schooll half terms shoul be charged?

[lizcrewe]

Hi Girls,
does anyone charge for school holidays and half term, when the parent dont require the services? I will have 2 mindees from september and both parents are students and wont require my services on half terms obviously.
One of them will get benefits to pay me ,something like student grant...I haven't any clue how this works...im so confused!

[MissTinkerbell]

Both sets of my parents include a teacher so I do not have 2 of my mindees during the holidays but they pay me half fees during the holidays, but also know that should they need me provided I have 2 weeks notice then my services are available at full fees.

My other mindee comes to me 2 days a week during the holidays and pays half fees for the remaining 3 days. Usually its a Mon/Tues but days can vary as long as I have notice.

I also take 4 out of my 5 weeks holiday during the school holidays so this reduces the amount of fees they pay.

I'm not sure what I'd do for students though.

[fluffysocks]

its really up to you about the holidays, i would personally do term time only contracts freeing you up to have other children on a school holidays only contract.
if you decided to charge for holidays i would think you would need to do it as a retainer, possibly half fee?

just depends on your personal circumstances, i use term time ony contracts for my two little mindees as I the have my own two older children at home plus an older mindee and we can plan different activities to what we would with the younger ones around.

[carol cameron]

I have term time only contracts that work for me as I also have a couple of holiday only contracts. I don't charge the term time ones for the holiday periods but they must pay full fee each week whether or not the child attends. It works for me as I know exactly what I will be getting fee wise.
Are the parents university students as I have just been told that when I start my university course in September that the half term holidays won't apply, only Easter, Summer and Christmas. I have heard of childminders who increase their usual hourly rate in cases like this to help to make up for the lack of funds in the holidays. Seems reasonable to me.

[jelly15]

One of my parents is a teacher and she pays me a retainer for hols, although I take two weeks of in the summer hols and two weeks Christmas so I don't charge.

[mushpea]

no point in charging a retainer for the hols if they dont need you in the hols that way if a holiday only child came along you can take them on instead, plus if you are taking them on knowing they wont need the hols then i feel its wrong to charge them for it.
I have 4 children that i took on term time only and i dont charge for the holidays because parents are either students or teachers so wont require care in the holidays at all.

[Hebs]

my 2 longest mindees are a stundent mums kids,

she only gets christmas and easter off, and the student finance DO pay for the school hols INC christmas and easter

[sarah707]

I have never charged for holidays when they are not needed.

Instead I advertise for children to fill the gaps eg holiday only children

[margaret]

I Charge full fee for school holidays, care to learn will pay full fee for students holidays as they know childminders cant always fill spaces with holiday only children.

[Chatterbox Childcare]

Students here only get funding when they are at college. I wouldn't charge for any holidays unless they were requested. They couldn't pick and choose and it would be all or nothing.

[cas2805]

I don't charge for any holidays, as long as they give me 4 weeks notice. It's nice to plan outings for the younger ones and DS. I have had three days with no children over the last month, bliss, even got MIL to look after DS so that I could have a manicure and pedicure done, oh and visit the dentist!