How many funded children come to you as a childminder in a week, I would like to provide 15 hour and 30 hour places for children between 1-4, would i be able to find least 3 30 hour children a week?

[Se12345]

I have posted previously, then after all the comments contacted my LA who told me that there is a high demand and that parents are often looking for 15 to 30 hr places weekly, I would need 2-3 30 hour children to make about enough income starting from January 2025? Is this possible? I dont mind doing early morning but no school drop offs so Im thinking between 1-4 years old.

Knowing how popular and busy childminders are round here, I would say definately.

I don't know many 3-4 year olds who only use a childminder. I know several who use a mix of childminder and nursery, with the childminder providing wrap-around care around the nursery day (school nursery).

I think you will be popular with 9 month+ and 2 year old funded children, and 3-4 year olds in the school holidays (those at school based nurseries).

You do realise the pittance that the LA pay you for the funded hours? Depending on where you are it can be as low as £4 an hour. So would you be happy for £12 an hour for 3 kids, minus your costs, minus tax, national insurance and pension, minus the courses you will need to pay for (first aid etc...), minus db's costs, minus equipment costs, minus consumables such as paint, play doh, toilet roll, soap etc.......

There is a reason most settings charge for consumables and make sure that parents pay for hours on top of the funded hours as otherwise it is not a viable business.

You really need to figure out a business plan, not base it on Mumsnet anecdotes

I found it tricky to get 3 full time under fives . So I topped my earnings with before and after school kids

Yes I heard that but have spoken to my LA and they advised me that it will be now just over £11 for under 2’s and I can have 2 under two’s and just over £8 for 2-5 year olds. And from September parents entitled to only 15 hours a week will be entitled to 30 hours increasing the demand.

You must be in London with those figures. Also is that before or after the local authority take off their part? Cos they take off a portion of the money they give you.

I would check the exact figures that are actually paid to you by the LA as a starting point.
It’s perfectly feasible as a childminder to get 3 x 30 hour children. Although over 3’s May wish to do a combo of nursery/childminder. Can you find out where the local childminders go, groups etc and have a chat to see what demand is like in your area. When I was a childminder I also had a couple of people who were thinking about registering call me randomly to ask me questions! I didn’t mind but others in my “group” found it odd. An email may be less intrusive?
You may wish to think about whether you will need to make a consumables charge or perhaps you might limit the hours that funding can be used. Eg 9-3pm is funded and hours outside of these are chargeable.

The 2 to 5 rate is odd normally rates go down at 3 my LA in London is £8 for 2s and £5.49 for 3s

I have 3 15 hour under 2s (£9 an hour) and 1 15 hour 2 year old (£7) from September. I work 3 days a week 8am-6pm.

Worcestershire is £4.14 ish per hour from the term after 3rd birthday.

Term after 2nd birthday to term after 3rd birthday is £5.09 per hour

Term after 9 months to term after 2nd birthday is £9.50 per hour.

As a previous poster says, please make absolutely sure that you have the correct figures when working out your budget.

With your business model, you are likely to have quite a churn of families. If you're not going to work with families in supporting their child go to pre-school, then you may only have a market for those who have babies aged between around 9mths and 3. So the maximum amount of time any one client will be with you is 2yrs or so. It also means you're ruling out families who go on to have more children as they won't want to keep their older child with you if the older child can't go to any school activities.

What do you mean by that ?

You also need to factor in that when the under 2s turn 2 then 3 your LA hourly rate plummets. So you have the same children for same number of hours but you’re paid less money. If the children stay with you until school you will lose income. Not a great business model!!

I mean that, whilst you might appeal to parents who have a first or only child who don't want their child being taken off on a school run umpteen times a day, once their child gets to pre-school child, you might lost their child as they want their child to go to preschool and that's not something you can accommodate.
Parents of multiple children usually want their child with the same child care provider for ease. This ease will usually trump their desire for DC2 to be an environment which isn't disrupted by school runs as they'll want you doing to school run to take their older child to nursery.
We used the same childminder from when DC1 was 16 months to when she was 10. DC1 would have had to leave when she was 3 if the childminder hadn't been happy to take her to preschool and bring her home. DC2 joined the same cm when DC1 was 3.5yrs. If DC1 had left when she went to preschool, then I wouldn't have sent DC2 to the childminder but would have come up with an alternative place

I agree with @sangriaandsunshineplease

A childminder who doesn't want to take children to Nursery,, and doesn't want to do any wrap around care is limiting their market considerably (plus will have to be finding new families more often).

Are you saying you wouldn't take children for full time childminding ? Only for 30 hours? Is that within fixed time slots too (am drop off to pm collection), as in 'school hours' rather than 'looking after a child whilst the parent commutes to a full time job' hours ?

As a business model, you are really restricting the families who would be able to use you.
That said, there is demand for childcare places. This does vary though, one LA to another.

Like others have said, I would get absolute, confirmed in writing, figures from your LA before working out your budget.