Nursery Fees

scoobydo_2

as a childminder . i charge half fees if i am working but the child doesn't attend , but if i am taking holidays or am ill and am not able to work I do not charge as in my eyes I cannot charge if i'm not providing a service .

purplepurple

yep we have to pay whether he's there or not on the three days he goes.... we're really looking forward to sept 2007 when we don't have to pay anymore! :rotfl:

Alleycat

To be fair though, we expect paid annual leave and Bank Holidays when we go to work, so I don't see why it should be any different for nursery staff/childminders. They still have the same outgoings whether its christmas or any other month of the year.

mancitychick

My sons nursery used to charge for bank holidays and you still had to pay if we went on hols or he was off sick. They did close for one week at christmas but you did not pay for this week HOWEVER your december bill was not any cheaper as the billing was done as £130 per week times 51 weeks then divide by 12 months. So you didn't actually pay for Christmas shutdown but you did pay the same every month. This was the same for the 5 years he went there. Thank god he is at school now so much cheaper!!!!

Katinkka

I don't use a childminder but I don't see why you shouldn't pay for holidays too. I think people forget that they themselves are becoming an employer when using a childminder and should therefore pay for holidays the same as they get paid for holidays.

Threadhead

Katinkka wrote:

I don't use a childminder but I don't see why you shouldn't pay for holidays too. I think people forget that they themselves are becoming an employer when using a childminder and should therefore pay for holidays the same as they get paid for holidays.

I am a childminder and I am sorry to be pedantic , but when you are using a childminder, you are not their employer, but their client. Childminders are self employed, and are paid fees, not wages.

I have the same charging structure as Scoobydo - If I am available and contracted to do the hours but the child is ill, I only charge half. If I am ill/unavailable, its not really fair to charge. Holidays are negotiated at the time of signing the contract. At the moment, I work only term time, as thats what my clients need, and it suits me.

I can see where the nurseries are coming from too though - they have overheads that childminders dont necessarily have.