Had a parent visit

[cher25]

Hi all. I just had a women come round wanting childcare for her 3 children, all under 5, but the oldest is nearly 5 and starts school in september.
Here's the thing i charge £3 an hour. She wanted me for 10 hours a day, 3 days a week sometimes more. That would cost her well over £1000. She wanted me to make reductions, so for all i didnt really want to i ended up saying ok and i said 25p off for the 2nd child. Which was still a fair bit of money. That was without taking into account the oldest before starting school. Let alone when the child is at school.
She then asked me if i would accept £600 a month, saying that's all she could afford and that is at a push. I couldnt help but feel sorry for her as she is a trainee nurse and trying to get back into it.
I said she should see about tax credits and that sort of thing, but dont know enough about it to have given her any more advice on that.

Im just totally gobsmacked, i would be working for £1.60 per child an hour if i agreed.

[SimplyLucy]

Don't feel bad, you did the right thing. Our services aren't there to be haggled for!

If she can only afford £600 then she should wait until her children are a bit older before she goes ahead with her training. Harsh but true.

You offered her a deal, which was very generous of you.

I'm not sure she'd get help with childcare though tax credits, but I'm sure if she is training she'd get a college grant or something to help.

[Splish Splosh]

:panic: :panic: :panic: no dont do it i have 2 full timers from same family and they recieve tax credits which i am to believe covers a great amount of their childcare costs.
she did ask for me for reduce rate for sibling but i refused as you only have so many places allocated and her children did take them up.
please think wisely but a definite no no from me.:panic: :panic:

[jaja]

Oh god!!! why doesnt she get a grant? most unis give them, plus what about family tax credit? or another scheme like that. I dont believe she hasnt looked into this already, plus she must have known how much it would cost to offer you £600, I`d be wary that she wasnt trying to have you on (sorry if she was geniun (sp?) ) What are you going to say if she phones you up again?

good luck with whatever you decide, xxx

[chez1373]

I would definatley say no way you might think 600 a month is alot of money but if you could fill them places with other children you be making alot more you did the right thing and everyone can get help with childcare cost as long as they are not earning over a large amount about 40k a year and if she is earning that much then she is just being dam rude.....

Good luck xx

[chels55]

she could apply for childcare grant through the college. i would tell her i can't reduce my fees but would be willing to include meals in with the price, then state that i was going to charge extra for meals.

dont leave yourself short something else will come along soon

[sarah707]

No way should you be looking to care for any child for less than the going rate locally...

You are a professional person.

She would not get 'deals' or 'pay for two, do third free' in a nursery...

Tax credits are there for situations like this and will pay up to 75% of her costs depending on the household income...

Let her come back to you with a sensible offer :D

[breezy]

you cant possibly consider working for so little, let her look into what sort of help she can get

[cher25]

Hi, Thank you all for your replies. I did try to stick to my guns on this, and for all i did work out 25p less for the 2nd child, she still kept saying she probably couldn't afford it.
So far she hasn't phoned back and ill probably ignore the phone this weekend if she tries to, as she was wanting the children to start on Monday, which was short notice anyway.
And after repeatedly working out what i would get for 3 kids from anyone else, i felt like i was being taken for a ride.

Cher x

[Blaze]

I just wanted to add that it's not even as if you'd have £600 AFTER expenses...

[cloud9]

Hi all. I just had a women come round wanting childcare for her 3 children, all under 5, but the oldest is nearly 5 and starts school in september.
Here's the thing i charge £3 an hour. She wanted me for 10 hours a day, 3 days a week sometimes more. That would cost her well over £1000. She wanted me to make reductions, so for all i didnt really want to i ended up saying ok and i said 25p off for the 2nd child. Which was still a fair bit of money. That was without taking into account the oldest before starting school. Let alone when the child is at school.
She then asked me if i would accept £600 a month, saying that's all she could afford and that is at a push. I couldnt help but feel sorry for her as she is a trainee nurse and trying to get back into it.
I said she should see about tax credits and that sort of thing, but dont know enough about it to have given her any more advice on that.

Im just totally gobsmacked, i would be working for £1.60 per child an hour if i agreed.

would she work for that? i doubt it you need to make a living and if she doesn't like it im afraid i would say tough luck. Also remember if you offer a sibling discount give it to the older child so you aren't out of pocket when they leave.

I have also cared for a students child before (and it was a nightmare and resulted in him doing a bunk to avoid paying notice!) and they do get a childcare grant from their college/university that they are attending.

[buildingblocks]

Also remember if you offer a sibling discount give it to the older child so you aren't out of pocket when they leave.
.

A word of warning think carefully before giving the older sibling the discount. This may sound daft but I know of someone who did this and the parent sent the older one in the holidays and not the younger one - they were farmed out to relatives. My contracts when I used to give sibling discounts stated the discount was only in place when all children attended.

I no longer give discounts as childminders we have a limited number of spaces6 if you are lucky (not counting over 8's) and the children are taking up a paying space