New Childminder - Shift workers, retainers and deposits

[MsVenman]

I'm a new Childminder and would really like some advice as I'm getting myself in a pickle and hope you guys can help. At the moment I have a 10 month old I care for whose Mum works on a five week shift rota which means she can need any of the days of the week for care.

I currently have three sets of parents interested in me looking after their LOs - two are shift workers who have irregular days during the week they need.

The first parents have a one year old they need care for on an 8 week rota meaning that they may won't need me for 2 weeks of the 8 and then varying days for the other 6 - what would you charge for this as I would have to hold the space open for all 8 weeks? If I take them on I may be loosing a good deal of money...

The second parents work on a four day on four day off rota which means they would need me to work various days of the week including weekends so I would have to hold the place open all week because I wouldn't know until the week before when they needed me - should I ask them to pay a certain amount to cover all the days? They also don't need me until August but have said they are happy to pay an amount to cover the months until that day - do you have any advice on what I should charge them? Their little ones would be 1 and 5 by August.

The third parents need their little ones to start in September but the hours would be a much more regular 4 days a week from 8-3.30 for their two year old and before and after school for their 4.5 year old.

I am really stressed as I want to help all of them but can't offer care for all as this would take me outside my ratios....

Also if I work with shift workers would I be able to get a variation to allow the fact that sometimes the days the parents need would overlap?

Any help would be very,very gratefully received!

[Rick]

I'm not sure I can take in all that information! Are you sure that would work ok. You are making it hard for yourself with lots of parents on shift hours. You could end end up with too many children on one day and none for other days.

Maybe you should wait for a more straight forward enquiry!

Sorry no help at all

[Kiddleywinks]

WOW! No wonder you're confused

I'm a new Childminder and would really like some advice as I'm getting myself in a pickle and hope you guys can help. At the moment I have a 10 month old I care for whose Mum works on a five week shift rota which means she can need any of the days of the week for care.

I currently have three sets of parents interested in me looking after their LOs - two are shift workers who have irregular days during the week they need.

The first parents have a one year old they need care for on an 8 week rota meaning that they may won't need me for 2 weeks of the 8 and then varying days for the other 6 - what would you charge for this as I would have to hold the space open for all 8 weeks? If I take them on I may be loosing a good deal of money...

The second parents work on a four day on four day off rota which means they would need me to work various days of the week including weekends so I would have to hold the place open all week because I wouldn't know until the week before when they needed me - should I ask them to pay a certain amount to cover all the days? They also don't need me until August but have said they are happy to pay an amount to cover the months until that day - do you have any advice on what I should charge them? Their little ones would be 1 and 5 by August.

The third parents need their little ones to start in September but the hours would be a much more regular 4 days a week from 8-3.30 for their two year old and before and after school for their 4.5 year old.

I am really stressed as I want to help all of them but can't offer care for all as this would take me outside my ratios....

Also if I work with shift workers would I be able to get a variation to allow the fact that sometimes the days the parents need would overlap?

Any help would be very,very gratefully received!

Personally I chose to not take any client on till, at the earliest, 3 months before I'm required as too much can change beyond that, for parents, and myself.

With regards to shift workers, I have one, varying days week to week but the same hours, so pays full fees for 3 days, and half fees for the other two days. That space is then taken as far as I'm concerned by her child.
Down side is that I have had to turn other people away, plus side is that on the days I don't have her LO I have an easier day and am still get paid, so it's swings and roundabouts for me.

You really need to sit down, work out what the full rate would be for a child taking a full space, then work out how much it would be paying half fees for the space that needs to be kept for parent when they aren't using you, and then figure out what you're happy with.

I do think shift workers understand that half fees are inevitable, so don't be afraid of charging, particularly the one that doesn't need 2 weeks care out of 8 - they'd be charged half fees if they were with me

Edited to add:
With regard to the variation, it's not to be used for new business so I doubt it would be ok.

That said, the way things are heading over ratio's, by september I reckon we're going to be allowed as many kids as we want! (tongue in cheek remark)

[AliceK]

Hi
All of my 4 EY's children are shift workers. What I did with each of them (they all started at different times) is to work out what the minimum amount of £'s I needed a month, then work out how many hours / days that equated to and then use that figure as my lowest minimum I would accept. When initial conversations with parents go I then know what the minimum number of days a month I will accept. The contract then states the minimum we have agreed, so they will be billed for that even if they don't use it (it's not happened yet, usually they go over their minimums.) I like the fact that some days I might only have 1 EY's child and yes some days I might have all 4 of them and then everything else in between.
I think you need to work out how much you need to earn and then take it from there

xx