CMs - how do you fill your vacancies?

[lollipopmother]

I'm just about to get my CRB check back, certainly I should be registered by the end of Jan latest. I already have one full time client ready to sign contracts.

My problem is filling the other vacancy. I would like to take one more child and I would like them to be full time (doesn't every CM!). I've had a few enquiries but none are for full time, or like today, they'd like to start in March full time for 1 month and then aren't sure from then on.

I find it very difficult to say no to people, or to find the right way to say that I want them to come and see me to talk about it, but that I might not choose them iyswim.

What do you do, and how do you do it? I don't want to lose business waiting for something that might never happen, but equally I don't want to have loads of different children coming each week just to make sure that I get a full weeks work.

I hope that makes sense!

Unfortunatly for me I will take on any hours requested. I am a minder with 6 years experience and only running at 30% capacity at the moment. I have been like this since July last year when most of my children left to go to secondary/start school. I am one of the cheaper minders in my area and i'm still being told by parents thatmy fee's are too expensive.

It all depends on thedemand for minders in your area.

agree with HP, i have only had around 10 enquiries in the 18 months i have been registered, been lucky that i have managed to juggle those that i could/wanted to take and now am just about at capacity for under 5's, my ideal would be to have a schoolie or two, but i have NEVER had an enquiry for one. I basically took what i could get

I advertise quite a lot and I'm about 75% full with 4 parents coming to see my next week. I'm quite picky in that I have met a few parents that I haven't clicked with and I have told them I don't think our setting is for them.

I advertise in our community paper, a few different newsagents, flyers in parks, table top sales, sometimes mother and baby spaces, netmums, childcare.co.uk, google ads.

I carry business cards too as I always get chatting to people and a few have asked for my details. Normally in a park or toddler group.

I have had no enquiries from direct.gov! I think my situation was helped because a few people I previously nannied for came across to childminding.

I only have 1 full time child though, the rest are part timers; but I have AM and PM sessions so everyone slots together nicely. I live in Bristol and charge a bit more than others in my area.

Thank you for your replies.

I 'got tough' this week and have told everyone who's contacted me about part time care that I'd love to look after their LO whilst I can, but that if a full time mindee comes up then I'd take them on. No one seems bothered so far so that's ok although the lady that wanted me to look after her baby full time for one month cancelled on me after I waited in all day for her , but I hadn't even met her yet so she obviously just decided against it as I hadn't had time to tell her my strategy!

I'm disappointed to hear that the Direct Gov website hasn't got people any work, I really thought it would help me, now I'm not so sure, although I'm pretty certain from searches on various childcare websites that I'm the only CM in a 2 mile radius of my postcode.

I set up a thread called Advertising Tips ages and ages ago which may be useful. I haven't got time to search for it now but if you search you should be find it ok.

This won't help with FT enquiries though. I used to want full time all the time but then suffered so much when they left as a massive amount of income had gone. So now I quite like the fact I have different people doing different days. The pita is that it's more work on obs and stuff.