Holding future places for unborn siblings??

[suzyjane73]

By a complete coincidence 3 of my mindees mums are pregnant and due within 6 weeks of each other. They have all asked me to have the new babies when they are ready to go back to work and this would be lovely as they are all nice families. But I have a couple of problems

1. I probably won't have their other children when they are on maternity leave.
2. I won't be able to take any other mindees on in the meantime unless they understand it is a temporary contract.
3. Then what if the mums change their mind and don't go back to work?
4. I can only have one under one year old at a time.

I don't know how to sort this out!
Any advice?

[Ripeberry]

Do whatever suits you and your family. You can't accommodate all of them. What do they expect you to do...sit there for 6 months twiddling your thumbs. By then you might have lots of other families. They will just have to take their chances. It's always been first come first served.

[The Juggler]

how old are the current siblings hon. will any of them be ready to go to school by the time the babies start.

If it were me I would meet them all individually. Tell them you cannot afford to keep the place open for 6 months plus at no fee so the best thing would be to either pay a retainer fee OR to take a chance on the places being open when they are ready to return.

Do they all know about each other's predicament yet? if they do, I would be honest and say clearly you cannot take on all 3 new babies when they go back to work, even if some of the older siblings are starting reception or full day nursery would you really want 3 very young babies all starting at the same time.

Potentiall you COULD. If 2 started reception, the other went to nursery there is a potential you could have all 3 but how would you keep the places open.

You need to put it to them that for the same reasons THEY can't afford to pay whilst they are off on mat leave, you can't afford to keep the spaces held open and lose your income :)

Its' hard hon. I've had a mum keep a 4 day place with me open by paying for and using 3 days per week but another mum who just could't afford it who had to leave which was sad but that's business.

[rickysmiths]

You would not be allowed to have three under one anyway even if the older ones were in school.

I would and this year have not held a place for a parent because they won't pay a retainer and they have reduced the older sibling from 3 days to 1 day. Now because mum brings him he doesn't arrive until 9am and leaves at 5pm instead of 8 to 5.45 and the cheeky mum asked if she could reduce the money she is paying for the one day to reflect his 'new' hours!!!! We are having a meeting tomorrow.

She has also emailed and told me the older one will reduce to 2 days from Oct he is going to a more expensive Day Nursery for another day, she is in for a shock because I had offered her a small sibling discount for three days but she isn't getting it for two! She also asked if the baby got it! Baby will be with me for 4 days for a year and then reduce to 3 because she will go to the Nursery! At that time the older one will go to school Nursery half a day and I know mum will only expect to pay for the afternoon and she is in for a shock with that one! She has asked if I will deliver and collect the children from home! and so the list goes on.......

Unless she is prepared to sign new contracts now and pay a four weeks fees deposit for the baby and a retainer from beg Sept until Oct when she wants to start I won't hold a place for her simple. i am lucky because I have had a lot of inquiries signed one for three days today and have one coming on Sunday looking for 5 days. I have another one asking for 3 days until 2pm so at present i can fill all my places.

[The Juggler]

You would not be allowed to have three under one anyway even if the older ones were in school.



no, sorry Ricky you are right. What I meant was if they came back at 10, 11, 12 months old then 1 or 2 of them might be over 1 but it's not a job I'd relish, I like at least a couple of months age gap between my very little ones - if there are 3!

[suzyjane73]

Thanks for useful advice. I think it's best to tell them all the same thing because I don't know on what basis to sort them into first come first served. I won't be holding any places and they will have to take their chances whether I have space if and when they decide to go back to work, which is potentially a year away yet. Anything could happen in that time.

It's just wierd that all three of them are due so close, and bizarrely they are all having girls!! there must be something in the water around here!

[moggy]

I have 2 families in this situation, they will take their chances that I'll have space. 1 family is keeping older child with me 1 day a week during the maternity leave so I will give them priority over the other family who will leave my service completely during maternity leave. Both are lovely families so I hope we find a way somehow next year.

[Bridey]

Perhaps you could say to them that you can only reserve one person a space for a baby and you would only consider doing so if that family continues to use you for their other child during the maternity leave?

I wonder how keen they will be to pay you during that time, yet they all expect you to do without work or an income for a year! :rolleyes:

[VeggieSausage]

new eyfs seems to imply you can have 4 lo's if its the younger sibling of a mindee I think?....

[Bluebell]

It seems to me unfair that you would be expected to hold a place open for a sibling when the parent is not even going to be sending the older sibling! That means you are losing a space to keep open for the sibling and losing another space for the older one who is not attending!
Could you suggest that the older one continues to come - it will keep the space and give stability to the child and space for the mum who may need the rest! It obviously depends how many days they come and whether they could afford the care.

When the baby needs the space - which depending on when baby is due and how long the maternity leave is could be a year away! They surely can not expect you to commit to that! They may well have changed circumstances, jobs anything by then - also older sibling may then want to start a session or 3 at pre-school so then their will be a space on their day that can be filled by the baby sibling!
As Moggy says - if they continue to send their child they are going to get priority over other family AND additional space can be made to give to a sibling anyway under the variation rules.

[miffy]

Perhaps you could say to them that you can only reserve one person a space for a baby and you would only consider doing so if that family continues to use you for their other child during the maternity leave?

I wonder how keen they will be to pay you during that time, yet they all expect you to do without work or an income for a year! :rolleyes:

I would not keep a space for a baby if the older sibling was not with me at least part of the time during the maternity leave because I could not afford to do it and I know that I would be able to fill the space anyway.

Miffy xx