Advice about changing my opening hours.

[trickiedickie]

Looking for advice again! You have all helped me so much already.

*****mind teachers children so only term time. I feel parents have a good deal as I am one of the very few, possibly only one in my area to charge no retainer and I charge on the lower end of the daily rate for my area.

Parents have always provided lunch. I have one family with me since end of Feb. Other 3 families starting this week.

So at the minute parents get snacks provided by me and 8am until 5.30pm and I want to stop snacks and only work until 5pm.

I am looking for advice on the letter I am going to hand them all next week! Thanks everyone. It is below. All advice greatly welcome.


Dear x,

I write to inform you that as of Monday 20th October 2014 I will no longer be open until 5.30pm. My childminding hours will be 8am until 5pm. I also am finding it financially unviable to provide snacks for the children. Therefore from the same date will no longer be providing any snacks and all of the children's food will need to be provided by parents.

I have made both of these decisions in order to keep my business financially viable and in order to keep some family time for my family.

Please feel free to speak to me about any of these issues.

Kind regards

[sing-low]

I understand why you want to do this, but I think your new starters will be rather taken aback at a change so soon after they start, particularly the early closing. They may have chosen you because you are open til five thirty. What if they finish work at five?

[trickiedickie]

There are only 3 parents it will affect. They are all teachers. The existing parent gets here some days about 5pm. The day he/she doesn't I can see they have been home and changed and picked up eldest and arrive at me about 5.20pm. Though yesterday was 5.30pm bang on.

The new parent on same day started on Monday. Again a teacher and been here before 5pm last two days. I know she may work later once she is back fully.

The other parent starts on Friday and told me she will always be here no later than 4pm (only does a Friday) as she is picking eldest up from school then coming to mine to get wee one. I stupidly put 5.30pm finish on her contract but she has assured me it will be 4pm.

I think I felt would be ok to do as they are teachers and I rarely see a teacher leave my kids school later than 4pm. I live across the road from a teacher and his car is away early in the morning but always back for 4pm.

I know it may look unprofessional but I am struggling until 5.30pm and so are my kids.

I probably am being unreasonablex

[Mouse]

I agree with Sing-Low. Those are quite big changes to make to your terms, especially when you have families only due to start next week. I also think it comes across as unprofessional to cite finances as being the reason you are making changes. You have made arrangements with parents and it's not really their fault that you've now decided you're not charging enough.

As a parent I wouldn't be happy to be quoted a price for childcare that includes snacks and a 5.30pm finish, only to be told in my very first week that snacks won't be included any longer and that you'll only work till 5pm.

It is obviously entirely up to you how you run your business, but you will have to be prepared to face a backlash from parents if you go ahead with your planned changes. Rather than wait until the families start next week, I think it would be fair to contact them this week, tell them of your changes and giving them the option of pulling out of the contract before it starts. You never know, they may look round for alternatives and realise that you're still the best person to come to

[trickiedickie]

Think I will leave the snack thing until the contracts are up or they have been with me 12 months.

I am going to go ahead with cutting back the childminding day. If they find alternative care then so be it.

Think I will give them letter next week and say I am changing my hours come 1st Jan. Then they have had lots of notice to make alternative plans or find another childminder.

[trickiedickie]

singlow and mouse. Thanks for advice.

[Mouse]

There are only 3 parents it will affect. They are all teachers. The existing parent gets here some days about 5pm. The day he/she doesn't I can see they have been home and changed and picked up eldest and arrive at me about 5.20pm. Though yesterday was 5.30pm bang on.

The new parent on same day started on Monday. Again a teacher and been here before 5pm last two days. I know she may work later once she is back fully.

The other parent starts on Friday and told me she will always be here no later than 4pm (only does a Friday) as she is picking eldest up from school then coming to mine to get wee one. I stupidly put 5.30pm finish on her contract but she has assured me it will be 4pm.

I think I felt would be ok to do as they are teachers and I rarely see a teacher leave my kids school later than 4pm. I live across the road from a teacher and his car is away early in the morning but always back for 4pm.

