CMs holidays / sickness - advice please!

[gingerkirsty]

Hello, I hope it?s ok to post this question here ? looking for advice/experience from CMs and parents who use them!

DD1 due in Feb and am currently looking into childcare options for when i return to work in Nov 2010.

In principle would prefer a CM to a nursery as can choose a specific person with similar ideals etc, and like the idea of DD1 being in a more home based environment esp as she will still be quite small when I go back to work.

But I am a bit worried about the practicalities:

1. Holidays - do parents have to take annual leave when their CM goes on holidays? I can see this would be limiting.
2. Sickness ? what happens when your CM is sick?

A nursery would avoid both these issues but it is harder to imagine handing my baby (well bump at the moment) over to a nursery to be one of many babies/toddlers being looked after by nursery nurses who may not be the individuals i would choose for the job.

Any advice? CMs what contingency (if any) do you put in place? Parents - how do you deal with this?

TIA

Hmmm my punctuation went a bit haywire there, some of my hyphens have turned into question marks. Sorry about that!

1 - you can take your holidays when the CM does if it suits you to, you don't have to though. None of my families do. As to fees during that time, we are all different, some expect full pay others half, others nothing.

2 - If I am sick then unless a family member/friend steps in then you'd have to take time off. Some CMs can offer sickness emergency cover but again you'd have to pre-organise that. I don't offer to arrange that.

Thanks Avada - scary name btw!!!

What arrangements are made for childcare when you are on hols, if your mindees parents don't take hols too? Is it just up to the parents to sort out alternative childcare?

I assume you don't get paid if you are sick or on hols? I also assumed that we would still have to pay if we went on hols so it's interesting that some CM might not charge the full rate.

thanks for responding, I am just trying to work through the options and the idea of leaving her at a nursery seems far more daunting than a CM!

Also, how much notice does a CM normally give if she/he is going on holiday?

At mine it's upto the parent. I have 12 children on my books and I am not sorting out all thatlot! And parents will surely (if they want another CM to cover) want to make their own decision on who is suitable, not mine.

I don't get paid if sick or on hols no. Some do, some don't some get partial, we are self employed and everyone runs their business differently.

Holidays, I give at barest minimum a month's notice but in reality it's usually more than 6 months

I try to give 4months notice when i go away. I dont charge for my sickness or holidays but i do charge when the mindee has time off.
I've only had sick days when i had a tummy bug, if i have a cold, cough etc but i'm ok to work i give the parents the choice of whether they bring the children to me.

Great, thank you that's really helpful.

Gingerkirsty, to elaborate on the question of payment for childminders' leave, in my experience childminders tend either to charge nothing for their own leave, but to charge full fees if the child they care for is absent (e.g on family holiday) OR charge reduced fees for both their own holiday and their mindees' absences - usually half fees and usually with limits on both sides, such as up to 4 or 5 weeks per year, and with agreed notice periods on both sides. Either arrangement gives parents a financial incentive to try to coincide holidays with the childminder's, and the logistical difficulty of arranging childcare in the usual minder's absence is often seen as a another good enough reason to aim to synchronise, but the option to do otherwise is still there. As has already been said, since childminders are individual business proprietors, you may find some who do not follow either of the models I have described as "usual practice". It's obviously important to fully understand what your potential childminder's terms of business are and work out what that is likely to mean for you, financially and practically. Good luck with your search.

Agree with minderjinx, make sure you fully understand the T&C's back to front and inside out. I give a year planner a year in advance, so gave out in Sept 09 which goes up to sept 2010, which is more than enough notice for most people I take 3 wks a year holiday, don't charge any fee's when I'm off and don't charge fees for mindees holidays as long as they arn't excessive eg more than 5wks. If i'm off sick I don't charge, but then that never happens, if a mindee is off either sick or just doesn't turn up then I charge full fee, unless the sickness is going to be long term then I negotiate according to circumstances. I don't offer to find alternative care but if asked I will suggest minders that I know well, trust and provide good quality care, most parents co-incide hols with mine or if like next year I know a few are planning hols around the same time I will take my time off then as well. You could even find a mental minder like me who had 4 mindees on her summer week off as parents were let down at the last min that was a great holiday I can tell ya.

It may seem a bit daunting, but as the others have said it usually works out OK. I have 9 currently on the books and generally we all sort it out in the end. Sometimes I will recommend a local minder, but many are full these days, so its helpful to know you have some sort of fall-back.

Do focus on the other 48 weeks of the year you are leaving your baby, if you feel more comfortable with one person, that will outweigh the holiday issue.

p.s - I don't do sick [touching wood smiley], not had a day off in 6 years, I don't have time, I usually fall ill when I am on my holidays .

I also give parents details of all my holiday dates in August for the following academic year (September - August) so they have plenty of notice. Do not arrange cover but will recommend another childminder who I know will have a vacancy if asked. Generally though I find parents pefer to take time off themselves or arrange for family to help out if necessary. Don't forget that some of the time off will naturally coincide with when you would probably be off work too - ie over Christmas and Easter so in effect you would only probably be looking to cover 2 weeks if you didn't take holiday to coincide with your cm.

I don't charge if I am not working but charge full rate if I am working and the child has time off for holiday or through sickness.

I've been cm for 11 years and have only had 3 days off not previously planned for - 1 through sickness and 2 funerals. We're made of strong stuff us childminders!!!

Only had one day off sick and closed today for a funeral, I only take my holidays in the school holidays, so when you're children are older they tend to coincide better, so worth considering a cm with school age children as holiday clubs can fill the gaps in the holidays for childcare. I don't charge for my holidays and I give 3 months notice or more if I know.

Thanks all that's really reassuring, and Rosie I am hearing what you say about focussing on the other 48 weeks of the year.

I am finding it hard to visualise all this stuff being a first time mum and not having an actual baby yet! But my gut instinct is telling me to go for a CM and cope with the (hopefully small) logistical issues that might bring. We have no local grandparents to help with care so will have to think carefully about potential backups.

Danthe sorry you are going to a funeral today, hope it goes as well as possible.

Have a good day all

Hi Ive been a childminder for a few years now and began by service by requesting that parents paid half the fee during my holidays. If the family were to go on holiday they were to still pay me the full fee as I saw it that they were keeping their childcare space secure for their return and it was there choice to be away at the time. I also asked for four weeks holiday.

Now I have changed these terms and conditions, I ask for the full fee for my holidays and I now take up to six weeks holiday in the year. the reason for all this being.

1. An employee has the right to 5.6 weeks holiday in the year with pay, as of April this year.

1. I receive less than the minimum wage for my hourly rate.

1. Its not just the practical care being provided to the child as the paperwork has increased with observations, planning, diary writing and SEf forms having to be completed. Membership and registration fees need to be paid and equipment and resources provided.

1. Parents can receive help with their childcare cost through childcare vouchers and tax credit claims.

5 you may not always have that full quota of children therefore what will happen when its time for your or their holiday and you are not receiving your full pay. Your household bills are still having to be met.

I do not charge if I am ill, I have an arrangement with another childminder who if possible will provide cover for me whilst I'm away if needed. I do give a months notice for any holidays that I will take.

Parents will choose your service because they feel you can provide the best care for their child while they are out at work. So shouldn't they respect you as a person and try and accommodate your needs?.