advice about childminding please, I am clueless and a bit stuck...

[Greensleeves]

I have been cobbling together childcare on a last-minute piecemeal basis with dh working from home occasionally, and my dad covering sometimes, and throwing myself on the mercy of friends, but my hours have gone up and now I need a more reliable solution.

The trouble is that I work on a supply basis (in a preschool), sometimes fixed hours for a time (every Wednesday morning until about the end of May, then possibly longer, every Friday afternoon from after half term for the foreseeable, but I don't know how long, plus additional sessions (mainly afternoons) given at variable notice, sometimes a month in advance, sometimes only the day before.

Mornings are OK, because ds2 is in the nursery I work in and dh can take ds1 to school. Afternoons though are a problem - ds2 has to be looked after from 12.30ish until 4ish when I leave work, and ds1 has to be picked up from school and looked after until I can get to him after work. Ther is an afterschool club for ds1's school, but it's got a waiting list and we're not even on it.

There's a day nursery on site where I work (it's a children's centre, I work in the preschool and in several creches) but it costs £18.50 per session, which is more than I earn. And it wouldn't solve the problem of picking ds1 up anyway.

So it looks like I need to consider a childminder - but realistically, given that my work is so unpredictable and short-notice, wouldn't I have to pay someone for the whole week, to make sure they were available when I needed them? That would probably be more than I earn too.

I really need the work, because I wnt to train as a foundation stage teacher eventually and also because I love it and it makes me happy. BUT I can't justify spending more on childcare than I earn - and the chances of finding someone who a)can do the hours I need b)suits me and I suit her and c)can pick up ds1 from school.....aren't they pretty remote?

Everyone seems to think I can just 'find another mum' who is happy to have ds1 after school, but I don't know anyone who would! The suggestion that I get a nanny was mentioned too, but nannies earn three times what I do...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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The only thing you can do Greensleeves is ask! Phone some CM's in your area and get a feel for what they do. CMing is such a flexible business and everyone works differently. When I was CMing, your situation would have worked with me. I had all part timers and so it wouldn't have been a problem at all.

Have you looked into whether you would receive help with childcare fees? I am a childminder, have a family where both parents work FT on a low wage and they still get a generous amount of childcare element so it is worth checking.

You may find a cm who is happy for you to pay just for afternoons for your youngest, some prefer lots of PT mindees rather than full timers. HTH

agree with mo, def call lots. soem will say 'no' and be a bit off about it but there are some of us nice ones who will happily talk you needs through and see what we can do to help! where are you, can anyone on here help?

Thanks - does anyone know of a good way to get hold of numbers/details for childminders? I only know of two who pick up at ds1's school, and I don't think either of them would suit us, they are both chain-smokers and one of them is quite harsh in the way she speaks to the children. I don't know any other parents who use childminders locally either )apart from one who uses an unregistered one, and I'm not prepared to do that)

Also does anyone know what the normal hourly rate would be? Maybe I could pay someone for all 5 afternoons, so that she would definitely be free if we need her, even though we won't use all five very often. And I could try and winkle ds1 into the afterschool club as soon as possible. I think they will want me to pay for his place fulltime too, even though we won't use it every day.

The obviously sensible solution is to stop working afternoons, because it's not cost-effective. But I really don't want to stop.

Look on your council website Greensleeves, you should be able to get a number from there. Alternatively, just phone them and ask for a list of CM's in your area.

Again, fees are a personally and regional thing. I would imagine you would be looking at between £3.00 - £5.00 per hour.

have you looked at the childrens information centre in your area, and the childcare link (web)? you might find you have to pay for every afternoon but then maybe you could go on another pre-schools books for afternoon cover?

i used to be a childminder and looked after a nursery nurses 14m dd, i could do it because i had a space that i held open for her, i already had my own dd as an under 5 and looked after another u5 and then i had my school aged ds and a few part time afterschoolers, i just charged the days she used, i would get a call the day before or that morning, it was an arrangement that suited us both, but many childminders will charge a retainer fee for the days not used, hopefully you will find a childminder willing to do the same

Childcarelink has local childminders but not all of them. Ask around at school.

Wouldn't it be easier to do the same job but not on a supply basis - regular hours. So you could plan the childcare?

Our childminder (we live in the same area as GS) charges £3 an hour.

GS I have emailed you the page for childcarelink for your area. It has details of whether they are smokers and whether they have vacancies and which schools and nurseries they pick up from.

hth.

Really though I think the supply work on a low wage is quite a problem. One or the other is doable with childcare, the mixture is too difficult. And there are more fixed hours jobs in this field around, there seems to be quite a shortage of preschool workers.

is it possible to ask for something a big more 'regular' at work?..id suggest with the cm to work out over the past few months what you average hours have been..if this looks likely to remain the same strike a happy medium..for eg: if one month you needed 10 hours childcare and the next you needed 20 hours childcare, ask if you can have contract for 15 hours then sometimes you will pay more for the space, but youll know it IS available when/if you need it?..and then even if you dont have to work that afternoon, you can still let you LO go there and get a few things done yourself???
i did this with one of mine, worked fine!