Sadie's Mum
30-06-2008, 06:50 PM
Firstly sorry it's so long and I've rattled on a bit!!
I had a parent come to see me today about childcare who is moving into the area. She has 2 children (a 3 year old girl and 18 month old boy) and she's looking for care from September. She's going to be working 3 days a week (prob Mon-Wed) 8am-5pm. She knows I only have 1 under 5 space available but said that she couldn't find a childminder that had 2 under 5 spaces anyway so still wanted to come and see me and she was also looking at nurserys, another childminding friend of mine and a pre-school for her daughter. She wasn't sure which child she would want me to mind yet.
Before she came to see me she went to see the pre-school that my own daughter goes to and fell in love with it there which was great as I do pick ups from there anyway for my daughter so it looked like if she wanted me it would be for her daughter and we could try and tie in their sessions there so they were there at the same time rather than me running up and down all day long. From this I expected it to have her before a session, drop her off and then pick her up and have her until she went home. Which would have been fine. She also wanted a term time only contract which I said I wouldn't do for an under 5 as chances are I wouldn't be able to fill an under 5 space for just the holidays but I said I would just charge half fees during the holidays.
She rang me earlier to say she would like me to have her daughter BUT on a Monday and Tuesday she would take her to the pre-school in the morning, she would be there for breakfast club, the morning session, stay for the lunch club and then the afternoon session (My daughter will be doing the afternoon session on these days). On a Wednesday she would again take her for the breakfast club, then morning session and then I would pick her up after the morning session along with my daughter who will be doing the morning session on a Wednesday. So that means looking after her for 2 hours on a Monday and Tuesday and 5.5 hours on a Wednesday so a grand total of 9.5 hours per week.
Now we are very quiet in this area at the moment so I am thinking that I should take it as I could do with that extra bit of money but don't really want to tie up my only free under 5 space on those 3 days for just 9.5 hours work as I'm sure it's unlikely if someone else came along wanting those days that they would only want until 2/2.30pm so that I could still have them and be able to still pick her up at 3pm.
My support childminder reckons I should take it and then if something better comes up then just give notice which is what I am feeling but then I'd just feel a b!tch knowing that I am just waiting until something better comes along and then letting her down (which could never happen anyway as calls are very few and far between round here at the moment!)
I had a parent come to see me today about childcare who is moving into the area. She has 2 children (a 3 year old girl and 18 month old boy) and she's looking for care from September. She's going to be working 3 days a week (prob Mon-Wed) 8am-5pm. She knows I only have 1 under 5 space available but said that she couldn't find a childminder that had 2 under 5 spaces anyway so still wanted to come and see me and she was also looking at nurserys, another childminding friend of mine and a pre-school for her daughter. She wasn't sure which child she would want me to mind yet.
Before she came to see me she went to see the pre-school that my own daughter goes to and fell in love with it there which was great as I do pick ups from there anyway for my daughter so it looked like if she wanted me it would be for her daughter and we could try and tie in their sessions there so they were there at the same time rather than me running up and down all day long. From this I expected it to have her before a session, drop her off and then pick her up and have her until she went home. Which would have been fine. She also wanted a term time only contract which I said I wouldn't do for an under 5 as chances are I wouldn't be able to fill an under 5 space for just the holidays but I said I would just charge half fees during the holidays.
She rang me earlier to say she would like me to have her daughter BUT on a Monday and Tuesday she would take her to the pre-school in the morning, she would be there for breakfast club, the morning session, stay for the lunch club and then the afternoon session (My daughter will be doing the afternoon session on these days). On a Wednesday she would again take her for the breakfast club, then morning session and then I would pick her up after the morning session along with my daughter who will be doing the morning session on a Wednesday. So that means looking after her for 2 hours on a Monday and Tuesday and 5.5 hours on a Wednesday so a grand total of 9.5 hours per week.
Now we are very quiet in this area at the moment so I am thinking that I should take it as I could do with that extra bit of money but don't really want to tie up my only free under 5 space on those 3 days for just 9.5 hours work as I'm sure it's unlikely if someone else came along wanting those days that they would only want until 2/2.30pm so that I could still have them and be able to still pick her up at 3pm.
My support childminder reckons I should take it and then if something better comes up then just give notice which is what I am feeling but then I'd just feel a b!tch knowing that I am just waiting until something better comes along and then letting her down (which could never happen anyway as calls are very few and far between round here at the moment!)