What exactly does flexibility mean...?

[Kiddleywinks]

Been wondering this over the weekend with regards to ministers apparent lack of knowledge, STILL, as to what a childminder actually can and can't do, and what we must do.
Flexibility is one of those words that keep being thrown at us and I'm curious as to understand what they think being flexible actually means, due to the fact that I believe, of ALL childcare providers, childminders are the MOST flexible of the lot!!

We regularly hear on here, or on the fb page, of CM's going above and beyond the call of duty for a parent or family
- keeping a child overnight due to bad traffic/lack of parental organisation/new baby arrival etc Would a nursery or preschool do this? Errr...No
- being FLEXIBLE on charging where there have been unusual or unforseen circumstances Would a nursery not charge or bend the rules like we do? Err...doubt it
- allowing parents to swop and change hours, often at short notice, and more often than not without incurring a financial penalty, so parents aren't left in the poop thanks to inconsiderate employers Nursery/preschool anyone?

Or maybe, I'm missing the point? Anyone else got any ideas on what ministers want us to be flexible over?

[hectors house]

Had a similar conversation last week with a doctor I met on holiday who was convinced that childcare was expensive and inflexible. She was saying things like "I can't say to my boss I need to leave work at 4.30 to collect my child from childminders/Nursery" - she was just assuming that childminders or Nurseries close at 5pm, I said to her that I see on these forums that childminders often start work at 6.00 am and continue until 8 pm (or later) at night and often work weekends and bank holidays too. I only work 8 - 5.00 at the moment but that's what the current parents want, I wouldn't want to work many more hours but would do half an hour either side.

[watford wizz]

My base hours at this time are 7am till 6.30pm 4 days a week plus various week-ends and overnights. I have 1 day off midweek to be able to complete paperwork etc but have been known to work it in special circumstances. Not sure how much more "flexible" I could be!! Perhaps yoga classes would help x

[Ripeberry]

They want us to be working 365 days and to have no life of our own!

[rickysmiths]

Had a similar conversation last week with a doctor I met on holiday who was convinced that childcare was expensive and inflexible. She was saying things like "I can't say to my boss I need to leave work at 4.30 to collect my child from childminders/Nursery" - she was just assuming that childminders or Nurseries close at 5pm, I said to her that I see on these forums that childminders often start work at 6.00 am and continue until 8 pm (or later) at night and often work weekends and bank holidays too. I only work 8 - 5.00 at the moment but that's what the current parents want, I wouldn't want to work many more hours but would do half an hour either side.

How hypocritical of a Doctor! They are paid a goodly amount and GPs are one of the most inflexible lot I know. No early mornings ours open at 8.30 and see no one after 6pm or at the weekends. No very helpful to many working patients who need routine checks and tests and find it difficult to take time off work

[bunyip]

Oh no, you got me started again. "Flexibility": the "f-word" of childcare.

99% of CMs' adverts, profiles or self-descriptions say "I'm flexible". 99% of parents want "flexible" childcare. So why don't parents' demands and CMs' supply side of thing match up perfectly more often?

Answer: because "flexible" is one of the danger-words of the childcare sector. It means one thing to the speaker and something entirely different to the listener.

Here's the danger-words that I'd put top of the charts:-

1. Flexible
2. Affordable
3. Professional
4. Healthy
5. (and the new entry, coming straight in at numer 5: "British Values"

All the above should be used with extreme care, or else you might as well be Morris dancing in a minefield.

I can only refer everyone to Lewis Carroll:-

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is," said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty, "which is to be master—that's all."

[Simona]

Been wondering this over the weekend with regards to ministers apparent lack of knowledge, STILL, as to what a childminder actually can and can't do, and what we must do.
Flexibility is one of those words that keep being thrown at us and I'm curious as to understand what they think being flexible actually means, due to the fact that I believe, of ALL childcare providers, childminders are the MOST flexible of the lot!!

