How much notice should I give to CM?

[Littlewiseone]

My partner and I have had an offer accepted on a property 30 mins drive from our current Childminder. We LOVE the CM and DS too. He has the best time there and I am absolutely gutted that we potentiallly wont be able to send ds to this CM again.
This is our 4th property acceptance in 2 years (desperately trying to move since 2021 when ds was born, but all have fallen through, through no fault of ours) and we are understably holding our breath for the exchange to actually happen! Offer accepted around 4 weeks ago, so average 4 months from here until exchange.

• I want to 100% respect our CM and tell her of our plans, but I am just not sure when is the right time to do that.
• I dont want to tell her too early, as she might then be left hanging and wondering, but equally I would not leave it too late so as to not give her enough time to find another little one to take ds's place and prepare for not having ds anymore
• I also think I am maybe overthinking things because I am so sad we have to leave her :( it really is a home from home, and we have a close relationship with the cm - our ds spends 50 hours a week there as we would full time.

Any advice most welcome. Thank you!

Edit: work full time

And also I cannot find the contract! :(

A month's notice is standard and give her a nice present at the end!

Oh, but be careful. In some childminder's contracts you can't give notice during their holidays.

Thank you

My parents have always kept me up to date especially with people tending to look for September then it goes quiet until January. It's possible to vary your own ratio as a childminder so I've taken on a new one before the old child has left before, and just had a few months with 4 children. I'd appreciate the heads up as early as possible especially as some are looking now for September.
Id be gutted if I'd turned work away to then be told someone was moving in 4 weeks and had known for awhile.

I would have an open conversation with her. I.e. you have had an offer accepted and will be looking for a new childminder in x location but you do not know time lines at this moment. That way she is aware and can forward plan. Once you know more of what is happening you can then give formal notice

This is very good advice, thank you.

I would really appreciate being given as much notice as possible. I have been given plenty of notice in the past and it has allowed me to get new business started and organised for the child leaving. I have never given notice to the existing child just because a new child needs to start before they are due to leave. I have always managed to work something out with the new child's family. I have also on occasion been given only a months notice and once this was in September and not been able to get any new business for a few months.(so obviously had a drop in income for those months). I am sure your childminder will really appreciate being kept in the loop.

Personally, if at all possible, I'd keep DS at his childminders until we'd settled into the new house, then look around for childcare/give notice.