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View Full Version : Do you ask parents to contribute to toddler groups?



smurfette
02-01-2012, 09:51 AM
Happy new year all!

I would like to take my three toddler mindees to more groups in the new year, one is a music group and one is at soft play (which I have so far been paying for myself but they only charge for walkers and the third one is just about to take off!) I have paid for some myself up Til now and I know parents all appreciate that I take them do you think it would be ok to ask parents to pay ten euros each a month towards extra groups?

samb
02-01-2012, 01:37 PM
I do groups like this as "extra trips" and are therefore not regular and if I do them I get permission and then charge the full amount. I tend to choose toddler groups that are cheaper and these are included in my price. If you were charging a set amount for groups each month then you need to think about part timers - are they accessing these groups too? If I was to do a trip every week ete then I would speak to the parents and charge for it. But not sure if I would feel comfortable about it hence only doing cheap/free groups with the odd extra.

JumpingJacks
02-01-2012, 01:46 PM
I personally don't charge for any toddler groups or outings for any of my mindees, but I guess it depends what other local minders charge in your area. I know some minders here charge a set fee of £2.50 a week to cover such groups and trips

smurfette
02-01-2012, 01:47 PM
I have two part timers who come the same day and this would be on a day that I have them all ... It's a once a month one and costs five euros each child .. The soft play one is every week day and is five euros each too and would like to take them more often I also do some others which are cheaper and I don't charge for .. I suppose this is my issue as I have never charged before!

The Juggler
02-01-2012, 02:41 PM
i would say to parents maybe that the cost if making it prohibitive in the new year but you would love to continue to go. do they value it enough to make a contribution or would they prefer for you to give it a miss.

:thumbsup:

mummyMia
02-01-2012, 03:49 PM
i would say to parents maybe that the cost if making it prohibitive in the new year but you would love to continue to go. do they value it enough to make a contribution or would they prefer for you to give it a miss.

:thumbsup:

I agree about asking them. I remember when I used a childminder myself I would not have been happy to pay any extra for outings. The reason being that at the time I could only very rarely afford to take ds out myself. I would have much rather spent the money taking him somewhere on the weekend than paying the childminder to have all the fun! I'm sure not all parents would feel this way though so I think asking is a good idea.:)

funemnx
02-01-2012, 06:18 PM
I don't charge for any trips as it's my choice to take them out and where, also I sometimes decide to go somewhere else or do something else at the last minute depending on what we feel like doing and what the weathers like. I feel that if I charged, I would have to take them, whether we wanted to go or not

jane5
02-01-2012, 07:11 PM
It depends on how many hours they are with me. The lo's I have now do a couple of full days so I dont charge them as I think they pay me enough. I had a lo that came 1 morning a week and was 4yrs old so I asked the parents to cover the entrance fee as it cost me a 1/4 of his fees just to get into soft play.

blue bear
02-01-2012, 07:40 PM
I don't charge, sometimes parents offer but I have never asked. To be honest I only do expensive trips out once in a while as I think it's not fair to keep taking them out when parents should have that joy.

loocyloo
02-01-2012, 08:52 PM
i don't ask parents to pay, as its my choice to go, plus, if 2 parents said yes, and one said no, would i end up paying for that child? or not go?

the only time parents have paid for anything extra was a music class that my DD attended and she got older and went into a class on her own, parents paid for child to attend in his own right! mum had been with us a few times and said it was something she wanted her child to do. ( we've moved, but 5 yrs on, this child still attends! plus sibling :D ) it fitted in well, so i was happy to do it.

Bluebell
02-01-2012, 09:12 PM
I don't charge, sometimes parents offer but I have never asked. To be honest I only do expensive trips out once in a while as I think it's not fair to keep taking them out when parents should have that joy.

I agree with this and it is a nice sentiment - I don't charge and some trips should be a special occasion. Having said this when I was a parent using a Child Minder she would sometimes treat them to a trip out and I was thrilled that my son was having outings that I wasn't able to provide due to my working schedule - I always offered to pay but she wouldn't hear of it. If i had children for the whole summer holidays and the parents worked the whole time then I would consider a trip at the end of the holidays as a special treat but then I would have out of schoolies so it might end up costing me too much. I do take mine on trips but I also am very lucky to love in an area where we have fantastic woodlands, well-equiped parks and fantastic beaches. I have a season ticket for the zoo and a season parking ticket for the beach so the children have a lovely time without me having to fork out too much. I would like to take them to the aquarium as my own son hasn't been and I think one of the children I look after would really enjoy it but I will bear this cost myself if I do go.
I really try to vary what I do and wouldn't want to commit to charging for something every week.

I agree it would be tricky if one parent didn't want to pay. I know an attraction near me - kind of indoor fun and outdoor activities where you can buy annual tickets but they are nearly £40. One childminder lost a parent over insisting she had to buy one for her child and yet another childminder writes it into her contract that all children have to have one and has never had any problems.

ziggy
03-01-2012, 10:43 AM
I dont charge as wouldnt feel comfortable doing so

LeeMarie
03-01-2012, 03:12 PM
I know of some local childminders who ask parents to pay for every toddler group and outing they go on. One childminder stopped going to a group because a parent wouldn't pay the £1 fee each week. But as I choose to take my los out I feel I should pay. I make sure I include this expense when I work out my fees. What would you do if one parent paid but another didn't for the one child yourself or not go?

If the outings are going to work out too expensive without your parents contibuting could you increase your fees a bit instead and tell the parents that fees will now include a number of visits to groups such as music and soft play each month?

smurfette
10-01-2012, 01:36 PM
Hi all thanks for all the radically different viewpoints .. Thats why I love this forum! Decided to ask the parent least likely to pAy and see her reaction (only asking for ten euros a month and trips cost about 50 on average and now will cost about 75.. As i said they all mentioned how great it was I took kids out so much (also have zoo membership and go to free toddler grouPs, park etc

She said of course she would, she appreciated that I got them out when she couldn't due to work and she knew it was expensive so will talk to the other two now

Thanks guys! Need this for my sanity and theirs!