We regularly hear on here, or on the fb page, of CM's going above and beyond the call of duty for a parent or family
- keeping a child overnight due to bad traffic/lack of parental organisation/new baby arrival etc Would a nursery or preschool do this? Errr...No
- being FLEXIBLE on charging where there have been unusual or unforseen circumstances Would a nursery not charge or bend the rules like we do? Err...doubt it
- allowing parents to swop and change hours, often at short notice, and more often than not without incurring a financial penalty, so parents aren't left in the poop thanks to inconsiderate employers Nursery/preschool anyone?

Or maybe, I'm missing the point? Anyone else got any ideas on what ministers want us to be flexible over?

Flexibility is the ability to stretch like an elastic band...until we snap!

It is a much misued word ...like 'high quality affordable childcare' ...so politicians can sell their rhetoric to parents at election.
It is also used so we get used to their ever changing rules and manipulation of the EY sector and early education.
Flexibility is ok until the DfE decides when and how we can be flexible...see funding restrictions for that examples....which the LAs add with their own inflexibility.

CMs are the most flexible because of the nature of our setting...'open all hours'...if we want it to...something preschools and nurseries could never adopt....the latter being unable to be flexible on delivering funding over 38 weeks.

It is also the prerogative of govt to be 'flexible' with the truth!

[bunyip]

..............and another thing.

What I really want to know is, why are we expected to be flexible, when the rules and regulations penalise flexibility?

eg. Funded care is only paid for by the government in term time only.

eg. (And I saw a post on this just now) a CM cannot go over ratio by 15 minutes to take on a new client (they can however be left with an unregistered carer paying no tax, etc etc. for 3 hours, although my DW as a trained and CRB-ed assistant could only do 2 hours. )

eg. I do lots of to and fro-ing to meet parents' need for part-time care, school/preschool runs, etc. I'm 99% certain my next inspector will nail me for not being at home with the play doh enough.

and so it continues............................

[bunyip]

Well done, Simona, you've picked out another of my favourites: 'high quality affordable childcare'.

Do these parents and politician spend their evenings telling waiters, "I'd like to order the champagne, but please bill me for a glass of water." ?

This always puts me in mind of Red Adair, the guy who used to fight oil-rig fires. He said something along the lines of, "you can have it done quick; you can have it done cheap; you can have it done right - but you can only have two of those things."

Even on the railways, we faced moron questions, typically, "what's the quickest and cheapest mode of transport to get to my hotel?" This always gave me the opportunity to point out the obvious: if there's a 'quickest and cheapest' way then it's be the only way, because all the really expensive, slowest ways would've gone out of business.

[Simona]

Well done, Simona, you've picked out another of my favourites: 'high quality affordable childcare'.

Do these parents and politician spend their evenings telling waiters, "I'd like to order the champagne, but please bill me for a glass of water." ?

This always puts me in mind of Red Adair, the guy who used to fight oil-rig fires. He said something along the lines of, "you can have it done quick; you can have it done cheap; you can have it done right - but you can only have two of those things."

Even on the railways, we faced moron questions, typically, "what's the quickest and cheapest mode of transport to get to my hotel?" This always gave me the opportunity to point out the obvious: if there's a 'quickest and cheapest' way then it's be the only way, because all the really expensive, slowest ways would've gone out of business.

The very question I asked Truss in person in 2012...could she define 'high quality affordable' childcare?...unfortunately she never replied.
There is no such thing as high quality and at the same time affordable

my question was and still is 'affordable to whom'?...certainly not affordable to my business or my bank manager!

[lollipop kid]

My base hours at this time are 7am till 6.30pm 4 days a week plus various week-ends and overnights. I have 1 day off midweek to be able to complete paperwork etc but have been known to work it in special circumstances. Not sure how much more "flexible" I could be!! Perhaps yoga classes would help x

I love this - yoga classes for all childminders!

Where do I sign? (I wonder if they've got a position for letting me do my paperwork while I'm doing it, as I certainly can't do it when the children are with me!? And that's if I can fit it around my parents' needs for bringing me sick children/asking to just tweak their hours slightly at no additional cost to them, just a longer day for me, etc....)

