Calling all childminders - what do you think?!!

[Lisa78]

Just want your expert input on my childcare arrangements ladies please. I don't have any experience with childminders so could you tell me if you think the following is reasonable?
I'm in West Yorkshire and have arranged for DS2 to go to a neighbour who is a childminder. She is charging £3 per hour and we are providing nappies and food (the same rate applies if we aren't I think). On Bank Holidays which we don't work, we will still pay her, as we will in our holidays. In her holidays, we pay her half rate.
We will give her use of our car seat and pram, but she will provide other equipment such as a highchair. Although he won't start there until June, we are paying her half rate from 1st March to reserve his place
Does that seem pretty standard to you?
TIA
Sorry to be one of these paranoid mums!

this sounds pretty standard to me; any childminder is due holiday and bank holiday pay as in any other job, and paying to reserve a place is also standard; frequently, someone will 'arrange' for their child to begin with a childminder, only to change their mind at the last minute, which means the childminder is out of pocket and may not be able to get a replacement child for some time.Also, 3 pounds per hour is cheap, mine is 4.25 ! ( although I am in London).She has to pay all her own NI and taxes too.

Lisa78
It all sounds quite standard re payment. You will also find that you will have to pay if your ds is off sick, or if you have time off and decide not to send him. Has she given you a contract yet? If she is registered then she should go over it all with you and you will both sign the contract agreeing the conditions. This should be reviewd annually.

yes, this does not seem out of the ordinary, although I personally disagree that she should be paid on bank holidays which you do not work, unless she is normally contracted to have your child on these days. I am a childminder (who charges 3 pounds per hr), and I also send my ds to a childminder who charges me full fee for my holidays but who does not charge for her holidays. All contracts are negotiable before you actually sign them, but if there is great demand for childcare in your area then the childminders can set more favourable conditions for themselves than perhaps can others in different parts of the country. If she is good then she is well worth it.

Sounds pretty reasonable to me and a lot cheaper than london. Our childminder charges us full rate for her 4 weeks vacation, though the deal I have with her is that I pay a higher weekly rate (£125 per child) and don't pay for the weeks that we don't use her (we travel a lot). We supply nappies, she supplies food (lunch and snacks).

I've never paid in advance to reserve a place. I have used two full time childminders and two school pick up childminders. I live in London. All the other arrangements sound standard to me.

If you are very happy with your childminder, and there are not a lot of them in your area, then it's probably worth paying her half pay from March to June. But if you feel you could get another nice childminder easily then think carefully. 3 or more months on half pay sounds a lot to me. I'd definitly phone round other childminders to see if they charge a such a large retainer.

Also, IME childminders get vacancies at the end of the school year - july/August - as pre schoolers move to schools with after school play clubs, and toddlers move to nurseries. So, if you can hold out till then, you might have a better choice. Depends on the demand in your area, though.

I don't like charging a long retainer fee, so I tend to take a non refundable deposit instead. I have charged a retainer for about 8 weeks before.With a deposit the parent knows that the place is theirs by paying the deposit and I am covered if they back out at any time. The NCMA contracts cover deposits and retainers fully with all the conditions and reccomendation printed on the 3 page contract.

You can't charge a retainer if the place is not available at any time during that period. The parent can also use the place with prior arrangement and it is a good idea to do so, to settle in your child. You just pay the balance due each time.

I am paid 52 weeks of the year and always have. The only time I wouldn't get paid is if I am ill, touch wood, never happened yet.

It is about supply and demand, if places are hard to find, especially baby places, then a retainer is worth paying for.

Lisa - our childminder charges £3 per hour
We pay her full rate if ds is off ill.
In my hols, we pay her half
in her hols (usually 2 weeks per year) we pay nothing
if she is ill, we pay nothing
we didnt pay a retianer
also in the summer hols, she offers to have him for one day 'free' for him to settle back in again - fab!!
i havent heard of paying a retainer like this for so long!