unreasonable?

[caraxx]

hi I have recently been registered to do childminding, I am taking on an 11month old and charging £25 a day her mum is droping her of at 8.30 until 1.30 5 hours this is cheaper than a lot of other childminders that I know, and the mum is giving off its to much because shell be picking her up at 1.30 every day? am I being unreasonable?

[Jenna]

I charge £5 ph however I do charge a min of 6 hours so if child was with my I'd b charging £30

[Mouse]

It depends what the hourly rate is in your area. If other cms charge more than £5 per hour she's getting a good deal. If they charge less than £5 per hour, you might seem expensive. If you are charging for a full day, even though they are only using 5 hours, it may appear expensive.

I assume you discussed all of this with mum before she signed up with you? Is she just starting to query it now?

[rachelle]

Depends on the demand and fees locally I think. I do £4 an hour across the board so would be £20 a day here in sunny west sussex. 3 miles down the road the town changes and it's £5 an hour as a norm so would be £25. When parents moan I sometimes say I can offer them a discount if they are happy to provide their own food, wipes and contribute to outings - they suddenly realise they're not getting a bad deal!

[Lottie]

No you're not being unreasonable. Whilst it's ok to negotiate, you are already giving her a good deal compared to other childminders in your area.

Stand your ground, don't be swayed. If she still resists, personally I would not take her on. I've found, imo, that the parents that quibble over money, when a reduction is in place already, are the ones that then quibble in all other areas too. Not worth the hassle.

[FizzWizz]

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me and at the end of the day it's your business. Stand your ground, you have told her your fees and make it clear its not open for negotiation.

[Rachel23]

It all depends on what other cm's in your area charge, I charge £17 for a half day which is inline with other minders who are between £15-£20 but I pay £25 for a half day in nursery for my son.

I agree that you could say to mum you could reduce the cost if she provides funds for all the outings and their own food
X

[kimnolan87]

Again I agree that it depends what other childminders charge - I currently charge £3.50 per hour and have a 10 hour per week minimum charge......for EYFS children.

I only charge for contracted hours (extras are charged additionally) but don't have a half / full day rate.

Not really sure if other local minders do this, but it works for me and my current families xxx

[caraxx]

Hi thanks for all your replys most childminders charge £25/30 a day, this women I know is getting it all paid for and shes still complaining, at the end of the day I can take someone else on in her space that's willing to pay

[ziggy]

I charge £25 for a full day (8 hours or more)

Part timers pay £3.20 per hour (going up to £3.50 in September)

But anyone enquiring in future will be quoted £25 per day whether full or part time. I have little girl who leaves at 1.30 and have turned away at least 3 full timers recently because I dont have a place while she is here.

[hectors house]

I have a mininum of 7 hours a day charge so if this parent came to me they would be charged from 8.30 - 3.30 as I can't fill half day spaces - this generally suits parents who have older children at school too.

[The Juggler]

Hi thanks for all your replys most childminders charge £25/30 a day, this women I know is getting it all paid for and shes still complaining, at the end of the day I can take someone else on in her space that's willing to pay

how is she getting it all paid? tax credits. is she claiming for a full day??

I would tell her you are charging for a min. of 5 hours as you could be earning 8-10 hours for a full day.

[eddie]

If she's getting tax credits to cover it then she shouldn't expect a reduction in fees from you - what does she want to do with the extra?? Stand your ground is my advice. Some parents are never happy!

[caraxx]

Yes I think she wants to keep some of the money for herself.Also I have another mum workin 5 days a week over 24hrs, that would mean her paying £125 a week and shel onli be getting slighty more than that she dosnt get help I feel reali bad its not worth her wile working???

[bindy]

I personally think, it does not depend what others are getting, it depends what you are willing to work for. Its your business. If its more than anyone else, you may miss out but if you offer a good service and you can sell yourself well, you may not either! When I first started Childminding, I wanted £6.50 per hour. In my area minders were asking for £5 per hour. This was London and my flat was costing a fortune, needed something bigger than I would have got if just me on my own. I was always full, in the end the other childminders put up their fees Lol!

[karensmart4]

Yes I think she wants to keep some of the money for herself.Also I have another mum workin 5 days a week over 24hrs, that would mean her paying £125 a week and shel onli be getting slighty more than that she dosnt get help I feel reali bad its not worth her wile working???

What do you mean 'she wants to keep some of the money for herself'??

If she is claiming Family Tax Credits, they should only be paying a % of her fee's and they may check with you how many hours the little one is with you, what date they started, how much you charge and how much has been paid to you... they also asked me if any money was outstanding form one of the checks they were making.

If she is claiming ftc, I would slip into the conversation that you have to inform them honestly if they call you, also when a parent leaves I send a letter to the ftc office informing them that the family left on ..... date.

Don't let them dictate to you, you are offering them a service if they don't like the terms they can go elsewhere