[Mummits]

I shudder when I get an email from a parent wanting "flexible" childcare. It almost always seems to mean I want you to guarantee 100% to be there for me when all cheaper or free options have been exhausted, but I don't want to pay a premium rate for this exceptional service or indeed be committed to pay you anything at all!

[mama2three]

I would love to be more flexible , and be able t0 take more children who don't fit the classic day pattern - ie shifts etc.
To do this I would need to have an assistant.. which Ive researched and decided wont work for me. With the best will in the world an assistant will let me down sometimes..they may be sick , their child may be sick , they may want different holidays to me..their car may break down......... I don't want to be in that position and having to call parents and say I cant offer a service that has been agreed. My reputation is too important , no-one ants a childminder who lets them down....
if a nursery can call in bank staff then why cant we? I would take on an assistant tomorrow , or an apprentice , extend my hours , offer greater flexibility , if I could have this facility 'just incase'. In fact maybe that's one for the OBC to debate....

[bunyip]

I shudder when I get an email from a parent wanting "flexible" childcare. It almost always seems to mean I want you to guarantee 100% to be there for me when all cheaper or free options have been exhausted, but I don't want to pay a premium rate for this exceptional service or indeed be committed to pay you anything at all!

True.

....and why do they usually involve ferrying them round nurseries and everywhere else that won't do the tricky times?

Always tempting to reply to those emails with, "can do - but how flexible is your bank manager, cos it'll cost ya".

[Mummits]

How about "FAB! You want me to be available 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. I won't need to worry about how this fits with my other customers as I won't need any with the sort of bill that will come with this job".

[bunyip]

How about "FAB! You want me to be available 18 hours a day, 7 days a week. I won't need to worry about how this fits with my other customers as I won't need any with the sort of bill that will come with this job".

18 hours????

You're telling us you want a whole 6 hours just sleeping, you lazy slacker ?

No wonder the country is in a mess.

[Merlot]

I used to advertise as flexible which I really was when I wasn't full. I'm now at bursting point and still offer my bank holidays, evenings etc. One parent questionned as to why I wasn't being flexible with her because she wanted different days and hours every week but I was already full and could only offer her the contracted day she originally requested. Trying to explain that I can only have so many children at one time and her working awkward shifts doesn't help anyone. I was having her kids from 7am until 6pm and had even offered to have them earlier and later if she was struggling - she WAS struggling - but only to pay my higher rates for out of hours! Can't win!

[JCrakers]

My working hours are 8am-6pm. I started this morning at 7.35am..Nuff said And I have a course to go on 7-9pm tonight

I was willing to do it because the parent asked me nicely an they've been with me for a long time. I didn't mind it.
Some people just want the best of everything and flexibility to them is picking and choosing hours and not paying a price to reflect it.

[mrsb79]

I'm currently working 8 - 6 but in the past I've worked 7 - 9.10 pm did that for 3 yrs!! I think the flexibility required is days as more and more people are working part time and as a childcare provider I struggle to offer the flexibility needed due to ratio restrictions. In not saying it needs increasing just a bit more give. I've just had an enquiry for an under 1 space for 6hrs for 1 day a week which isn't " worth it " as if I have an enquiry for a full time under 1 space I wouldn't be able to do it. What they need to do is speak to us visit us and just look at some of our diaries/ registers because I honestly think most of us are pushing ourselves to the limit to offer flexibility x

[fluff1975]

I'm currently working 8 - 6 but in the past I've worked 7 - 9.10 pm did that for 3 yrs!! I think the flexibility required is days as more and more people are working part time and as a childcare provider I struggle to offer the flexibility needed due to ratio restrictions. In not saying it needs increasing just a bit more give. I've just had an enquiry for an under 1 space for 6hrs for 1 day a week which isn't " worth it " as if I have an enquiry for a full time under 1 space I wouldn't be able to do it. What they need to do is speak to us visit us and just look at some of our diaries/ registers because I honestly think most of us are pushing ourselves to the limit to offer flexibility x

I've had lots of requests for 4, 5 or 6 hours a day. Funny how as soon as I say it'll cost them a full day's childcare, they suddenly remember that great aunt Flo can look after them!