CM club - if you mind a teachers child, do you charge them for school hols ?

[chankins]

Just in case I get the job (probably won't as the lucky parent has six cms to choose between !) But she asked what I would do for the school hols, and I wasn't sure. You wouldn't want 12 weeks no pay would you ? So what do you do ? Thanks in advance.

I am a teacher, my CM charges half rates iver the school holidays

Over the holidays

Hi

My mindee comes all year round but if I had an enquiry for one that was term time only, I would charge a retainer of half fees.

I am sure others will be along at some point

It depends upon
a) what you want to do
b) what the other childminders do

I don't charge a retainer for the holidays I charge a slightly higher term-time fee which covers me for the holidays - but I don't get many TT only contracts because of it

My argument is that I have 3 spaces if I can only earn 3/4 of the year I waste nearly 10% of my income & I can't afford to. Some chilcminders can

Are the parents paying

a)for the care they get? - this implys an hourly rate
or
b)the facility to have the care they need? - this implys a monthly rate

It's a complicated argument

Thanks katymac. I asked her what the other cms had said about it, and she said they would charge either retainer or half - fee, which is basically same thing isn't it ?
i guess half fee would be fair, taking off the four weeks holiday I would want for myself, which I don't normally charge for ?
I only have one under-5 space, so if I did get the job I would need to know regular money was coming in

Why not work out the amount

4 weeks no pay
9 weeks half pay
39 weeks full pay
add it all up and divide by 12 that way she knows how much she is paying every month & you know how much you are earning

Remember if she leaves before the end of the yr you will have to work out a final payment (which could be either way)

So it is 25% of you potential income

even charging half means you lose 12.5%

Hmm - thanks again katymac - that sounds like sense to me.
Fingers crossed I get the job !!
Slim chance with all that compettition however !

I am happy to do term-time only contracts, and I don't charge anything for the school holidays.

It means I have holiday places for schoolchildren who only need care during the holidays (so have holiday-only contracts), and have also had under 5s who attend term-only playgroups/nurseries. I can also offer cover for CMs who are on holiday.

Oh I love term times only and have been very lucky to have this for the last few years.
I don't charge anything over the holidays.

Same as TP and Mrs W TT only and holiday contracts work well for me.

Hi Katymac thought your workings out on weeks were a good idea but wondered was this for the parents or yourself..i.e

4 weeks no pay
9 weeks half pay
39 weeks full pay

For the 4 weeks if this was for me this would be too much as for my parents again too much most of them don't have that many.
For the 9 weeks half pay what is this for?
39 weeks full pay again why 39..my dd's school has 13 weeks at least per year holiday which means my teacher mum would pay full for some of it..
sorry if i'm sounding dumb it's not a criticism at all and quite like the simplicity of it.
thank

Some childminders take 4 week holiday often without pay - it is most likely that these weeks will be in the school hols

So 4 wks + 9 wks is 13 wks school hols

I only take 2 weeks but I am in the minority

no i dont but i am lucky enough to fill their places with children that only do school holidays

I don't charge my mum that I do term time only for as I have holiday only kids that I look after

Deends on if you will fill the place or not.

I looked at this thread because being a teacher and about to look for a CM to do the school run, I also wondered about this.

I looked at one CM's info and she doesn't charge in holiday time but offers places for those parents needing school holiday cover - but I assume she's fairly unusual as none of the others mention this. I pay full fees to nursery throughout the year so sort of suspected it would be the same.

Out of interest, what do ppl do, especially those with fixed holidays like teachers, about finding short-term childcare when the CM goes on holiday?

I have had 2 childminders, and neither of them has charged me for the school holidays ( I am a teacher)They seem to want to spend that time with their own dc's.

My cm works out how much I owe her over a year, and then we divide that by 12, and that is what i pay here every month.

when i had term-time only mindee i didn't charge for school holidays - but he was my first - i would charge half-rate now with the option of them using their space