Childcare cost

[ILoveLife40]

First time poster, following for a while! I have kids in childcare with a childminder for the last number of years. The childminder has one of my children full time and collects other child from primary school. When schools start back one child will start in play school and the other in School. I will be dropping every morning so only need after play school/school care. I will work mostly term time and generally available if kids off school sick, which I’m lucky rarely happens.

Am I being unrealistic to only discuss with childminder to pay only for hours childern are with childminder or should I continue to pay a full day from 9am to 4pm or pay hours only with minder from 12-4. Options are limited in a rural area! Thanks for reading!

It depends whether she could fill the other hours - if she needs to close a whole full time place so she can have your children, you need to pay for the full time place. If she could have other children as well as yours, then pay for the hours you use.

Thanks, I don’t think I would be necessarily preventing her from taking on more children if she choose to do that with my children there, she does mind other kids also. If I change my work schedule to be more available for my children, I would feel I should pay less, if my kids were there with her in mornings and she dropped them to school as well as collect from school, I can see the need to pay for full days.

She has a legal ratio though, she she can’t just take ok more even if you don’t object. I think it might be hard for her to find a family only requiring before 12pm, so therefore your kids are taking a place for all day when if they aren’t there, as she doesn’t have a full day place to offer. Do you have a contract of any sort?

yes current contract in place until September, so I’m wondering now what is reasonable. Surly everyone who uses only after school hours are not paying full days? She has scope to have other kids there after school and during school hours. Why would I continue to pay for unused hours if she has scope, sure everyone minding children after school could look for full days cost and have less children to look overall!

Unfortunately you can’t decide what you think you should pay her. It’s her business and she will charge what works for her. It’s entirely up to you whether you decide to stay and use her service. Saying that, I do appreciate it’s tricky for parents needing wraparound. I personally don’t offer it as it takes up a place that I could fill and charge a full day rate for. Good luck. I hope you get sorted 😀

It ultimately depends on the demand and how much you need the childcare and what other options you’ve got. If she’s got a waiting list of full time kids then she might choose not to renew the contract if you only want to pay her for 12-4.

On the face of it what you’re suggesting isn’t unreasonable but it depends on her set-up, how many children she’s willing to take and for what hours etc. if she’s always done smaller children, it might not suit her to mix older kids and babies for example. And what happens once you’re youngest is in school properly- would you only be looking to pay 3-4 (which would presumably not be that attractive)?

It’s different but I have to pay for 3-6 for wraparound whether I use it for 1 or 3 hours. A lot of the time you’re paying for the place not the hours.

Our after school club was a bit precarious post Covid re staffing and I was looking for an after school nanny. They are like hens teeth. If we’d have needed to go down that route we’d have most likely needed to pay for a ton of hours we wouldn’t have needed other than the holidays. So be a bit careful about pissing off your childminder if she’s your only viable option.

The only way to know is to ask, all childminders are different!

As others have said it will depend on how the childminder is set up and what sessions are offered. The one nearest us offers only full days 8-6 or a separate before or after school service, to a particular school only. I think sometimes will accept a child for a half day if it's on a quiet day (like Fridays) She has one or two helpers for drop off and pickup/after school to stay within ratio. So there it would be the lunchtime collection that might be tricky. But if they offer half day sessions then that would work.