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Hi all,
I just wondered if everybody else is finding new enquiries are pretty much non-existent at the moment? I have on average over the last year been turning away 1-2 enquiries a week, now I have space hardly any enquiries at all, the ones I have booked to meet have cancelled at the last minute? I wonder if it's the 30 hours having an effect?
Quiet here also since the beginning of September.
I've had a flurry of enquiries but after a LONG time of having had none. Thankfully they have all come at the right time.
Something will come up. Have you had children leave to start school?
Full here and lots of bits of work going around, these things go up and down, bit like buses- you'll have 3 come along at once soon!
Same here ... i had a flurry of enquiries at the end of the holidays after a quiet few months but I have also had 4 enquiries for babies for NEXT September!Quote:
Originally Posted by moggy
I've had a few for one day a week. And loads of after school enquiries. Luckily I'm not looking for anyone new at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by emmas
I wish I would get some one day a week enquiries. I really want a one dayer but most of my recent enquiries have been for full time, which I can't offer. Typical, when I did want full timers they weren't around! It's good to know that there is such a thing as 'one dayers' as I was beginning to think they didn't exist.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ellisha
I wish we lived close. I'm looking for one day a week for my grandson and I'd have loved him to come to you!Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
This time last year I was getting no enquiries, which was a worry as I'd had 4 children leave for school and couldn't seem to fill my spaces. Then I filled up very quickly and have had a steady stream of enquiries since. Over the last couple of months I have been getting lots of enquiries, but have had to turn them all away as I'm full. I'll have spaces again next September. What's the betting that'll be when the enquiries dry up again!Quote:
Originally Posted by emmas
Fingers crossed things pick up for you soon :thumbsup:
a lot of mine are 'one dayers'. I like the variety that brings, but the paperwork piles up!Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
I find it difficult to gauge the enquiries in September. Too many of them are last-minute demands for school runs, often for schools nowhere near me. Can't be bothered with them.
I'm still getting several enquiries each month, so no apparent change overall. If there's any sort of trend, it's towards mums who want a taxi service, and this does seem to be connected with the 30 hours. Mums seem to want to take 30 hours at nurseries and go back to work, but the nurseries' funded sessions don't cover all the times they need, so they look for a CM to cover the wraparound. You only have to look at the times nurseries offer funded care, and it's clearly designed to force parents into paying for additional hours/services in a big way.
Not many local nurseries are offering all 30 hours. But a lot are telling parents to take the universal 15 hours with them, then find a CM to use up the 15 extended entitlement hours.
It's a trend I don't like. It's perpetuating the idea that CMs are a 'second rank' provision: that we only exist to help out around a 'proper' nursery.
I'm with you bunyip on the September enquiries had one today wanting full time care, starts job this coming Monday!!
I find there is usually a lot of inquiries around July, August, Sept and then a slow drip the rest of the year. Have to say Iv not had any inquiries for 2.5/3/4 year olds other than nursery wrap around, but then I just except that as I'm not getting involved with 15/30 hours "free" childcare.
Don't they just drive you nuts.Quote:
Originally Posted by watford wizz
I run a waiting list with a call-back system. When they first contact me, I tell them if I have any vacancies now or if I expect to have any vacancies coming up. All I ask is that they phone me for a chat and give me a few basic details, so we can both decide if it's going to be a non-starter or worth putting on the waiting list. Then, if a suitable vacancy comes up, I call them back to see if they're still need care and arrange a visit.
When I say "phone me" I do mean "phone me", as I find people just don't answer a straight question by email/messaging, and just give me incomplete details. I've also learnt the hard way that people can remain anonymous online and had a couple of very inappropriate contacts through the web. It doesn't require much effort from the parents, and it allows me to run a manageable system without it getting out of hand.
But I still get parents saying "I contacted you x-months ago, do you have a space?" or even "I looked at your profile in May...etc." and they never bothered to phone to go on the waiting list.
They just don't get it, that there is a severe shortage of EY CMs here, and they can't just pick up what they want, when they want it, on demand.
I just feel for the child/children involved and don't understand how a parent can be so unthinking of a small child's needs and also the fact that they are prepared to sign without reading properly or checking references???
I tell them that there is a whole setting up and settling in process which can take several weeks.
(I understand emergency care is different) but this isn't emergency it's just no pre planning at all??!!
There are certainly some CMs out there who must be desperate for business.
There are always several on the mumsie webnet sites who jump in to offer their services to anyone posting any species of childcare-related thread.
Given that they don't show the location, what are the odds they'll ever hit on a mum within the same locality?
Mad, mad, mad.