I need help understanding how my cm might charge me until my ds is 5

[insywinsyspider]

I'm getting confused by my cm, she is great with ds1 and ds2 starts with her in dec but she is getting stressed by the paperwork and I'm waiting for her to sort out what will happen when ds1 goes to pre school (at local school) after easter,

I have to pay for the nursery sessions as he is 2 and 9 months but am I right in thinking she will want me to pay for the full day with her as she won't be able to take an extra child for those 2.5 hours? then this will happen when he starts again in sept even tho I get my vouchers? is this the norm?

Also how are ratios worked out, as in ages? ds1's bday is in may so will I have to pay full day rate for him even when he starts school if I want her to pick him up and drop him off?

I hope that makes sense, I love my job but I'm pg with dc3 and until she mentioned about ds1 and pre school I had assumed if he wasn't physically in her care then I wouldn't pay her, its looking like the cost could stop me going back to work in the future...

This is what I put in my handbook to explain to parents, I charge retainer while t pre school, some CM charge full.

Under 5?s in other settings

A child is counted as an under 5 by Ofsted until they are in full time education i.e. at school for 10 sessions a week.

A child who is at pre school is a under 5 and if they are with a childminder before and after pre school, and require a fulltime space during the holidays they therefore are taking a childminders full time space. As such you are required to pay retainer fee for the time that they are at preschool, as the childminder cannot then fill the part time that they are at pre school.

It will really depend on your childminder - there isn't one rule for all

I have a dc in preschool - I am charged half fees for the hours that she is there (3) and then full from when she is picked up. I've negotiated this with CM who initially was going to charge full fees. CM doesn't do morning drop off for dc.

The thing is incy - once you are getting the NEF (nursery education funding), you won't be paying for the nursery place. So while you won't be any better off, you won't actually be worse off.

As far as I know once my dd is at school full time, my childminder will only charge for the drop off and after school hours, not the hours she is actually at school.

i cm and i charge full fee if i drop off and collect from pre-school. like its been said i cant fill the 2.5hrs they are at pre-school. (well by the time i get back then need to leave to collect i only have 2hrs). if a child is at school full time ie 9-3.30ish then i only charge b & a school fees. i dont charge full day fees if the child is at full time school because they are classed as over 5 in my numbers so are not blocking an under 5 space, even if they are only 4 when they start full time school.

shoshe - is a child who is at school (full time education) but under 5 still not counted as an under 5 by ofsted for the holidays too? I'm trying to work out if I need to negoiate some kind of retainer if it will affect her holiday ratios or if its not an issue according to ofsted

ramonaquimby - I don't think my cm knows what she's likely to ask for yet so its good to know what others do so I have something to compare it to

littlefish - I know I won't be paying for the preschool place but I will have another dc by then so all in all if I'm paying for 3 dc's at that time I will be a whole load worse off obviously there is CTC to factor in but I made a mistake thinking I wouldn't have to pay as much for ds1...

thanks cmx2 you answered my badly worded question to shoshe about ds being 4!

So if your school does a very gradual phasing in (i.e. maybe half days until after the Oct half-term), are they an under-5 until then?

yes - unfortunatley

Oh I see Insy - sorry, didn't read your message properly