 15 mins late i rang herand she said she was on way she turned up another twenty mins late.so she was 35 mins late.i did not charge her.But will have to start rethinking as her excuse is normally stuck in traffic(bearing in mind she takes the tram then the train to work)It does piss me off as my kids would like some attention too.