Childminders - how do holidays work?

[trrk]

I’m weighing up the option of childminder versus nursery for my DD. Just wondering how does it work with childminders holidays or if they are sick? Do they have backup or you just have to plan your holidays around them and take leave if they are sick?

You'll have to check with each individual cm.i give mine out at the beginning of the year, parents either take their holiday, use another provider or family help. Its plenty of notice.

I also rarely take sick days, my children are teens and I don't get paid so tend to power through.

I am also a childminder and I give out my holiday dates t the beginning of each year. They also tend to be round the same time. Like for next year I will be off May half-term, the 2 weeks before the August Bank Holiday and again between Christmas and New Year. If there are any odd days I give as much notice as possible. E.g. I am going to concert in June and will need to close early so I can get there in time. My dh works with me as my assistant and is likely to be away for a week next November so I will need to reduce the number of children I care for that week. Priority will go to teachers children as it is in term time.
If a family asks for assistance finding alternative cover for my holidays I will ask around local childminders I know to see if they can help.
I have been rarely off sick and my children are adult, I care for a grandchild, and if off at any time I don't charge.

Do childminders get paid for their holidays?

This is one reason we went nursery over childminder.
We don't live near family so would have to use our holiday when childminder was away.
Using holiday for when child is ill take enough already without adding day's the childminder might be ill as well.

Childminders are great if your term time only as it helps reduce childcare costs and they are normally cheaper anyway.

I wasn't keen on childminder driving my daughter around and most seem to have pets which I also don't like, definitely not dogs.

When I was childminding I gave the parents all my holiday dates for the year in January, they had to find cover themselves if not taking holiday the same time as me. I was not paid for my holidays , if they took holidays at different times to me then they had to still pay for the space. I did not have any back up for when I was off or sick as the childminders I saw were also full so no room for extras

Thanks all for the info! Good to know how things work. Looks like a childminder won’t be an option for us as we don’t have any family support nearby and would prefer the freedom to choose when to take holidays, especially in the early years before being constrained by school holidays.

"Do childminders get paid for their holidays"

Generally we don't as being self employed and not being a available to work we don't charge. Every childminder will set their own charging structure, sometimes they will charge half fees for their holidays and half fees for the clients holidays, but that is less common now.

My childminder only takes two holidays a year. 10 days in summer across a weekend and 10 days around Christmas across a weekend . Both times we want to be off anyway so works really well for us.