I know it may look unprofessional but I am struggling until 5.30pm and so are my kids.

I probably am being unreasonablex

Sorry, our posts crossed. It does sound as if it might not be too much of an issue for them to finish at 5pm, so hopefully that'll work out well for you.

What about sending a letter out saying you are looking to change you working hours to 8am-5pm and want to hear parents' views. Say it will happen at some time in the near future, so you would like parents to let you know if they can accommodate this and how soon they would be able to make the changes. If it is something they don't feel they will be able to work with, you understand and would give them plenty of time to make alternative arrangements. If they can work with the new hours, you will implement the change as soon as possible.

That way you're engaging parents in the changes, not just telling them it's happening. And you're making it clear that they can either go with it, or go elsewhere. See what they say, hope they are all OK with it and can do it straight away, but if not, maybe make the changes at half term, so October time.

Of course, the big question they will all have is will you reduce their fees?

[hectors house]

I think I would give the parents advance notice that from (whenever you decide - Sept/January) you will be putting your hourly rate up (that way you can still provide snacks - I think parents would expect this to be provided) and your standard working day will be ending at 5pm - however if parents can't manage to collect by 5 then they can pay an overtime rate. That way you aren't saying you can no longer have child after 5 just informing them that it will cost them extra - bet they will come straight to you to collect rather than pop home to change.

[Koala]

The other parent starts on Friday and told me she will always be here no later than 4pm (only does a Friday) as she is picking eldest up from school then coming to mine to get wee one. I stupidly put 5.30pm finish on her contract but she has assured me it will be 4pm.

I think I felt would be ok to do as they are teachers and I rarely see a teacher leave my kids school later than 4pm. I live across the road from a teacher and his car is away early in the morning but always back for 4pm.

I would stipulate that you only work until 5pm if that is what you want - start as you mean to go on, you have to put yourself first and foremost because no one else will. Also I have a teacher tell me she would pick up mid afternoon and no later than 4.30 other days - she now is really taking the P and wobbling on the end of my boot because she regularly pushes her time to just after my closing time with no apology at all and has frequently dropped off early. I charge for full days 8 -5.30 so I really don't mind working those hours but I hate been messed about, this is why I think you should sort your hours out now. I am sure she has finished and left work earlier and does other things and yes this is her prerogative but she has no consideration for what she has arranged. A real pain in the a.....

[trickiedickie]

Thanks so much everyone.
I will reply later as I am having such a rubbish week so far and feel like wine.

[FloraDora]

I agree with other posts, your timing on reducing hours isn't ideal. I would expect all 3 parents to be a littled miffed at changes and feel you duped them, changing the hours so soon after starting, even if it is January.
Having been a teacher for 35 years I would disagree about easily being able to leave and get to you for 5. TA's may leave school early but teachers don't these days. The staff meeting night will be at least till 5. If they do leave early it is probably to pick up children and then have to spend a lot of the evening working. Some teachers prefer to work at school until later, pick children up and then be able to give their time to family, which is why they choose childminders who are able to care for their children until at least 5.30 - especially if they have travelling time to get to you.
I understand that you have made this decision for your family, but you have probably been chosen because of your current hours, as you will be new to them they won't yet have the 'she is so wonderful I am happy to change hours for her' thoughts, so don't expect them all to welcome this change.
I may be wrong but I know some childminders don't provide lunch, but most provide a fruit snack at least in with price.

If it was me I would be expecting a drop in costs. You set your current rates then you are offering a lesser service for the same money ...check with your insurance company if you can legally do this.

It is tricky really because although it is our business the current long awaited climate of increased status of childminders in Early years has to be matched by the same professionalism.

[trickiedickie]

Flora - because I need to change my working hours doesn't mean I am not professional. Also, because I want to stop providing food/snacks doesn't mean I am unprofessional which is what you are implying by your last sentence.

This is a business, yes one where I look after another human life but still a business. I am doing the equivalent of increasing my price. I am reducing my hours but not my price. I am giving parents plenty of notice. That's great you worked til after 5pm in the school/schools you taught in. Staff meetings at my children's school seem to happen at 4pm. As I have been in the school and witnessed this. Of course all schools are different.

