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View Full Version : How to stop providing meals



KateA
17-08-2014, 04:06 PM
Hello,

I am posting for behalf of a friend who currently provides meals at lunch time and dinner time but is finding it increasing time consuming , she is out of pocket as comes out normal fees and is finding parents are turning up late to collect as they know she is feeding them or will arrive and then stand around while she feeds their child.

My question is have any of you stopped offer this service and how did you do?

Thanks

pinkzed
17-08-2014, 06:01 PM
Hi,

I am new to childminding but in my fees I include breakfast, snacks and lunch. If they want an evening meal it's an extra £1.50. Sending out a letter telling parents what you are planning with a start date. I don't think you necessarily need to give a reason but parents will see this as a price increase. More experienced cms may have better advice!

Zoe.

muffins
17-08-2014, 07:52 PM
You could say that you have been reviewing your fees and instead of a fee increase you have decided not to include meals in your fee.

I provide breakfast for a £1 as that's easy to prepare, ask parents to provide a packed lunch as it's then ready for easy serving after coming in from a morning out and do a hot meal at 5pm for £2 as I cook for my whole family then anyway so not too much bother.

I ask parents not to arrive between 5-5.30pm as ut disrupts those eating and I like to be able to eat in peace as well. If for any reason they need to on the odd occasion I will have the child ready and take them to the door so the parent doesn't need to come in, I'll also make my excuses and return to the table asap:thumbsup:

hectors house
18-08-2014, 06:53 AM
I cook our evening meal after the children have gone home, cook extra and serve up in plastic bowls, if meal is for the next day I wrap in cling film and put in fridge - if required later in week, I wrap and put in freezer. At weekend I made a big chicken curry and a bolognese so that's 2 meals sorted already for this week. (just have to cook rice & pasta).

I think your friend should tell the parents she is going to start charging for meals, batch cook to make things easier and tell parents that they can't collect during meal times as it unsettles everyone else.

bunyip
18-08-2014, 07:32 AM
I've always included meals in my fees. This is because, having talked with lots of parents, one of their chief complaints about childcare providers is having to pay lots of extra charges above and beyond the advertised rate. That said, I'd never had a satisfactory response from a parent when I asked them if they'd expect to pay so little if they took their child to any other 'food business' to be fed (eg. play centre, pub/restaurant, etc. etc.) It 's just one of those unrealistic expectations we seem destined to have to live with. :(

As for the parents who are turning up late and/or standing around while your friend feeds their child(ren): I'd stamp this out asap. Quite simply, remove the meal and she removes the incentive for the parents to extract the urine. Then offer a renegotiated contract with new hours and a new fee when they begin to bleat about it. (Cue irritating mammal sucking teeth and saying "simples" whilst bunyip slowly stalks the savannah in background with high-powered rifle. :rolleyes:)

Simona
18-08-2014, 08:24 AM
It may be worth for CMs to talk to other cms and even other providers such as preschools and nurseries and look at this issue more closely...my personal view of course

It will become clearer in the near future this is important as there are various groups researching the real 'cost of childcare'

So lets go back in the history of the EY funding and how it has evolved......there is evidence out there that points clearly to the introduction of the Free Education as the culprit for many things...slowly slowly many providers have had to reduce what is included in their service to subsidise and make up the shortfall in funding.

bear with me as we go back a few years in the history of Early Years...


When I first offered Free Education 14 years ago in my preschool it was £3.50 per hour and ...it is still £3.50 per hour now without any consideration to the current cost of living or an increase due to inflation or such like

The main difference is that a long time ago 'topping up' was actually allowed
the scheme was called Nursery Vouchers and was introduced when John Major was PM
parents got their funding at the end of the term while they had already paid us the full fee at the start...both providers and parents were very happy indeed especially as the system was easily administered and delivered
Does it ring a bell with others?


It was perfectly legitimate to do so then came the CMs Networks where Accredited CMs were actually told how to get around the new Code of Practice where 'topping up' was not allowed any more....does this ring a bell too?

The FE is for 15 hrs of early education...despite the fact many refer to it as 'free childcare' it is education we have the funding for
As we know and continue to argue about with no one listening to us...is that in the vast majority of LAs decide on the amount of funding they give us...both now when the funding is not ringfenced and until 2010 when it was.

I would say the funding is pitiful and totally inadequate to do what the politicians tells us it should help us achieve
in some LAs, a few of them, the funding is actually more than the actual fee charged by providers who then make a small profit from tax payers' money...incredible really!!
To add insult to injury this DfE has introduced a system where you can check the funding you get against what is given in the LAs next to you...not sure what that is for but there we go! and it has made not a jot of difference

Sorry I am being long winded but I am nearly there.....

