Do you charge for trips

[hoochi]

i wasnt going to charge for small ones e.g playgroups or play centre but what about day trips out entry into parks or anything like that x

[sarah707]

I don't pay for entrance fees ... they are down to the parents to pay.

I have had the odd occasion where parents haven't been prepared to pay so the child misses out and then I might go every 3 or 4 weeks... but not regularly. Money I earn goes down enough providing meals without paying for outings as well...

Except in the holidays, we might go to a few places, but we keep costs down by taking picnics, so we can offset with an ice cream etc.

Your business, your decision but don't do anything you might come to resent.

[fionamal]

My fees cover them all, i only ask that the kids are given some spending money for gift shop, ice-creams etc.

We tend to go to places though that are either free or only cost a couple of pound and keep the expensive places for a one off visit.

[angeldelight]

I do the same as Sarah

Angel xx

[mrsb]

My fees cover them all, i only ask that the kids are given some spending money for gift shop, ice-creams etc.

We tend to go to places though that are either free or only cost a couple of pound and keep the expensive places for a one off visit.

I do this too

[hoochi]

thanks ladies think i will check out the local free play areas i just wandered if parents expected trips and to be included in price but i think i will state if i did do any its additional cost

[berkschick]

Soft play, Toddlers, etc I pay for but if we went anywhere more expensive in the hols I will charge the parents the entrance fee.

[scottie]

HI AM NEW TO THIS SO I HOPE I GET IT RIGHT BUT I WOULD NOT NORMALLY ASK FOR COST OF A TRIP BUT MAYBE ASK FOR THE CHILD TO HAVE SOME SPENDING MONEY AFTER ALL THE FULL COST CAN BE PUT INTO YOUR WEEKY ACCOUNTS JUST KEEP PROOF OF COST WELL HOPE THATS OK BYE

[jaja]

depends where we are going, and how much it will cost. we go to a play area and it costs over £4 then i get parents to pay and i will cost the dinner and an icecream, depends how many children i have with me and how long we are going for, how far ie petrol ect and hours i have the child for.

I have a four hours a weeks and in holidays only twenty, but in holidays we go out and i ask for outing money, we tend to have to travel at least 30 to 50 mins in the car to get there and we tend to go all day, so parents are happy to pay. If a only came for 4 hours in holiday times then we wouldnt be going anywhere, because by the time we got there we would need to come home again.

Plus just think about how many children you would be taking, for example if you went to sundown its £8 per child so if you took five kids it would cost you £48 to get in without snacks, meals or anything else.

good luck with what you decide to do. x

Oh Sorry if i rambled and lost you half way down xx

[Banana]

Totally depends on where you are going,

for example, wacky warehouse is £2.50 a child, I would pay this myself.

The zoo - £9 a child, I would ask for the parents to pay for the entrance fees as it costs me £14 to get in.

Bascially anything more than a couple of pound I ask parents to pay

xx

[Spangles]

I go to the local softplay place with my son at the moment so when the full-timer starts and she turns one I'm hoping the mum will pay for her to go as it costs almost £4 which means I would basically be working for free for an hour!

If she doesn't pay I'm not going to be able to go anymore with my son which will really cheese me off! Ha ha!

I won't charge for toddler group as that's only £1 three times a week and I think it's fair enough for me to pay for that and petrol etc but much more than that and it's too expensive I think! Do you think I'm mean?

I'm in an easily cheese-offable mood today!!!!

[ChocolateChip]

I don't think you're mean at all, Lorri, it's all too easy to spend your wages in this game!
Our parents usually give us money for family memberships for the zoo and pony farm as our christmas present, so at least me and my kids get in free, I pay for toddler groups, etc, and u3's are usually free anyway where we go.
I think where older ones are concerned I will play it by ear, if they are more or less fulltime in the hols, then I will pay for at least one trip, and see how it goes with part timers, no point paying out more than I'm earning.

[Blaze]

I put it in the contracts that parents pay for playgroups (I split the cost between children, so only works out under £1 each) & outings...I have a policy on this as well, so I don't get into difficulties if parents refuse to pay for a trip ....otherwise the other kids would have to miss out/or i would have to end up out of pocket!

[kellsbells]

It is difficult though! I became a child minder so that I could spend more time with my daughter in the holidays and one of things that is worrying me as I would like to take her to a few places in the holidays, Had it all planned out that I would charge parents so my daughter wouldn't miss out on trips and mindees would get to go out on day-trips too and I have just taken on two children whose mum is a single parent, I for one know how difficult it is with one never mind two so now I will have to either pay for them myself out of the fees or not go.

[tulip0803]

Like some of the others I would pay for little things like soft play but bigger stuff ask the parents for the cost of getting in and spending they never worried. I did try to limit the big trips to a couple in the holidays instead we would go to the museum, park, town farm,country park, beach, free open-air pool, library, river to feed the ducks, anywhere children got in free . My children were happy cos we were doing something, the minding children were happy cos we were doing something and I was happy cos it was minimum cost. Picnics and balls, bats, outdoor games are great cos the children have a great time and it doesn't even have to be very far.

[nell57]

I'm pretty much the same as everyone else, paying for toddler groups and soft play areas, then asking parents for the more expensive trips, never had anyone refusing so far

Helen

[ruby]

we do the same pay for soft play etc but anything big we ask the parents to contribute
not had any problems so far


cathy

[avril]

I pay for all trips but ask parents to send money for gift shop and ice creams.

[Tatia]

Same as a lot of you, I pay for toddler groups and soft play but for a bigger trip (like Old McDonald's Farm next week) then I expect parents to pay entrance fee. I still provide lunch (picnic) cos I do that at home anyway and I would spring for ice cream.

[sue32]

I dont charge for trips as I have worked this in to my fees, I get paid for 52 weeks and feel asking for trips on top would get my parents asking for a refund when I am on holiday