How loyal are you to your mindees?

[chabbychic]

What if you get a better offer, i.e. more hours, easier child. Do you keep your original child out of loyalty or do you give them notice and take on the new child?

Ooh I do hope you don't just drop them, but that's me talking as a humble parent.

Depends on lots of factors.

In an ideal world you'd keep them till they started school wouldn't you, but if your mortgage needs paying and you have a 10 hour a week child blocking up the possibility of a 40 hour a week child - not nice but sometimes it simply has to be done.

I've had to do it once felt like shit though.

He's starting school in September but parent still wants me to have him after school. I've been approached by a family with 3 kids who I'd love to take but I'd go over numbers with them.

Can you apply for a variation?

Yes I will do, are they normally quite lenient?

They usually like to agree things for 'continuity of care' or 'new sibling' type thing.

The angle I'd use is mum has 3 children so will find it harder to find a childminder to help and this other child is at the older end of the under 5's age and will be starting school in Sept so it's only for a short time. Really focus on how hard it would be for the parent of 3 to find anyone unless Ofsted allow a variation .

I've never given notice. I may have lost out in the short-term financially by not giving notice to part timers when the offer of longer hours came up. However, I prefer the security of sticking with children I know, parents who I can trust to pay regularly etc. There's no telling what sort of problems may come up with a new family ... how long they will stay .. if they want to change/drop hours.

I would give notice if there were also unsolvable problems with an existing family, like not collecting on time. Or if my income dropped so low that we couldn't manage financially otherwise. DH has covered me for temporary drops in income, just as I've covered all the bills when he's been between jobs. But if we ever have problems at the same time, I may have to make a different choice.

I know some childminders think its business like to give priority to full timers and put in their paperwork that p/time places are only temporary, "subject to availability" etc. But I disagree. Customer satisfaction is important, particularly in childminding where most of the work comes via word of mouth. Many parents have noted in their recommendation letters that I am reliable, never let them down etc. I think that long-term my way is better - reputation is everything in this business!

^^ I'm the same as ayla, I have a child who is with me for 10 hours a week which means I can't take on a Set enquiry for 50 hours but no chance am I giving notice.

If I was n financial dire straits it would be a different issue I suspect.

yy money

DH brings in a decent wage and I earn more than enough even though I shortened my hours last Autumn

If things changed, perhaps DH lost his job or was ill long term and by some quirk of fate had little or no sick pay then I would need to consider jettisoning my after schoolies in favour of full day-ers

I wouldn't like to do it one little bit and under normal circs would not do it

i would like to ask is there such a thing as an easy child?

Not really but there are 'more complicated ones'

cookielove can you explain a bit ?

chabbierchic - What if you get a better offer, i.e. more hours, easier child.

Well in my line of childcare i have yet to meet an easy child, and how would you know the easyness of a child before you have cared for them?

In my experience the children are all sweet and lovely in settling ins, but all hell brakes loose when the child starts

Of course all the children i care for are delightful

However the easier ones of the children i have looked after still have that little bit of attiude that we all love in children

OH, I see. sorry cookie

I agree fwiw, each child is unique and bring their own challenges to the setting

rasputin i think if you were happy to have her mind for two years perhaps the reputation of unreliable was a little harsh

rasputin that is terrible

even though it had a very negative impact on your life, she was reliable for two whole years.

i do understand that your really annoyed, but IMO i think labelling her as unreliable is a bit unfair.

i suppose it hits anerve for me as i have to let my mindees go as ive been offered a job, i couldt refuse it as i need the higher wage to pay my morgage.

but would be very upset to be labelled unrealiable by the mindees i had to let go.

That sounds very tough for you rasputin, but I can also see from the CMs position that she has to run a profitable business. It's no good to anyone if a CM has to give up minding all together because they can't pay the bills.

Of course there are easier children!

Anyhow thanks for responses. I'm going to ask Ofsted for a variation first before I make any decision.