I feel so ruthless!

[GwarchodwrPlant]

I've just had to terminate one mindee (part-time) to make space for a full-timer and mum didn't take it too well on the phone!

I feel a bit bad about it and sorry that I have lost a lovely little lad but I am a business and I need to think of my finances.

This is a crap part of the job that I hate. I've written a letter to give to the parents of the mindee tomorrow. What do you think?

Dear Mr and Mrs G,

I refer to my telephone conversation with Mrs G yesterday and it is with regret that I must give notice to terminate the contract for the care of X.

I hope you will understand that as I am running a business, I have to give priority to the clients who wish to take up a full-time position.

As stated in the contract a 4-week notice period is agreed from today until the 23rd September 2009.

I really regret losing X so soon, just as we were getting to know one another. X is such a sweet, affectionate and bright boy with a fearless character and I will miss him a great deal.

I would like to thank you both for your custom and for giving me the opportunity to look after X.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

GwarchodwrPlant.

This is why I woukd never use a childminder.

cinnabared - start a new thread as you will get more replies

'childcare is an emotional business..' not sure what that means.. having children is an emotional rollercoster I agree,
but providing childcare for parents IS a business.

I dont know what your job is fabbakergirl but preasumably you do it to pay the bills and mortgage just as CMs do.

Its just as SSD and Underpaid say, parents give notice as well, so why shouldnt the CM.

one of my full timers has just gone part time to save money.. so I have lost that income overnight until I fill that space..

thats life and I dont blame the Mum.

Parents get a lot of benefits using a CM, its cheaper and more flexible for a start.

But at the end of the day its a business and I dont actually think a lot of the posters actually understand that a CM has to adhere to the same standards as a nursery, same risk assessments and paperwork but does this all in her own time and by herself.

It is a very difficult and responsible job actually and we shouldnt be apologising for daring to make a profit.

Ok, let me try this one on you all: how would you feel if you had made a hotel booking at an "early-bird" rate and a couple of nights before the scheduled arrival the hotel calls to cancel because they have had a request for a conference booking with the customer willing to pay full rates?
You get a refund, of course, and the hotel is a business, but.....

Since you made it perfectly clear at the start that full time would get priority I don't see anything wrong with it.
In the case of the hotel booking, I would be very annoyed Summersoon, but if the hotel had explained, when they took the booking that a conference would take priority I could hardly complain! You have to compare like with like. OP explained the rules when she started-she isn't making them up as she goes along.

I would live with it and If I ran a hotel I would do exactly the same.

Do some of you posters actually work or ever run a business, some of you sound so bloody sheltered and a bit innocent tbh.

oh FGS don't compare a hotel business with a childminder

do you really use a childminder summersoon or do you use free family care (which it sounds like to me)? only asking as the reality of using or being a childminder sounds like something you've never done/been.

all the posts saying how shocked you are as childcare is an emotional business, not to a lot of parents who want the cheapest option and the best deal possible they can find......and they'll do anything to save a few £'s on childcare, then get amazed when a childminder treats the business as a business there to make money, not that they love doing it so much they want to do it for free

Totally agree ssd

I think that letter is patronising and crap. Why write those sweet things about the little boy when you are causing major upheaval for him? Your behaviour is appalling. You don't take on and then offload clients at the first opportunity if a better deal comes along.

thebody I am a full time mum as I prefer to look after my kids myself.

so am I!!! but I also run a child care business to pay the bills. I dont mean to be rude but you are lucky that you dont have to earn a living.

BAMBOOSTALKS what on earth are you banging on about. The CM followed the terms of her contract with the parents and she is RUNNING A BLOODY BUSINESS!!!

Are you another lucky stay at home mum!!! or do you have a well paid job? would you put the job before your family needs, of course you wouldnt.. why should the CM?

I am merely being factual.

Why are you getting so het up?

You have no idea about my situation.

@ SSD: as a matter of fact, I use a nanny. I guess the point I am trying to make is that even businesses have an obligation to stick by a contract made, at least for a reasonable amount of time. Others have made the point that childminders are a business so why shouldn't we compare them to other businesses such as hotels or 2-room B&B's, for example. I thought that using this comparison would take out the emotional aspect of children being involved and hence an even greater obligation to behave punctiliously.

Having said that and having re-read all the posts, I should probably not have made the point in this particular case, because as Piscesmoon wrote, it seems that the OP made it clear that she would terminate the contract as soon as a FT mindee came along. Not all posts on this board seem to have realized this and I hadn't either, until just now. So the discussion on whether or whether CM's should give special consideration to the children in their care while running their business or whether businesses have a moral obligation to stick to their contracts for a reasonable length of time (my point) is really a red herring: these points are irrelevant to the argument assuming that the OP was up-front about her policy. That's it, no more from me on this subject, have wasted enough time already.
but cf. the BoffinMum's thread on the nanny who quit shortly before she was due to start for a different take about "better-option-itis" in the childcare world.

I didnt mean to be rude to you FAB. But am a little bit annoyed at the judgements made on the CMs action.

People have opinions and sometimes they will differ.

pay money to my nursery for my daughter's care and I expect them to act professionally - that includes not running at a loss. They are in business to provide care and make a living after all. The same applies to childminders. I don't see why the op is supposed to be all fluffy and turn business away just because her business is children not cement or loaves of bread or whatever. If you decide to go with a childminder then you are taking on the risk of things changing with that one person. That's one of the reasons I use a nursery actually, just seems more resiliant.

I didnt mean to be rude to you FAB. But am a little bit annoyed at the judgements made on the CMs action.

As you say you are a mum who doesnt use child care (or provide any )so with respect you have no idea what this entails.

its a really tricky business to run and some posters have been so rude and critical.

As Summersoon says she was upfront and kept to the contract.

I think you are right actually Northernlurker, this sort of unrealibility is the reason that many parents do choose nursery over childminder.
thebody I have the same child care difficulties as everyone else and am not a sahm. I actually have a fantastic cm and I know that she would never behave like op. That is why she is popular and runs a successful business. If op was my cm, I have to say that I would bad mouth her at every opportunity. I actually doubt her assertion that she told the parents that their placement could be in jepordised in the future. That piece of information came out well after initial op when many posters slammed her behaviour.
I wouldn't worry about op being offended as her spark of conscience has evaporated and she feels fine about it now. Good for her heh?

I used to be a nanny so I know a bit about providing childcare..

I run a very sucessful business as well and havnt had to do what this CM has HAD to do, maybe to take care of her family and pay her bills just like we all have to do, presumably so do you BAMBOOSTALKS!!!

You would bad mouth her for that and slander her!!!! and you call her a liar!!! wow.. one scary lady.

Fab, being a nanny is totally different from being a CM. you dont have to be qualified, Ofsteded or run your own business.You only have to work with one family, not lots.

But you still have contracts and have to work within a family and it is about money and emotions.

Agree to disagree, I can't be fussed anymore.

Gwarchodwr plant druan. I don't envy you at all, must be hard. (Especially having to read these aggresive posts)
Your business, your call. Hope it goes well with next family. Pob lwc.

If a CM tells you from the start that she really wants fulltime but will take you in the meantime but not if she gets a full time DC, you have the choice of whether to use her or go elsewhere-I don't see how you can then get upset when she does just that! For some reason people in caring professions are supposed to operate for love rather than money-probably the reason they get low pay!