Childminder fees

[CutiePatooties]

Hello,

I’m a bit confused by whether this is acceptable/the norm, but my childminder is charging me for a day next month when she has chosen to close for the day. I have to find alternative childcare or DH will have to take a day unpaid, so I don’t think it’s fair that she’s charging me for this. Plus, I still pay if I don’t bring my baby in (like on bank hols) which is in the contract and understandable, but surely it works the same way with her and if she’s telling me she’s closed for a day next month (randomly and with no reason given) surely she can’t then expect payment?

I’ve also asked her if the amount she’s charging me is inclusive of all staff development days (as we’re term time only) and by her calculations it looks like she’s charging me for these days, but she hasn’t responded to my message and I sent it a week ago.

Not sure what to do about her really, but I’m quite miffed about it all. She was brilliant when we first started but it’s like she now knows my baby is settled and we’re unlikely to pull her out and find somewhere else, so she just doesn’t seem to care!

You need to check your contract. Some childminders do charge and, without seeing what your contract states, no one can really answer your questions

I'd check the contract. My DD goes to a nursery rather than a childminder but yes I have to pay for days they aren't open and as she only goes mon and Friday that means I pay for every bank holiday as they're closed! I also pay if she doesn't go so I had a week off work recently so she didn't need to go but I still had to pay. Rather annoying but it's an amazing nursery and DD loves it so I just rant to myself about it 🤣 x

Check your contact, these things should have been highlighted on there & if not then she can't apply them without notice (whatever is in contract) . If they are there, you signed it then yes you need to pay.
Childminders ae self employed & will all have different terms on their contract. I work term time but don't charge for holidays & will work inset days if prearranged. Other will charge for all public holidays & 4 weeks holidays but not work them , some also charge retainer fees during school holidays if they work year round. But your contract should have this all set out .

As others have said, you need to check your contract. When we were looking for a nursery/childminder for DS, every one we spoke to charged for their own "holidays". Though in fairness, they also said they'd confirm which days they'd be closed at the start of the year to make it as easy as possible to plan around them. Ultimately we decided on a nursery instead, where they would be open year-round, except Bank Holidays (which we still had to pay for).

Ah, okay. The contract is an electronic one that for some reason I can’t seem to access any more and I can’t remember all the details. Think I’ll have to just suck it up and stop moaning about it!

And just to confirm, she doesn't have to give a reason for a day off, childminders are allowed a private life.

Ask your childminder for a copy of the contract, if it’s electronic then it’s easily shared

@KateyCuckoo when I’m paying her for nothing and then having to go and pay someone else now for the same service I’m paying her for, it would be nice to know. That’s all I’m saying, no need to be snappy.

Op, all will do it a bit differently. Some may not charge for days they are closed, but correspondingly have a slightly higher hourly or daily rate.

I get it OP I'd be annoyed too. It's the only reason I changed childminder after my first child - she charged for 50 weeks of the year and i begrudged paying when she was closed etc - so much for being self employed eh? I found most childminders want the tax benefits of being self employed but are able to behave very cartel like to then set these kind of terms as they know they have parents over a barrel. I was very clear when I found a new childminder about checking their policies and found a much more reasonable one with a bit of searching

Childminders are self employed therefore should not be charging for their own holidays or random days off. It's not right to charge for a service which is not being provided, especially as you will have to pay someone else for that service, therefore paying twice.

They are allowed annual leave and it sounds like that’s what’s she’s booked.

Mine takes 2 weeks in August and 2 at Christmas. She has only had an occasional half day for a funeral in 8 years. Hasn’t been sick once.

we pay (as per contract) half price on her 4 annual leave weeks and she also allows us 4 weeks per year where we can choose to pay half price if we go away.

it seems totally fair to me and she has been a life saver. She flexible, provides excellent nurturing care to my 2 children in a home environment and treats them like her own. She couldn’t have been more wonderful so I am more than happy to pay her holidays.

you do realise that in a nursery the fees are usually a lot higher, this is because you are paying staff to have those days, they just don’t shut. But you sound like you don’t like your childminder so perhaps it’s not the right one for you x

So, Temporaryname158, you are, in effect, paying full price for your own holidays and nothing for hers - which is proper and correct.
If your childminder charged full price for your holiday and full price for hers then you might be a bit miffed.

We use a childminder and it's all in the contract, we usually get all the holiday a year in advance and we pay her half the fees on her days off. She's absolutely amazing and I chose a childminder as i preferred it to a nursery.

If the contact you signed says you pay, then you pay. Incidentally I don't charge for my holidays.

However you're still wrong that she needs to provide you with a reason. It might be a medical appointment, a court date, a funeral, a special date or anniversary....and none of that would concern you or change the situation apart.

Literally the only thing you need to find out and discuss with her, is what the contract says.

There's no "should" or " should not" about it. Being self employed, they can do what they like. Whether people still choose to use their services as a result is their prerogative.

Exactly this.

Read the terms of the contract before you sign, negotiate them or suggest changes if you like, then mutually agree, sign - or don’t, and don’t.

Don’t complain about what you signed if you didn’t read it.

Yes, of course childminders write their own contracts but it doesn't make it morally right to charge for a service that is not being provided. As a previous poster said, some childminders like the advantages of being self employed but then demand paid holiday. It's not right and no-one will ever convince me otherwise, no matter how marvellous the childminder is at her job.

A childminder who doesn’t charge for his/her holidays will simply make the contract work for them in other ways. Higher daily rate, higher charge for meals, whatever. There are a few levers to slide and balance, and the parent can choose what works for them (for example, if a parent is happy to go on holiday the same weeks as the CM, then this kind of contract would be better for them than one with a higher day rate where the setting closed for four weeks that weren’t charged and the parents were charged for the different four weeks that they took)

That may be true in some cases, but not all. Some charge the same as others in their area but do not charge for their own holidays because they cannot morally justify it.

Sigh.

If a person wins business on the basis of a contract that works for them, and the customer isn’t coerced into signing it, then morals don’t come into it.

I’ll leave it there.

I was just asking if this is the norm and yes I was a bit miffed but I think that’s also because other things have started to annoy me about my childminder. I probably wouldn’t moan if she was brilliant in every other aspect.

I signed a term time contract, so she doesn’t have her over summer holidays and half terms etc. She takes holidays during this time as well. I get she’s self employed and I signed a contract and it is what it is, I just partly needed a rant because there’s still a sting with having to pay twice for one service (especially with COL crisis and finding things difficult financially). I also get that’s not her problem. I think I did mention the fact I’ve asked her if she’s having my daughter on staff development days and she’s ignored my messages. A member of staff who works with her has told me she puts my baby down in the cot 1 hour before she’s due her nap and leaves her to cry, that she has a ‘favourite’ baby she dotes on and gives all her attention and I worked out the hours/days she would be having her for the year and if she’s having her on staff development days then I’ve worked out she’s over charging me by £8 a month. If she’s not having her on my staff development days then she’s overcharging me by over £16 a month and I’ve raised this and again, been ignored. I asked to see an invoice and it’s not as detailed as the previous ones so I don’t even know how she’s worked out the amount she’s come to. I think I might have to look elsewhere.

thanks to everyone who has helped and I’ll ignore the snappy childminder and just thank God she doesn’t have my kids.

Tax benefits?????

With your update about favourite babies and leaving your child to cry then clearly you need another setting. How holidays are charged for isn’t a deal breaker for me but you’ll know when looking for the new one to check out these bits of the T&Cs and find something that suits you.

She sounds poor, I'd just give notice and find another childcare provider.

She can only charge you for things laid out in the contract.