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EmmaReed84
29-09-2013, 09:54 AM
I lost my full time mindee in September, I have known about it since July and since then I have...

-Bought some business cards and handed them out in various places, given to some parent at my son's school.
-Made up leaflets and gave them to the playschool to give to all the children to take home to parents.
-Handed some leaflets in to the local school uniform shop.
-Updated my childcare.co.uk page and logged on regularly, messaged parents.
-Gone on to the local various FB pages and posted my vacancies with a link to my site, several times.
-Asked about other CM's I know who are full and asked them to pass on my details, as I have done with them in the past.
-Posted my vacancies on Netmums childcare boards, and kept an eye on them.
-Had magnetic car door signs made with my details on.

Since July so far I have signed up one Mum, for one day a week for a 10 month old, and an ad-hoc Mum for a school drop off. I have two queries who never came back to me.

What else can I do, I am starting to get desperate now, we can "manage" on the lower income, but that literally managing with the normal household bills etc. I am a bit worried as we have both our children's birthdays coming up as well as Xmas... I thought I would have at least recouped half the money I have lost...

What else can I do? I am clean out of ideas now, so I am asking you wonderful ladies, and men, for you help :D

Bluebell
29-09-2013, 10:13 AM
Hi I'm really sorry to hear you are in this predicament - it will be hard to suggest anything further as it sounds like you are doing so much.

have you a childrens centre near you? Our childrens centre once suggested a childminder pop up and meet local parents as there were parents who were panicking about childcare. Its a way to get your face known if you could pop in and say hello at the end of a session or clinic. get them to put your details out and let them know you have spaces so they will pass your number on first.

or same at local mum and toddler groups?

word of mouth through local businesses. There was one firm here recently that half the women were pregnant at the same time and had tried the local nursery which was full - and were panicking - it hadn't occurred to them to try childminders!

A local paper that would print a photo and editorial - about a trip you've done or a visit you've made. this would get a more personal image of you into the public eye.

Instead of writing 'I have vacancies contact me' put images on facebook of craft you have done with the kids, activities you have played, your garden - something that sells you! (sorry if you have already done this) i put trips to the zoo because it is easy to get pictures of the animals with the children all looking away from the camera at the animals.

hang around in the park with the little ones you have and get chatting to the mums - show off your caring skills and let them know you have had a little one move on to school so even of they are not looking they might know someone who is.

Tealady
29-09-2013, 10:42 AM
How does your FIS website work. Ours is in no particular order except the ones which are updated latest are at the top of the list. I get so forgetful when I have vacancies I desperately want to fill that I often get my update form back late, so funnily enough I am nearly always one of the first names on the list. ;)

It's been dead here over the summer but now all the parents are getting themselves organised for December/January starts. It's getting really busy with enquiries, hopefully it will pick up for you soon.

Lottie
29-09-2013, 11:00 AM
You could create a website. All my parents have found me through mine, I find this the best form of advertising particularly as everything is web related anyway.

Mouse
29-09-2013, 12:04 PM
Are you able to offer the funded places for 2,3 & 4 yr olds? That can be a selling point, but if it's anything like here, there is suddenly a big call for funded places, particularly for 2 year olds.

If you don't already do the funding, perhaps look into it.

EmmaReed84
30-09-2013, 08:23 AM
Thank you for the replies ladies :D

I do have a website already and I always link any advertisements to my website. I do generally get quick a few hits and I can see how many people view it and where they have viewed it from. For example I have 4 people yesterday view from the link on Netmums, 3 people view from the fb post and 6 people viewed from here. A few were from google searches and some from the FIS website.

On our FIS website I am pretty much at the top, also on most of the other minders page, there is a link that says "website" their links take them all the Ofsted... Mine however, is the only one to take them to my own website :D

I think I might have to resort to standing in the middle of the town with a bell and shouting like a town crier LOL!!!

I am just so worried as the mindee I lost this year was a 52 hour a week mindee, I still have his sister, but I am losing her on 15th August 2014. So I really need to take on more children as I can see next year either being in this position again, or not even minding any more.

Chatterbox Childcare
30-09-2013, 09:03 AM
Putting leaflets through doors has worked for others in the past

My experience with childcare is to ring the parents if they have left their numbers, hearing a voice is a bit more personal

Hang in there, it will happen and then you will be turning people away

EmmaReed84
30-09-2013, 09:19 AM
Putting leaflets through doors has worked for others in the past

My experience with childcare is to ring the parents if they have left their numbers, hearing a voice is a bit more personal

Hang in there, it will happen and then you will be turning people away

Thank you, at the moment I have £288 worth of vacancies... 8 hours for 5 days and 8 hours for 4 days... That would be £1152 every 4 weeks, if I could make HALF of that I would be laughing!

I sometimes wish the ladies on "the other site" can see these posts, and see it is not all money! Last Wednesday I had my own 2 school aged sons. One after school, a 10 month baby, and a 3 year old so 5 children in total... People "seeing me" could easily conclude that I am raking it in, when in actual fact the after school was £20, the baby is only one day a week and the older boys are my own children.

Just feeling a bit rubbish at the moment, worried about affording Xmas, affording my children's birthday, and just being able to keep our heads above water.

k1rstie
30-09-2013, 05:57 PM
Do you have any nct sales coming up? ( they are equally this one of year so your local one may have been and gone)


Our local ones have loads of leaflets in their carrier bags. I do not know how much they charge, but could you have your cards put in their bags? Or you could stand outside and give out our cards as the parents go in? Or sometimes you can put up an a4 advert with pull off phone number strips


I once had a stand with another local minder at an nct fare ( was a bit like a wedding fare!) spoke to lots of mums, but never got any work from it.

Do not give up, something will come along