Is Flexible Childcare Sustainable?

[nannynick]

Parents seem to be increasingly wanting flexible childcare. They may be wanting:
a few hours per day
a couple of fixed days per week
a couple of varying days per week
2 days one week, 3 days the next, 1 day the week after... etc.

How are childcare providers to meet this type of demand for their services?

In my area, over the past year a few nurseries have closed... as they were not able to keep paying the rent, staff costs etc.

Offering flexible places creates an issue - the childcare place isn't full all the time, and thus the childcare provider is making a loss when the childcare place is unoccupied.
What is the soluition? Charging parents more? Government subsidy (their idea wasn't it for parents to be encouraged to work, rather than stay at home to care for their children)?

What are your thoughts?

If you provide flexible childcare, how do you manage to keep your occupancy rates high - or are you making a loss?

What is the future? State run nurseries?

flexibilty has to cut both ways- if childcare settings were to be able to provide that sort of flexibilty, they would have to overbook to ensure viability, with the inevitable result that some parents would be left with no-where to place their child if they got there 5 mins late. If parents aren't prepared for that level of flexibility, I don't see how they can expect their child's carers to provide it. Basic business model.

Having said that, there are drop in creches in some places in the world -if parents were not too bothered about who looked after their child, they might be the solution to random childcare needs.

Yes, there are state drop-in crèches (halte-garderies) here in France that parents use both for childcare when they are working and also for shopping, going to the gym, a doctor's appointment etc.

They are very clearly for the parents convenience, however, not for the child's benefit, and the facilities and level of care reflect that.

i don't think there is an easy answer Nick - as a c/m i'm finding it hard to fill my spaces - so i can normally offer ad-hoc care - but because of the terms of my registration i have had to turn away two sets of siblings which is frustrating - i have my own ds under 5 so i have only 2 under 5's spaces but i have one exsisting under 5 mindee(was part of sibling set!!! but the other started school) - i have got part-time mindee's to further complicate things so have partial days to fill as a result i earn approx. £4 p/h - all in all it's a bit of a nightmare!!!
so when people assume childminders are "raking it in" it does rather grate on my nerves!
i think if parents do need changeable hours from their childcarer they should be expected to pay more per hour - however in my experience most parents already think they pay too much

There is unlikely to be an easy answer. A discussion about this may however produce ideas for how childcare services can be adjusted to meet the changing needs of parents.

I like the airline concept - over book the seats and hope that not everyone turns up. Could work for childcare, if parents accepted that booking a seat (childcare place) does not actually mean they get a guaranteed seat.

Interesting to hear how things happen in France. Drop-in childcare centres already exist in England, usually in the form of a Crèche, but their are limitations... plus Creche providers also struggle (a crèche in a local shopping centre to me, closed a few years ago). Such facilities will need to be government subsidised, if they are to be sustainable.

Near me a car retailer has a crèche - when I went there a week or so ago... walked past the crèche and noticed that there were NO children in it - just staff. That crèche must be heavily subsidised, or it won't exist for much longer.

If parents only pay for childcare as and when needed, how are childcare providers to survive? Is the future going to be subsidies from the government, businesses etc?

This is interesting I think (almost all the families I know who use childcare do not have the "standard" full time arrangement). Also something I had not thought about as much until now - my DD in reception and DS starting there in September and both me and DH would like to do some sort of flexible hours so we can drop off and pick up 4 days a week. So we would need just the sort of flexible childcare you describe but no idea whether we can work it out. Would however be prepared to pay a higher hourly rate though for the flexiblity in recognition of the problems this causes.

Pansie - you are one of the few

I had a parent recently who wants a place in May - I have a space (only one) available now

I have suggested that if they want the space they should pay a deposit to 'hold' it (the first months money) then if someone wants the place sooner I will ring them & offer to let them have the space - & start paying for it then or I'd return the deposit & sell my space to the other person

Apparently this is unreasonable

If you were looking for 4 flexible days a week - I would probably have to charge you for 5 days because I wouldn't be able to 'sell' a flexible day - I regret that fact but it is unavoidable. But a flexible pick up could be a nightmare to arrange imo & I would really struggle

IMO (& it's a very unpopular one) there are several types of childminder, including the one who stays at home with their children & needs a top up, those who are out to make as much money as possible & those who have decided to childmind as a career choice (of course there are cross overs & probably others - but I think they are the main types)

mmmmm. . . . just trying to decide which catergorie i fit!!!

i guess group A - i want to stay home for my kids BUT i feel i should be working - this way i mantain my inpedendence [don't like to go cap in hand to dp] - but it is a career choice for right now as soon as ds starts school i think i'll look for a school/nursery job term-time and child-mind in holidays

i do know some very money orientated c/m's who cram as many kids in as possible

I want a little bit of flexibility and more than happy to pay more to get it. Am looking for a nanny, thought that would be the best best for getting flexibility, most hours fixed but with 3 or 4 each week flexible-ish on top.

I'm not finding anyone saying that the flexibility is a problem, my problem is they all want to bring their own child with them!

I have offered social services a flexible service for ad-hoc care

We have extensive training with children with special needs and thought we could offer an ad-hoc service (whcih we do offer anyway)

But no we have to register as foster carers - despite not wanting the children over night & because we only have 2 bedroom we can't register as foster carers

I have several 2-3 hour slots during the week available atm - but I am at a loss as to how to advertise/price them - I think they would be great for SAHM who want a hospital appt/their hair done/go shopping in peace

katy - i'd just charge for the hours they used - i think it's quite good to have a few spare hours for ad-hoc - could you advertise it in your next newsletter - m,aybe an existing client might like to use it.

Do I charge full rate tho' or do I charge a cut rate because they are such fixed hours?

Existing clients all use full days

I guess I will advertise in the local PO

well i charge an hourly rate of £3.20 - so i would charge that times the hours they used - i'm not sure what you mean katymac

KM - why would you want to charge a cut rate? Charge as per usual, or charge fixed amount (not hourly) for the 'session'.

To fill my spare hours I offer a service to the local day care service(formerly social services but now run through sure start) The local drug dependancy unit who need childcare for the children of parents attending help sessions, the local Continuing Ed team who pay for childcare for people who are on their ESOL courses. There are loads of organisations looking for odd hours like this, its just a case of letting your local info link know you have a spare few hours.

Forgot to say one of these organisations pays £4 an hour, a cut above what I charge normally but its their decision.

tigersmum - can you explain more about who the organisation is, who others go about finding the same/similar in their area. "local info link" is that their name in your area?

family info link is the local childrens information service www.childcarelink.gov.uk

They will know about the different projects going on in your local area that may need childcare, give them a ring and let them know that you have spare hours and when something comes up hopefully they will think of you first.

I agree with KatyMac - I think people go into CM for different reasons, and this can be reflected in the way they market themselves and structure their services. When I used a CM, she was quite up front about the fact that she was doing it because she wanted to be a SAHM to her own little girl and this was the only way she could afford to. That's not a criticism (she was great) I'm just stating the facts. I sometimes needed flexible care, and she was willing to provide this - I guess ultimately because it was a win win situation for us - I got good care to enable me to go to work, she got to stay at home.