CM-Increases fees by 22% and adds 3 extra days bank holidays

[westendmum]

Our Chilminder , whom we really like and rate, has inc fees by 22% and has said she has added 3 days extra BH which are not actually BH in this area but in an adjoining area. I thinbk 22% is too much and this means she is asking for 14 days BH when most parents get 9 or 10 and neither my OH or I get any paid BH.

I don't want to fall out but she has said that she is doing the rate inc in conjunction with the other childminders in the area so that is it ie no room for any comment or negotiation.

It really does depend on what she was charging before. For instance if she was £2.50 an hour before then she would be £3.05 an hour now, which isn't out of the way, though I understand it would build up for you over the month.

The bank holidays seem very strange though.

I do charge for BH but I'm available for work on these days if I was not, I wouldnt make them pay. They do not pay me for any day off I take. 22% is a massive increase, I wouldnt dare doing that in this climate !

I think that llareggub might be spot on. I would check with the other parents to find out.

Maybe she was charging too little in the past and has just realised it? You need to check with other local childminders.
Many don't charge for holidays as they do term-time only.
Each CM has their own business rates and methods and you just need to find the right one for you.

Update

I spoke to her and explained I thought it was too steep in this climate but she has had her head turned by a forceful woman in the CM association. I don't think she is that comfortable with money nor understands that I am paying already 30% extra in holidays on a Monday. She basically says she is entitled to BH as that is what these other CM are doing? Nor does she appreciate that I have happily paid all the holidays as well rather than seek a term time contract.

I feel quite hurt and upset by it as last year she did not put prices up but I delibrately gave her a sum of money a Christmas which would have equated to about a 4% increase.

I have explained that I would have understood if it she had said she missed a rise last year which was her first year and so she was doing a double inc this year say 10%? ie 2x5%.

She is now charging £4 an hour which is above the other childminders in adjoing villages. Her original rate was exactly what the other CM were charging -a few were a bit cheaper. There are now 2 CM who are not in her group who are continuing to charge the original prices whom I can change to . It is the fact that you have settled your children and they were happy and she said she was happy. I paid 6 months in advance in order to give in some ways an added bonus and I just feel I have now been pushed wrongly into a situation that is unfair and is effectively them forming a cartel.

Basically she has me over a Barrel as the childrens' happiness comes first. I gave her a glowing report to the inspector as she wanted to get a good grade. We had a really good relationship but it has soured that in some ways and I now doubt feel there is not genuine interest for the children but it's about money and nothing else. It was not in some ways the rise that bothered me but the complete lack of interest or concern that there should be any justification or rationale to the raise or any thought to how it might effect us.

PS

Thanks for all you help and messages. It helped to enable me to have a rationale conversation with her without getting annoyed.

I must admit as a CM I am often told by my association that I'm too cheap, reasoning at the moment is that if minders offer their service at to cheap a rate it devalues what we do, I understand their point of view as we now have to provide education as part of our service, do a huge amount of paperwork and training which generally has to be carried out in our own time and we work awfully long hours a typical day for me is 7 - 6pm sometimes longer and we don't have a lunch break as we have to be with the mindees all the time, I often get up at 5 and can still be updating the childrens records, doing accounts, planning etc till gone 9/10 at night, I dread to think what my actual hourly rate would be if I factored every hour that I work into my rate's.

But, and I feel that this is the point your cm is missing it is not up to the association to set charges, they can suggest, advise and guide but a cm is self employed and ultimately is responsible for the running / financing of the business and I have to disagree with her that she is not entitled to bank holidays, I use a lot of s/emp tradespeople not one of them has insisted that I pay them for a bank holiday, and I wouldn't use them if they did.

I think that you now need to decide if your relationship with this cm will be amicable, it's sometimes hard to get over disputes like these and resentment can set in especially as it seems that you have been pretty fair in the past with regard to paying in advance as is a bonus at x'mas. You are right to consider your childs feelings, but from the other side of the fence I would find it hard to work with a parent if I knew as yours does that you were a very unhappy bunny, parent partnership with a minder is very important you should have mutual respect and understanding if you feel that you have lost some of that I would seriously consider changing.

I'm a CM and I think if CMs did seperate contracts for term-time and holiday times then there would be less messing around.
I'm term-time only but I am flexible and will cover a couple of days each holiday time BUT I don't work BHs and don't expect to be paid for them even if mindees were due that day.
I just expect to be paid on time and I will work for the hours required.

Thanks for your message atworking not working - I am holding off for a month to see if the relationship recovers. I think
been able to talk it out on here helped me be measured but there is as you say some uncomfortableness. I am prepared and always have been to treat her well-she looks after my most precious people. So I will try and see how it goes. If it doesn't work out I have worked out the alternatives and obviously they save a fare bit every month.

Ok £4 an hour is what I have always charged, I was going to increase but felt my rate was fair but I do not charge BHs or my holidays, I do term time contracts and do not charge a retainer. I think she is being foolish and unprofessional, check your contract to see when the review is due and read the small print as i'm sure she has to give you warning on any changes. Like you say she's got you and you sound like a good parent to work for so its her loss if you move.