CM Club: Accredited childminders - does anyone make it work for them?

[Katymac]

I am struggling with this a bit

If I offer the 5 x 2.5 hr sessions termtime, I get left with gaps in the holidays without income.

I don't want to discriminate against low-income families.....but it isn't very economically viable

I am limited in how they are taken, & when

Does anyone make it work for them? Am I just a mercenary money grabbing childminder capitalist or is there a way to stay economically viable?

I have stopped taking them, I charge 3.60 an hour Council pay 3.25, I am not allowed to 'top up' so am losing money so I dont advertise that I am can claim it now.

I don't mind doing it for a full session (so child with me for 6 hrs get 2.5 at lower rate but still get child in holidays)

But a 2.5hr session just loses me money

i must be lucky as the children that claim the vouchers are term time only and the older children i have before and after school do full days so i am still in pocket

i have just re-calcated my salery today what i do is add up how much i get per wk term time and x 34

add what i get in school hols when i am working and x 7

add what i get when i am on holiday and x 5

add 2 wks at no pay for days off sick etc

add all this up and divide by 52 which gives me a total of what i earn each wk i then takeaway £ for tax and i then pay myself the remaining figure every wk for a yr

I can't decide what to do

I'll lose £80 pcm vs a child who pays

Admittedly I can't fill the space atm but I might

It does block days for full time spaces and costs me money in theory. But it is something else to put on cv. I have also signed up for taking 2 year olds this year, which is even worse financially because they have 2hr sessions. It pays more (7ph) but might involve pickups etc. depending on the family. Its a new scheme for the children of families with the poorest family life experiences.

I cant imagine it will be worth it for the cash but it will do my career good.

It's tricky isn't it?

Is it our responsibility to subsidise some children's education

Why should child A pay £3.32 an hour for 2.5 hrs termtime when I don't offer child B the same deal?

My CM ask for a voluntary donation to make up the difference and of course we all pay it because we're all so grateful that she does it at all and saves us £££££££££££s

Cargirl thats really bad of your cm cause she is really not allowed to do that and as its a voluntary donation she wont have to put it through her books

CarGirl - I think that's really great and shows how much you appreciate your childminder. dmo - Just look at it as a Christmas gift, or something.

She does put it through her books!!! It is a volutary contribution towards trips & outings etc, the same as we raise money for the charitable preschool my dc have also attented.

It is listed seperately on the invoices as a voluntary contribution, I don't know if all the parents pay it - she wouldn't give them notice if they didn't as that would would be illegal - she will have thoroughly checked out the legality of being able to do that believe me! As parents we all understand that the sessional rate she can claim and her hourly rate are completely different and that she only goes through the hassle of being accredited for our financial gain.

It probably does make a difference that all the dc are part time and I think they all claim some sessions with her and some elsewhere.