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Hi ladies,
Just want to check something for my sis, is it the norm to have to pay a creche if you go on holidays or if the child is sick?? Im not sure, i would have thought you still have to pay regardless to keep the place but confirmation of same would be good. Also Im presuming its the same scenario for a private minder too???
Thanks
yeah you do have to pay creche, not sure about private minder unless you speak to the minder itself i know i have a little fellow for afterschool his mom doesn’t pay me if i don’t have him, ie if on midterm sick or whatever……
"his mom doesn’t pay me if i don’t have him, ie if on midterm sick or whatever……"
Really Scole??? God I am surprised that you arent paid, you are "on standby" i suppose so thats why i am presuming private minders need to be paid also. Personally i think its a bit cheeky if your not being paid for these times – seen as do have to pay creches in those scenarios! Thanks for the reply anyway, good to get some feedback.
hi sherbert as others have said yep you have to pay creche 52 weeks of the year, there are very few out there now that aren’t paid all year round regardless of if your on hols or child is sick
Private minders get paid cash in hand & don’t pay tax on it, in most cases (some do but most dont), plus don’t have the insuance expences or other expenses that a creche would have, so i don’t think it is checky not to pay them for holidays or when they are sick, at all.
I always paid mine when my ds was sick or if i took an unexpected day off but didn’t pay her when i was going on holidays but gave plenty of notice & stopped paying for her sick leave as thought she was begining to take advantage.
Plus, if i had to get someone to mind ds if she couldn’t then i had to pay them.
Also, in my experience private minders charge almost as much as the creche, so they are doing well as don’t have half the outgoings
Very annoyed and offended reading about childminders doing well as they get paid nearly as much as the creches and don’t have half the outgoings.
And as for deciding not to pay a childminder when parents and children on holiday….most professional childminders work their fee based on a 52wk year. When the parents don’t bring the child, the childminder is still available and you are paying for her service and the fact she is making herself available. If a person came back from 3wk holidays and found the childminder had taken on another child, which she could do when she has no income, it wouldn’t go down too well. Basically, if a parent values their childminder they will treat them with respect and vice versa.
If a person minds a child from 8.30am to 6.30am thats a 10hr day. on minimum wage that would be €8.65 per hr so €86.50 per day or for 5 days €432.50…..does anyone pay their childminder that much.
Many childminders are earning under €4per hr per child. Babysitters are paid more for minding a sleeping child. Even with 2 children a childminder doesnt earn that much.
As for outlay…..there is annual fees for membership of professionl bodies such as IPPA(Irish Playschool Preschool Assoc.), self-employeed rate of PRSI, childminding insurance to cover minding children both inside and on outings……apart from training that a lot of childminders are now doing at their own expense mostly. I know many childminders who attend workshops and courses put on by the IPPS and County CHildcare Committees at their own expense. They do this to keep their service up to a very high standard.
And the selfemployed rate of PRSI doesnt cover for optical or dental benefits etc. or to get unemployment or sick benefit when out of work……so when its all added up its not the big money maker. As self-employed people we also don’t have employment entitlements as other employed people such as minimum pay, holidays, sick pay, force majure. Think about how little holidays or sick leave most childminders actually take during a year. Good childminders also provide toys, books, playdough and other toys and accessories like car seats, changing mats etc. for the child they provide care for. This all has to be paid for.
Most childminders mind children because they genuinely love children and enjoy providing the service that is needed.
The ratios in creche are also much higher than a childminder. So for example for 3 children under 1yr old there only needs to be one adult or for 3-6yr olds there is only 1 adult to 8 children. A childminder doesnt work like this so wouldn’t have the fees from 8 children to pay for one adult minder. So creches have that advantage when it comes to fees.
These are the ratios taken from the Preschool Regulations 2006Full Day Care Service
AGE RANGE ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year 1:3
1-2 years 1:5
2-3 years 1:6
3-6 years 1:8
Where a full day care service also caters for children who do not attend on a full
day basis, the adult/child ratio and group size for sessional services should apply,
as appropriate.
(ii) Part-time Day Care Service
AGE RANGE ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year 1:3
1-2 years 1:5
2-3 years 1:6
3-6 years 1:8
(iii) Sessional Pre-school Service
AGE RANGE ADULT /CHILD RATIO
0-1 year 1:3
1 – 2.5 years 1:5
2.5 years – 6 years 1:10So personally I feel that if you have a good childminder and your child is doing well and very happy and content with her; and you are free to work without worrying is your child okay then its worth its weight in gold. Same goes for a creche or other daycare service. We get nothing for nothing and paying for childcare is a fact of life in irish society until the government decide to step up to their resonsibilties and help with more funding for everyone involved in this area.