All this has resulted in fees outside of the FE rising to recoup the loss incurred for 15 hrs for the last few years
The second result is that now providers charge for a lot of things which they consider additional such as food...I know the vast majority of nurseries and preschools ask parents to bring in fruit every day...some offer lunch but in most it is lunch boxes
I am sure you have come across this as you take your children to preschools?

Apart from food other providers also charge for music lessons...regardless of whether the parents want it or not if the child is there on the day they pay...have you seen this too?

The end result is that nothing ...or very little...is being offered as 'part of the fees' and CMs will have to consider that as well if they want to remain sustainable and continue to offer the 'subsidised childcare' as independent CMs

So be very honest with parents and tell them why you need to charge for meals, outings or even attend Stay and Play
it will be an eye opener to them
In my experience when I have told them how much I get from my LA all parents have become rather cross

So in reply to the OP...if you need to charge for meals to sustain your business then go ahead...tell your parents clearly

I am sure many CMs will be updating their practice soon...not just to accommodate the EYFS 2014 but the more important issue of 'staying alive' in the current childcare market where nothing is for free anymore

As said this is my view !!!

KateA
18-08-2014, 10:35 AM
Hi thanks for all the great replies I will pass them on to her x

hectors house
18-08-2014, 11:36 AM
It may be worth for CMs to talk to other cms and even other providers such as preschools and nurseries and look at this issue more closely...my personal view of course

It will become clearer in the near future this is important as there are various groups researching the real 'cost of childcare'

So lets go back in the history of the EY funding and how it has evolved......there is evidence out there that points clearly to the introduction of the Free Education as the culprit for many things...slowly slowly many providers have had to reduce what is included in their service to subsidise and make up the shortfall in funding.

bear with me as we go back a few years in the history of Early Years...


When I first offered Free Education 14 years ago in my preschool it was £3.50 per hour and ...it is still £3.50 per hour now without any consideration to the current cost of living or an increase due to inflation or such like

The main difference is that a long time ago 'topping up' was actually allowed
the scheme was called Nursery Vouchers and was introduced when John Major was PM
parents got their funding at the end of the term while they had already paid us the full fee at the start...both providers and parents were very happy indeed especially as the system was easily administered and delivered
Does it ring a bell with others?


It was perfectly legitimate to do so then came the CMs Networks where Accredited CMs were actually told how to get around the new Code of Practice where 'topping up' was not allowed any more....does this ring a bell too?

The FE is for 15 hrs of early education...despite the fact many refer to it as 'free childcare' it is education we have the funding for
As we know and continue to argue about with no one listening to us...is that in the vast majority of LAs decide on the amount of funding they give us...both now when the funding is not ringfenced and until 2010 when it was.

I would say the funding is pitiful and totally inadequate to do what the politicians tells us it should help us achieve
in some LAs, a few of them, the funding is actually more than the actual fee charged by providers who then make a small profit from tax payers' money...incredible really!!
To add insult to injury this DfE has introduced a system where you can check the funding you get against what is given in the LAs next to you...not sure what that is for but there we go! and it has made not a jot of difference

Sorry I am being long winded but I am nearly there.....

All this has resulted in fees outside of the FE rising to recoup the loss incurred for 15 hrs for the last few years
The second result is that now providers charge for a lot of things which they consider additional such as food...I know the vast majority of nurseries and preschools ask parents to bring in fruit every day...some offer lunch but in most it is lunch boxes
I am sure you have come across this as you take your children to preschools?

Apart from food other providers also charge for music lessons...regardless of whether the parents want it or not if the child is there on the day they pay...have you seen this too?

The end result is that nothing ...or very little...is being offered as 'part of the fees' and CMs will have to consider that as well if they want to remain sustainable and continue to offer the 'subsidised childcare' as independent CMs

So be very honest with parents and tell them why you need to charge for meals, outings or even attend Stay and Play
it will be an eye opener to them
In my experience when I have told them how much I get from my LA all parents have become rather cross

So in reply to the OP...if you need to charge for meals to sustain your business then go ahead...tell your parents clearly

I am sure many CMs will be updating their practice soon...not just to accommodate the EYFS 2014 but the more important issue of 'staying alive' in the current childcare market where nothing is for free anymore

As said this is my view !!!

I am one of the few childminders who does actually get paid more for funding than my standard hourly rate, however that's only because I get paid 72p more for having a level 3 - our county have informed us that they are going to have to drop the rate as they are currently subsidising the amount they get from the Government.

Doesn't make sense that Somerset haven't put up Council Tax for the last 3 or 4 years - surely if everyone had been paying a reasonable increase during those years then our library wouldn't have had to cut hours, the recycling centres wouldn't have had to close early or charge for dumping rubble (leading to increase in fly tipping), and the LA could continue to pay a reasonable price for funding hours. Don't know why different counties get different amounts for funded hours and it doesn't even seem to depend on how rich/expensive the areas are or how much the Childminders or Nurseries normally charge.