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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

Original poster

sibling reduction

64 replies

chickenmama · 28/03/2008 21:43

I will be looking after the older brother of a child I mind in the school holidays. Contract hasn't been drawn up yet but in case the parents ask, is a reduction for siblings usual? And how much is the fee usually reduced by? I charge £3.50 for one child, should I make it £7 or £6.50 or maybe £6.75 for two??

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nannynick · 28/03/2008 22:01

Why would you want to give a discount?

dramaqueen · 28/03/2008 22:04

My dc's childminder discounted the second place by 50p per hour. It is fairly common round here to do that.

PotPourri · 28/03/2008 22:08

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Mum2Luke · 28/03/2008 23:22

I have 3 boys from the same family, I charge £20 per day for youngest as he is in nursery till 11.30 when I pick him up and have him till 5.30/6pm, the other two I charge £40 per week each so that gives me £180, I knocked off £10.00 to give me £170 as the parents don't get any WFTC (Working family tax credit) due to him earning just above limit so it would be a huge chunk out of their wages. I get £40 of another child I look after so I am happy with that.

In the hols I charge them £200 for the 3 of them but that may have to go up to £250 due to fuel rises in October.

I live near Manchester which may explain the low pay!

ayla99 · 29/03/2008 10:34

Sibling discounts seem to be far less common than they used to be. Childminders have told me they gave discounts for fear of losing potential business where parents may not be able to afford the cost of more than one childcare place. Discounts have varied from 10p an hour to half price or less for 3rd/4th siblings. But I know some childminders have really struggled financially, having reduced their income so much.

Since the introduction of the childcare element of tax credits and the employers childcare vouchers the likelihood of parents not being able to afford multiple places should (in theory!) be substantially reduced.

The quality of care and the costs of providing the service are not reduced just because the children come from the same family - before giving a discount you need to be really sure you can afford to do so.

looneytune · 29/03/2008 15:55

I used to give a discount but stopped as I was suffering a lot financially as I only had 2 full time spaces for under 5's and was loosing money that I really needed. I don't think it's that common round here to discount. If I had another sibling situation, I'd probably just have a look at their ages, hours etc. and have a think to make sure I could afford to take the cut.

MaureenMLove · 29/03/2008 16:01

Oh, thank god! The thread title made me think someone was thinking of a mass cull of siblings! Dopey moo, I know!

Anyway, I always used to do reduced rate for a second family member. 50p less per hour.

KatyMac · 29/03/2008 16:26

I don't

Siblings often take more work that individual children so why charge less?

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 17:26

Do siblings really take more work than 2 seperate children? I find that hard to believe.

The c/minder I looked at the other day charges £4 per hour per child. And she charges from 8am when she opened until 6pm when she closed, regardless of how many hours she would have my kids.

She charges usual rate for everything. And she tried to tell me that I even paid her when she took her holidays. And I innocently asked "But you wouldn't be available to mind my children" She said she knew that but they were her rules.

She employs one teenage girl & another girl comes in to cover school runs.. she has 12 children per day.

In my book she's earning £480 per day.

Of course she then has to pay the girl she employs... but that would be easy enough out of £2400 per week!

Needless to say I won't be using her.

KatyMac · 29/03/2008 17:32

Normally yes

Most (note: not all) siblings fight/argue with each other especially if one is school age - wading in to a sibling disagreement is not how I want to spend my days

I (again generally, not always) don't have school age siblings - they are very hard work

I wish I could get the deal your lady has

RahRahRachel · 29/03/2008 17:46

I don't think it's all that unreasonable for a CM to have paid holidays is it?

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 17:49

I know. I would nearly give up my own job to earn that kind of money!

How much would she be paying the teen?

She has a brand new jeep on the drive way.

And when she give me her list of holidays they were the very bloody days that one would need a c/minder!!

ie: If common holiday was April 10/11 most people would have the whole week off... but in both dhs & my jobs we don't (just the 2 days)... she will have the whole week off & we would need to find someone else for the rest of the week.

The thing that bothered me the most was that she only talked about money! How much she charged & how if the child was hospitalised she would manfully charge half fee..... in all her spiel she never once asked dd what she liked playing with, if she liked reding etc....

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 17:50

The others I went to see charged for my holidays as they would still be available to c/mind. But not their own holidays.

But then I don't know what it usual. I just know she was very different from the rest.

KatyMac · 29/03/2008 17:51

Minimum wage (remember to add 11% NI)

Yuk I hate that sort of childminder

I once had a child for 2 settling in sessions before mum & I realised we hadn't spoken about price

BTW teens must be at least 17 or they won't count with OFSTED

MaureenMLove · 29/03/2008 17:59

Some do and some don't WOS. I think most don't, I certainly don't. Its one of those grey areas that people will never agree on! We are, afterall self employed and I feel, that thats the price you pay. She sounds like a real charmer, that one! Glad you had others to compare with! I once had a mindee, who's mum had seen someone before me, who hadn't even asked what the childs name was!

RahRahRachel · 29/03/2008 17:59

I'm not sure what's usual for childminders either, but everyone else gets paid holidays so I just assumed they would too.

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 18:02

C/minders are self employed though rara.

Dh was self employed too & never got paid holidays. Now he is employed he obviously does.

KatyMac · 29/03/2008 18:04

Yes - but that is confused by NCMA stating that childminder deserve (?) 4 weeks paid holiday

MaureenMLove · 29/03/2008 18:05

Employed people get paid holidays, self employed generally don't. A builder only gets paid when he works - he's self employed.

The way around it, is to either increase your hourly fees by a couple of pence to cover it or agree on the same amount of holiday time with each parent and agree on 50% for each.

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 18:31

So would it be usual where you lot are to pay a c/minder from 8am to 6pm even though she would just have the child from 2pm-4pm?

She said she charges this incase the child is ill & she needs to pick then up from school... even though she doesn't take kids when they're sick [This is usual, but they charge incase they are sick!?]

Is it also normal to charge full pay for each & every holiday? There is no mention of half fee/retainers anywhere in her contract [which she thougt I would sign there & then & she seemed shocked when I said I would bring it home to read]

KatyMac · 29/03/2008 18:35

I don't do half fees or retainers often
I would charge full fee if the child was under 5 and I was taking/collecting from school/nursery - but not for over 5's

I have a minimum charge of 4hrs (which doesn't include a homecooked meal) and 6hrs which does

RahRahRachel · 29/03/2008 18:35

I guess she charges for the whole day regardless because it would be impossible to find other children for 8am-2pm and 4pm-6pm. If she just charged you for 2pm-4pm she'd be missing out on the full day wages so it wouldn't be financially worthwhile for her.

WallOfSilence · 29/03/2008 18:42

The other c/minder I am going to see on Monday will just charge me from 2pm - whatever time dh picks them up at for dd & from 9am to whatever time for ds.

I don't have a problem paying for childcare, of course not... it's just I couldn't get over the nerve of the first lady... especially when she told me she had paid £800 for a cat!! And when she said I was bound to recognise her car..it was the newest brand on the market

I want to choose someone who wants to know about my kids, not someone who wants to know how much she can earn from my kids.

cat64 · 29/03/2008 18:45

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looneytune · 29/03/2008 18:46

I know some do charge a full day regardless of hours, or maybe half day 'sessions' but I personally charge for the hours used. Having said that, I couldn't afford just 2 hours at 2-4pm so I would probably have a minumum of 4 hours or something (it's never come up). As for this lady with the £800 cat etc - she sounds like she's in for the money to pay for her luxuries and doesn't care enough about the kids. I mean, she really should be trying to get to know what your child likes etc. as priority! Weird lady