Childminders - what is a reasonable retainer fee?

darwin45

hi reading all this with interest as I am a childminder but also coordinate childminding places within my area - this means I have a lot of contact with other childminders and I can say that within my area a retainer is done as standard. My parents believe that the money spent on childcare is an investment into their childs future - this has been said more than once and I think it is very true. Treat your childminder with the respect she and her business deserve and she will hopefully play a big part in all your lives, helping out in times of difficulty, offering flexibility and being a very important person in your childs life, offering them a safe and happy and stimulating environment whilst you are at work. I have in the past when I have known parents to be struggling to pay a retainer - we have come to an agreeable arrangement for everyone - but it has to be realistic. I field up to 5 enquiries a week - we are turning people away and could fill our places 10 times over - we are very fortunate within this area - parents understand this and are more than willing to secure their place. As to paying a childminder for their hols - cant get my head around that one no matter how many times I hear it - they are not available for work so you dont get paid - simple as - you are self employed - it goes with the territory.

Tirian

cannyscot wrote: »

So don't be afraid to check every detail-ask to see the contract and think about it.

Thanks, very helpful. I will certainly check the contract - this is something I always do. Hopefully there will not be any more big surprises - we covered things like holidays etc. in our initial discussion, so I don't think we will run into the same problems as you there. Fingers crossed!

Thankfully we don't have money problems as such at the moment -but I am a little surprised at how many people on this board seem to think one should be completely unfazed at a surprise request for £1000!

Tirian

darwin45 wrote: »

within my area a retainer is done as standard. My parents believe that the money spent on childcare is an investment into their childs future - this has been said more than once and I think it is very true.

It does seem that the practices are very area based - noting previous responder who said nobody in their area charged retainers.

As I've said before, I've no issue with the money spent on childcare. It's the money spent on no childcare that surprised me!

The "investment in your child's future" line has come up a few times too. The trouble is, you could apply that reasoning to justify any charge you want so it doesn't seem a particularly good measure.

darwin45 wrote: »

As to paying a childminder for their hols - cant get my head around that one no matter how many times I hear it - they are not available for work so you dont get paid - simple as - you are self employed - it goes with the territory.

Payment during holidays seems the norm in this area too. I'm not so fussed about that - I'd be pretty outraged if my employer proposed not giving me holiday pay, so I don't see why I should object to someone I pay wanting it ...

missprice

rachbc wrote: »

i'm really surprised - not a single CM I have ever contacted has asked for a retainer - and I know quite a large network of childminders through the job I do

CMs were scarce around my area a few years ago and I had to pay a deposit to keep my places open and half fees when she was on holiday. when she was on hols she arranged another CM who I also had to pay
but she was the nearest to me, the others being a fair old distance further out and was stuck for choices.
didn't much like her but what can you do (my kids were not babies but around 9 and 10 years old)
So if OP likes her CM then agree whatever the charges are:)
just to add she fed the kids for no extra and took them places for no extra
she charged iirc £3.50 ph per child so £7 ph for me but 2 different children from differnet families would have been charged at £4 ph
tbh that wasnt bad as she had them from school end to 9pm
oh and still had to be paid in school hols whether i used her or not

duchy

The deal I had with my childminder was she would take four weeks holiday a year in school holiday time (she had school age kids) a week at Christmas and Easter and two weeks in the summer which were unpaid. However if I wanted to take holiday at any other time-I paid. That seemed very fair to me.

xyellowx

you need to negotiate with her its in both your interests to get along and be happy with the arangement, im sure the retainer could be sorted out so your both happy just phone and talk about it.

onlyroz

Regarding holidays, I think this varies a lot. My childminder doesn't charge for her holidays and I only pay her for term times (because I use a holiday club during the school holidays). This was all agreed up-front and I am pleased that she can be so flexible.

With my daughter's nursery, they close for 4 weeks a year and we are not charged for those 4 weeks. However, if I take her out of nursery at another time I still have to pay. I also have to pay for bank holidays and snow days. I am happy with this because the nursery has the same costs regardless of whether my child is there or not.

thunderbird

Tirian wrote: »

Thanks, very helpful. I will certainly check the contract - this is something I always do. Hopefully there will not be any more big surprises - we covered things like holidays etc. in our initial discussion, so I don't think we will run into the same problems as you there. Fingers crossed!

Thankfully we don't have money problems as such at the moment -but I am a little surprised at how many people on this board seem to think one should be completely unfazed at a surprise request for £1000!

I would be shocked by that too! Although I can fully understand the reasons behind the charge, I would have expected to be one of the first things mentioned, not the last... (Seems a little sneaky IMHO!)

ash28

cannyscot wrote: »

Tirian, I understand your concern. I had a problem with money and a childminder and at the risk of getting slated I will warn you. You need to be so aware of the contract and all the charges. My childminder charged for everything but everything and I did not realise till I was signed up. As money is an issue for you then you should check. Have you checked back with the other childminders in the area was there any other that was good? As the retainer thing has become "normal" if they have been on the childminding course that is what they are advised to do but some established older childminders do not charge it or charge more of a nominal fee as you suggest.

Check holidays and bank holidays as you can really come unstuck if she has a contract which allows her to take fully paid holidays anytime as mine did . I stupidly signed up for a Monday and Friday place ( because that was what the CM wanted not me) which hit every bank holiday which I had to pay double time if she were to take my child -but I don't get bank holidays and I defo dont get double time. There was a clause that gave her the right to take 4 weeks off when it suited her on full pay which she made sure she excercised but did not give us enough notice to organsie our holidays so it was unworkable and I was very upset to have to disrupt my child by taking her out.

She also charged for actvities that she chose to suit her kids and they were very expensive activities. So don't be afraid to check every detail-ask to see the contract and think about it. In your position with travel on public transport and obvious budget constraints it can become vert stressful for a wife leaving her child for the first time.

Same thing happened to us Cannyscot, with our first child minder - didn't realise what she was charging for - she even charged full rate when she was sick - which was fairly regular. We had to supply drinks and snacks or be charged for them. Activities were arranged to suit her own 2 children - both older but we were charged whether he could participate or not. .

We didn't make the same mistakes with the next childminder - the relationship with the first was fairly shortlived - with the next one, we went through the contract - and then negotiated - no paid childminer holidays - they're self employed and aren't paid wages as such by parents but are paid a fee for providing a child care service. No paid childminder sick.

We did pay full rate when we were on holiday or if grandson (we are bringing him up) wasn't attending.

We approached it more like a business the second time instead of the guillable fools we were the first time.

We had a great relationship with her which lasted from GS being 4 until he was 10 and we moved areas (last October). .

cowboymum

I have been reading this thread with interest - I am a childminder and am just in the process of sorting out future spaces which may mean I have to charge a retainer. I can definately see both sides but the retainer fee should have been discussed at the initial meeting and def before signing contracts. I certainly would struggle asking for that amount of money to be honest. I will be offering some hours of childcare each week if I decide to charge a retainer fee.

I would definately try to negotiate with the childminder. I would definately not want to loose families due to the retainer fee.