CM Club: Weekend staffroom

[SammyK]

Hello everyone, thought I'd start this off for us all to check in.

I am off to a swimming party with ds and the two dss and dp today - kids excited but I am not so much as the parent is my old 'friend' who ripped me off/ messed me about with childminding! Ah well will just smile thorugh gritted teeth and get through it.

After that I am off to pick up a doule buggy from a freecyler! So thank you to everyone who suggested I post a wanted ad.

Morning - glad you got your buggy

I am completing (starting) a level 1 certificate Forest School course.....in for a busy day

& I am slowly getting better

Katymac and all, can I please run something by you.

I am a passionate supporter of childminders, and although until recently I worked in a nursery, I have always chosen to send my daughter to a childminder.

Dd has recently changed her days with our childminder. She now only goes on Fridays. She is dropped off at 8.20 and picked up at 5.00pm. However, from 9.00 - 3.00 she is at nursery. I completely understand about paying for her place with the childminder while she is at nursery as the childminder is unable to re-let(?) her place due to her numbers.

Yesterday, dd was very tired when she woke up. I asked DH to ask our childminder to pick dd up from nursery after lunch, rather than leaving her at nursery all day so that she could have a quieter afternoon. However, when dh did this, the childminder said that she couldn't as it would put her over her numbers, but she would pick dd up as normal at 3.00pm.

This sounds wrong to me. If we are paying for the place, then shouldn't it be available for us to use? What would happen if the nursery had an inset day? It sounds like she was effectively being paid twice for the same place.

Have I misunderstood the situation? I will talk to the childminder next week, but just wanted to check with you in case I'd got it wrong.

Any opinions?

I'm not ignoring you littlefish

I am a bit gob smacked tho'

It doesn't seem right to me

You can't charge for a space twice...at least I don't think so ?

Blimey

If you are paying for her to keep your space then she should not be taking on a child to fill that space.

That is Not On Littlefish.

Ask for an explanation, as I too find this puzzling.

Good luck.

Littlefish - you are totally right, the space should be available. If she'd said she couldn't because she will be elsewhere i.e. at group, on daytrip, at another nursery run etc. then she'd be right to say that as it's not the proper hours so it should be a day with her or usual 3pm pickup, however, being over her numbers is not on at all and it does sound like she's being paid twice. If she's getting money from another child, she really should be refunding you.

Like Katy, I'm a little that she'd do this and you definitely need to have a word!

Thanks everyone. It didn't sound right to me so thank you for your feedback. Perhaps she was doing a settling in session at short notice or something like that. Perhaps I completely mis-understood our arrangement, and she will only be charging me for before and after nursery, and has been able to fill the space during nursery hours.

To be honest, I would rather pay her and be able to have the flexibility of having her pick up dd early if she's shattered by the end of the week. I work a long day on Friday, and need to have her included in our rather complex childcare arrangements!

Added to this, she is a wonderful childminder who has always provided the highest quality of care for dd and basically just treats her as one of the family.

I'll have a word with her next week - I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation.

If you are paying her for a particular time, the space should ALWAYS be available at that time.

I think it depends whether she charges you for the hours or charges you a retainer

If it's a retainer then she can sell the space again (think term-time contracts - you can't use in the holidays but you pay)

But that is very much a technicality - morally she shouldn't charge if she has sold the space twice

As far as I know, I'm paying her by the hour Katymac.

I'll phone her next week and clarify the arrangement. I'll report back to next weekends staffroom (f it's ok for a non childminder to knock on the door and drop in I just really didn't want to start a whole thread about it because I don't feel outraged, or want any "she's completely unreasonable" type of comments! I feel sure it's just a misunderstanding.

Hi

Took dd swimming this morning and about to get on with some housework! Really need to do some cm planning and catch up on other paperwork but, well, can't be bothered to be perfectly honest with you! I do hate that I have to worry about it at the weekend when I should be enjoying time with the family!!

Hope the pushchair is good Kay.

Littlefish - It could just be a misunderstanding and I hope it is, but she definitely shouln't be charging you IF she has another child taking the space. And actually, she shouldn't even have another child taking that space because if your needed to be collected early (if she was ill or had an accident etc) thn would it not be the cm collecting her? If so she would be over her numbers for that too.

excuse all the typo's! I blame the keyboard!

Spent the rest of the weekend in bed

I feel very low atm

Hey everyone.

Glad (mostly) everyone is having a good weekend. I certainly am!

Just found out I got a letter on Fri for a job from a local authority for an interview for nursery work (I found this forum as a nanny but the job I had didn't work out). My dad had opened the letter and that was me just finding it stuffed in a drawer!

Katymac - Hope you're ok love. Not sure what's up as I haven't been on in a while (and you might not even have said) but i'm sending kind wishes your way

Random post - I know but just wanted to share my news with someone not publicising it irl in case I don't get the job!

It's just a cold

It just feels terminal - I have that brain bouncing off inside of skull thing, I have had a temp since Wednesday, I cough (& also have diarrhoea - the 2 don't go well together)

BTW very please you have a job interview

Oh dear Katy, I totally sympathise.

I have IBS and had a chest infection last week. Stayed with dp one night, up in morning strolling leisurely down hall to toilet... cough cough...

Cue very very stressful half hour trying to get home to my house and a very embarrassed face (although he was still sleeping and I honestly think he had no idea it all happened).

Confidence took quite a knock too, as it's been medically controlled for quite a whle now.

You guys all squillions of you are the only ones I've told so far!

poor you

it is so horrid isn't it

I am hungry atm - but I don't know what to eat