Childminder costs once child starts education

Ocean Blue

Just wondering if some parents with older kids can tell me how their childminder adjusted fees once kids are going to playschool/ecce/primary and are no longer with them for the full day.

I've to start thinking about signing little one up for ecce for next year and before I chat to the minder about how we can make it work, I'd love to know what the norm is (if there is one)!!

Lisha

I didn't reduce mine as they can be rang to collect child if needed. Also I pay the same winter and summer. Both minder and I agree it balances out and we are both happy.

cyning

I'm going to end up paying more come September when my oldest starts her ECCE year: I still need to pay for the childminder as she only goes 3 days a week as it is and its 3 hours: the childminder could take someone else instead of her. But because she doesn't drive I'm going to have to pay someone else to drop her to childminders after playschool.

jlm29

I'm still paying the same in spite of ecce too- she would drop and collect if necessary, and we never paid by the hour, just a daily rate.

sillysocks

My childminder doesn't drop or collect to school/Montessori. She charges 30 eur for a full day and 20 for a half day, so 'save' ten euro a day on days they're in school but have more hassle with dropping/collecting etc!

Moonbeam

I reduced my rate when the child started playschool because it meant that I had mornings off and at the time I was pregnant so it really suited me. I brought him to school and collected him.
After primary school is usually about 5 euro an hour.

pwurple

I wouldn't assume the ecce will be available for your dates if you are in an urban area btw...

Despite having my child's name down for the ecce since the extra portion was announced, we just got a letter from the creche that it's not available for children born on the dates that qualify for the second or third terms of it. Full up from September term. Which makes sense obviously for them, they can't just extend the building or add more staff for a few weeks work, and why would they hold empty spaces for the rest of the time. We tried another couple in the area, and they are the same, or only have one or two days a week available in the week.

So yeah, we'll just keep on paying the usual creche fees during the ecce time.

Ocean Blue

Thanks all! So in reality the costs rarely drop. Good to know. I could probably drop my daughter to ECCE myself but it would be early so I'd have to pay a supplement for them to mind her until 9.30 or whatever the start time is, then I'd have to pay childminder for rest of the day. So it wouldn't be any cheaper really and we wouldn't have the backup of the minder being on call for the morning.
So probably best to leave her with childminder for the full day and let her do drop off and collection.

jlm29

Ocean Blue wrote: »

Thanks all! So in reality the costs rarely drop. Good to know. I could probably drop my daughter to ECCE myself but it would be early so I'd have to pay a supplement for them to mind her until 9.30 or whatever the start time is, then I'd have to pay childminder for rest of the day. So it wouldn't be any cheaper really and we wouldn't have the backup of the minder being on call for the morning.
So probably best to leave her with childminder for the full day and let her do drop off and collection.

Probably! Our playschool starts at 9, and they can be dropped from 8.45, but that's unusual I think- all the others around here seem to start at 9.30