Mouse
05-07-2021, 10:05 AM
It's the start of another week...another week closer to the school holidays! When do your schools break up? Our last day of term is 22nd July, although some of the schools are having the last day as an inset day and closing on 21st. I'm usually quieter during the holidays but one of my ex-parents has asked if I can have her child a couple of days a week and I've said I will. I'll also have my grandson here so it'll be different to having just my usual littlies.
After this summer I'm thinking of changing when I have my holidays. Ever since I started childminding I've always taken my holidays during the school holidays. At first it was to fit in with my children being at school, then to fit in with the minded children who had teacher parents (I always seemed to have at least 2). Of course it's always meant we're going on holiday at the most expensive times. At the moment I close for 2 weeks at Christmas, a week at Easter, a week in August and May or October half term. After September I'll keep my 2 weeks off at Christmas, but change the others to holidays during the term. It's quite liberating to think that after 25 years we're not going to be restricted to school holiday holidays!
What's everyone got planned for this week? We're going to have a football day on Wednesday. The children can come in footy clothes, or red & white clothes, or the colours of their home country. We made England flags last week, so this week we're going to look at the flags of different countries. I also need to hunt out some football related books. Other than that we're going to go with the flow and dodge the showers and thunderstorms!
Have good days everyone :thumbsup:
Pixie dust
05-07-2021, 01:22 PM
Afternoon everyone, we have had a busy day as two have had visits to school ready for September, they had different times to go in so it feels like everyone has been coming and going all day.
Mouse I am exactly the same with holidays as I have always taken time off in the school holidays for exactly the same reasons. I will have a new one starting in September who has a parent that is a teacher so I will probably just carry on with the same next year. I know I shouldn't but I always feel guilty if I take time off during the term as I provide before/after school care too.
Do you all have other childminders who are local to you and do you all get along and find there is enough work for everyone? I have found out that there is soon to be another childminder literally around the corner from me, there has only ever been me in our village for at least the last 10 years and to be honest there isn't a great demand but I am looking forward to having someone to hopefully meet up and share ideas. I know some other childminders in the nearby town and we talk regularly but they aren't on my 'patch' so to speak :blush:
Gosh Mouse and Pixie dust I would definitely take holidays outside of school holidays, definitely, definitely. We had a golden period where I could do that (was a teacher in previous life) when I was childminding and DD wasn't in school. Holidays were so much cheaper and more pleasant because there were hardly any children around. We're counting down the days/years til we can do it again!
Most of my mindees have come down with a cold. It's really annoying me because two of them have said that they think they have got x's cold (other mindee who was off for three days last week with a bad cold that turned nasty). I'm pretty sure they got that bit in on purpose to let me know that their child caught it at my house and therefore I shouldn't exclude, or like it is my fault for not excluding the original mindee. Of course, I could just have misinterpreted it and being a bit sensitive. Of course it's nothing to do with the fact that they have all started going swimming again and socialising with their parents.
I don't know any minders locally pixie. I would like to.
loocyloo
05-07-2021, 05:22 PM
afternoon, or is it evening?!
Where has today gone? !!!
I took DD to her singing lesson this morning, and on the way home we popped into a HUGE tesco ... we shopped, we had lunch, then DD clothes shopped !!! Got home and i seem to be running round chasing my tail! DH & I were away at the weekend, which was lovely, but i have soooo much to do now! hey ho! i'm off to my dance class shortly.
I've got another few years before i'll take holidays in term time ... however, i think i'll always have a week off during the LONG summer hols, as 6 weeks full on with lots of children is EXHAUSTING! I'll always feel guilty about my term time only children though, and i have a fair few!
When i moved to my small town, there were already 2 other minders. i met one within a few days and she was delighted i had come, and was going to be working, as she was stopping to become a nanny! The other minder was lovely, but we were/are very different and appeal to different types of parents. She has since retired, so it is just me! i often hear that X or Y is going to be a minder, and i always say, come and chat to me/let me help ... but they never go through with it! even BEFORE talking to me! :laughing: We could do with someone else, there is a fair bit of demand, and very little provision. That said, most people seem to sort themselves out, so maybe there is enough provision spread around. I think being rural, that people are used to travelling, and don't expect to have everything on their doorstep. I am friends with, and meet up with, other local childminders, but they live 10-20 mins drive away.
Maza, when i moved i made myself go to all the local toddler groups to meet people ( i HATED it! I'm quite shy really! ) and also looked up local childminders on Childcare.co.uk/local FIS, and sent them all 'hello' messages! one or 2 replied, and we met at toddler groups. There was also a local childminder group that met monthly, and the local support worker somehow talked me into running it, as a way of meeting people !! :laughing: i did run it, for YEARS, until i closed it down about 3 years ago, when there were really only 3 of us who ever went, and we met up anyway!