Any cost difference between childminder and day nursery?

Pauper_Princess

Hello all,

OH and I are finally thinking about Starting A Family :eek:

If we need full time child care, would there be any difference in the cost between a childminder and a day nursery? I think I'd prefer a childminder but I don't know if they're a lot more expensive. The local council website lists childminders but not their fees!

I'm in West Yorks if that makes any difference... day nurseries seem to be around £150 per week from what I've seen.

Thanks a lot if you can help

Threadhead

I'm a childminder.

Normally, childminders will be a little cheaper, and a lot more flexible than a nursery. You could phone a few, and explain why you are interested.

The NCMA (SCMA in Scotland) should be able to give you an average rate for childminders in your area, but remember that childminders set their own fees.

Feel free to pm me if I can help any further.

poppyscorner

Have you tried this site http://www.childcarelink.gov.uk/index.asp

I used this as for my area it has all the registered people and some of them publish their fees there.
My DS2 is in a nursery but I am at present thinking about switching to a childminder because of the things that are happening there.

poppyscorner

Forgot to add if you find someone check out their latest ofstead report to see how they perform.

Js_Other_Half

There are pros and cons for both options - you may find childminders cheaper, but if s/he is ill then someone will have to take a day off work with no notice.

Be grateful you live in west yorkshire PP - one of my friends spends £60 per day for a nursery in St Albans!

blossom08

hey

I had got in touch with tinies chiildcare recently to enquire about the current nanny rates. I guess they should be able to sought out your problem. For further details you can check the site out http://www.tinies.com. They could provide you with other childcare options too...

BernadetteN

This question is so hard to answer. Generally, childminders have traditionally been cheaper than nurseries. However, childminders are increasingly becoming more qualified and some are now registered for 2/3 years funding like most nurseries, so childminders' fees are increasingly catching up to nursery fees and are sometimes more expensive - I'm sure the latest NCMA surey concluded childminders' fees are now on average slightly more expensive in certain areas of England and Wales.

You can only really compare the costs when you take your individual needs into consideration and then cost out your needs with specific nurseries and childminders. If you want care for only 40 weeks a year, some nurseries and childminders will charge for almost 52 weeks anyway. If you need weekend care, some childminders will charge more. IF you require varied hours, some providers will charge for only hours used whereas other providers will charge for all hours, including unused ones.

Then there is personal preference. For myself, I would nearly always choose a childminder for an under 2 year old over a nursery, and then a mix of childminder and nursery for an over 2/3 year old, but that's what I'd want for my children. You can only really know how you feel by visiting potential providers because a fantastic nursery would change my personal preference for a baby's care and a fantastic childminder would make me prefer a childminder for an older child.

daveyjp

Do not base your decision on cost - base it on the person/people doing the caring, the environment your child will be in and what activities they will be doing. My daughter goes to a local authority nursery - it's not the cheapest, but it has a fantastic Ofsted report and I know being local authority it is there to provide a service and not to make a profit.

The fact my daughter's principle carer is someone who cared for a colleague's daughter 10 years ago speaks volumes to me.

Rachie_B

daveyjp wrote: »

Do not base your decision on cost - base it on the person/people doing the caring, the environment your child will be in and what activities they will be doing. My daughter goes to a local authority nursery - it's not the cheapest, but it has a fantastic Ofsted report and I know being local authority it is there to provide a service and not to make a profit.

The fact my daughter's principle carer is someone who cared for a colleague's daughter 10 years ago speaks volumes to me.

I was about to say the same!

there are very good CMs and nurseries

and equally bad CMs & nurseries !

need to look round some first ,and base your decision on what your findings are

day nursery and childminder are quite different.depends what kind of care you are looking for ?

childminders can be more flexible with timings,eg nurseries close @ 6pm usually.and can offer pre school / school pick ups when the time comes,which is great for continuity of care