I actually think if anything I am being fairer on parents telling them now rather than a couple of months in once their children are attached.

I am sure many new business's starting out change their prices, structure within first few months, doesn't mean they are not professional.

Ultimately me not having a work/life balance that I am happy with can/could result in the children having to find a new childminder anyhow when I give up chldminding. Unprofessional as that sounds.

[trickiedickie]

Flora - could you expand on "my insurance company" part of your reply to me?
AT the moment I don't understand what they would have to do with it?

[Lal]

Part of being professional is reflecting on your practice. If you feel that changing your hours will be less stressful for you and your family then it can only be better for the children you are caring for. Yes, it may be an inconvenience to some of your current and new parents, but you are giving them notice, and if you are happier in your job then the children will benefit- both minded and your own

[blue bear]

So it won't really affect the families you have listed just mean they don't have the convenience of a later pickup guaranteed.
I'm going to go against the popular vote so far and say yes draft the letter to finish at five, I'd tell them all personally and back it up with the letter. Be sure what your answer will be if they ask will you do the occasional later finish?
If you are finding it too much it's better you be open and honest sooner rather than later it will only fester and boil over otherwise.
If parents kick up a fuss are you prepared to loose the family?

The snacks I feel is more difficult, what is snack in your house? Is it because you serve a substantial snack, could you simplify it, make it cheaper by home baking etc?

[sing-low]

Thanks so much everyone. I will reply later as I am having such a rubbish week so far and feel like wine.

Sorry to hear you're having a rubbish week, Trickiedickie.

It sounds as if changing your hours may work out ok for the parents you have. Hope that is the case. I know how hard it is when cm-ing eats into family time. It's an adjustment for the whole family, not just you. There are so many things I wish I had done differently at the start. It's not until you actually begin that you realise how what you have decided to do will work (or not!).

I had another thought about snacks - could you ask each child to bring a piece of fruit each day, to share with the others (fruit is often the most expensive part of snacks)? This could be introduced as a 'healthy eating' initiative, to encourage the children to take an interest in what they eat and talk about it with you and other children.

The other tip, which I have picked up from here, is to have an annual review of fees written into contracts. My plan in the future is to do this and even if I'm not raising fees to tell parents that I have decided not to - that way the idea that you might is planted in their heads so it's not so much of a shock when it happens.

[Mouse]

Thanks so much everyone.
I will reply later as I am having such a rubbish week so far and feel like wine.

Sorry to hear you're having a bad week

What about saying to parents that you have been looking at increasing your fees to keep you in line with other childminders in the area, but rather than do this now (particularly as some families are new), you have decided to reduce the number of hours you work instead. For parents who collect before 5 it won't make any difference and they'll hopefully think they're lucky to be avoiding a price increase. For the others, they might think it's worth making sure they're there before 5 to keep the fee the same

[trickiedickie]

Thanks sing low. My wee boy has a a bladder impairment. He is 4. He regressed when the first mindee started back in feb/march and has regressed again since Monday when 2nd mindee started. Problem being that the second mindee has cried all day (actually screamed) for 3 days.

I have decided against saying I won't do snacks. My first mindee although only 2 would eat all day. Just wants to graze all day long.He doesn't eat fuit, though parent likes that I offer him fruit although he never eats it. I then have to make him toast or crackers. His parents don't provide him with a great deal of lunch so I feel they expect me to provide substantial snacks to fill him up. I gave the second mindee some weetabix and milk for morning snack at 9,30am on Monday and Mum told me on Tues morning that mindee didn't eat her dinner because I gave her weetabix at 9,30am after her giving her weetabix at 7am. Of course, I had no way of knowing she gave her weetabix at 7am. She felt it bunged her up too much for her dinner at 6pm!

I know of 3 childminders in my area who don't provide lunch or snacks but most provide snacks but no lunch.


Thanks Lal. I have really reflected and thought this out.

I appreciate teachers work longer hours than just the teaching hours.

[trickiedickie]

Mouse - thanks that sounds good. I never thought of that. Thank you.