aaah dilema

[mushpea]

if you picked up a child from preschool at 12pm and had them till 5pm and only had them term time and didnt take them to preschool only collected them would you charge for the morning or just the 5hours that you had them from.
I cant see how i can justify charging for the morning when she would never use that space yet I know i cant fill that space.

[Pipsqueak]

I would charge from when I left home to collect the child.
No, I do not think you could justify charging for the morning.

[crazyhazy]

I wouldn;t charge for the morning, I only charge for time at preschool if I drop off and collect or I'd be expected to have them for those hours during holidays

[Noomie]

I have children that only come to me in the morning and I take them to nursery at 12.15pm. It's hard to fill the afternoon space, but I don't think I can charge them as I don't pick them up. Sort of the opposite to you. If I did pick them up, they would get charged the whole time. So I guess the same applies ifyswim?

[miffy]

It's a tricky one - atm I look after a child whose mum brings them to me after the school run and I keep until she picks up at 5.30pm - I charge a day rate, no problem.

From January this child will get free sessions at playgroup - if mum chooses to send her on my days and takes her there herself I would only need to pick up when the session finishes at lunchtime. If I didn't charge the full day rate my pay would drop and I wouldn't be able to fill the place.

You only have a limited number of under 5 spaces so you need to think very carefully what you need to charge.

Miffy xx

[It's a small world]

Are you the emergency contact if lo is poorly etc at pre school? If so then I think you should charge. If not then probably not.. only you can decide what to charge and if you can afford not to charge as very difficult to fill half days iyswim ??

[little chickee]

I only charge for the hours i have them.

[MissTinkerbell]

I do a drop off and a pick up but do not charge whilst LO is at preschool. But saying that it's only because I also have her brother and said that I wouldn't charge whilst she was at preschool as opposed to giving a sibling discount.

When she came to me before her brother was born I did charge whilst at preschool.

However if you only do the pick up and not the drop off and are not emergency contact then I don't think you can justify charging.

[IndigoMoon]

Does mum want you to have child in the hols? Does she want you to be emergency contact? If the answer to both these questions is yes then I would charge something for the morning, possibly half fees, as you'd have to keep the space open for holidays.

If she doesn't want either of those things then No I wouldn't charge and would advertise the space, you never know somebody else at the preschool may want mornings only...

[jelly15]

i charge £30 per day for under 5s, if parents want them to go to preschool and are not willing to pay for the whole day they can find another cm, it is too much hassle for just a few hours when i can fill the space with someone else who wants a full day.

my cm friend charges by the hour but five hours or more are regarded as a full day.