And yes I am a childminder but I’m not getting a bit of cash in the hand for a bit of childminding. I am studying Fetac5 in Childcare, attend workshops, training, courses etc. put on by various professional childcare bodies. I am self-employed and sort out my own tax, prsi, insurance. And many good childminders are like me….trying very hard to be professional in their approach to providing a value for money service along with a high standard of childcare in a home environment that a child will enjoy being in.
Mummy5
Mummy5, no offence was intended & fairplay to you for being such a professional about child minding.
Unfortunately you are NOT THE NORM, MOST childminders that i know do not pay TAX or have any of the other expenses that you mentioned.
I did value my childminder & was very respectful & to be honest she was totally spolit with gifts etc but i still stand by what i say, i think she did well for someone who got cash in hand.
Thanks for that reply Mummy5, makes for some very interesting reading, will pass on the info. I suppose it makes sense to pay regardless, you are paying for their service to be on "standby" one way or another.
Plus i didnt realise minders are paid so little!!!
have to agree with sherbert and mummy5, fair play to you mummy5, excellent points raised by you, couldnt have written it better myself.
marye has raised a very sensitive issue in mumstown, I gather marye by your email that you no longer have your child minder, was this your choice??
Like mummy5 i too come from a backround in childcare, a lot of my friends have childminded over the years and the reason I havent gone down the road of childminding is from the continious hastle recieved from parents about there little ds and ds. I have opted to work with children in a controlled envoirnment, where the pay is less and so are the hastles. I can do a good job for a set number of hours and leave it behind me till the next day.
at the end of the day, what price can you put on your childs health, safety and peace of mind, childminders should be paid when they dont have the children, with exceptions to summer hols. 👿[quote="Sherbert"]Hi ladies,
Just want to check something for my sis, is d we are it the norm to have to pay a creche if you go on holidays or if the child is sick?? Im not sure, i would have thought you still have to pay regardless to keep the place but confirmation of same would be good. Also Im presuming its the same scenario for a private minder too???
Thanks[/quote ] I must applaud sherbert philo and especially mummy5.
thank you so much for sticking up for us childminders.I am a childminder
myself. as usual we are undermined under paid and not appriciated
yeah i dont pay tax or prsi but what has that got to do with it.
i have paid this for years. If MARYE is so opposed to leaving her child
with a childminder who does not pay tax why does she not give up work
and look after her own child.???????.Everyone is entitled to their opinion & we should respect them. I shouldn’t be bullied for putting across a different point of view.
I did value my childminder & paid her well. I am not opposed to childminders at all, you must have read my message incorrectly.
All i said was that i thought she was paid well, considering she didn’t pay tax. i don’t feel bad for not paying her for my summer holidays as i gave her plenty of notice and paid her any other time that my child wasn’t there.
My child is now in a crèche but only because he needed to mix with kids his own age. The childminder was perfect when he was a small baby.
Obviously you are more professional childminders then mine was ( not saying that there was anything wrong with her) but from my experience and a lot of people I know unfortunately, you are not the norm.
I was shocked at how the crèche was the same price as the childminder considering all their expenses & i don’t have to supply half the stuff that i did supply for my childminder. There are Pro’s & cons to them both but the creche is better value for me & it suits my childs needs at the moment.
I would love to mind my child but i don’t have that luxury.
Girls all ur posts make good reading. Mummy5 u got ur point across very well, and i dont think it was in a bullying manner! I think its bloody terrible that u have 2 pay the playschool r creche any fees when ur child is sick r on hols when the hols dont fall with the playschool teacher! I know of 4 mothers last yr who took there child out of creche r playachool (pre-school) because there fees where way out. I am also a childminder and i did not get paid when the child was not here but that was an arrangment that myself & the Mum had made. I was feeding him 2 a day, sometimes 3 (if he had not had b/fast) any treats my kids got he got, took him places with no extra charge. Ifeel a child is better in home surroundings, its more homely, and i feel they r better cared 4! Reason i say that is because a creche is there 4 the money and the money only! I feel a child is long enough at school, so keep them home till the time should arise! I think a child should go 1yr b4 he/she starts school its long enough…… I sent my son to playschool to early and i wont b making the same mistake with my second. If i where to go back to work i would def go 4 the childminder…… Thankfully i’m luckly enough 2 b at home with my kids.
MaryE……childcare is a tough issue. Finding good childcare at a reasonable price is a big issue in Ireland but again I feel there is so little value placed on this issue from the governement. If a person continues working and supporting the economy there sould be some help (and not just early childcare supplement) to actively help and provide good childcare at an affordable price.
On the issue of fees for a creche versus fees for a childminder. Basically, its a personal choice as to the type of care you want for your child. If your child is aged 3-6yrs you only need 2 adults to provide care for up to 16 children in this age-group in a full day care service. A childminder doesnt mind up to 8 children under 6 as under current legislation they can’t unless they are notified to the HSE and then all the other legislations come into play just the same as preschools.
This is how creches make their money to pay workers.
Its an issue that won’t go away but I think all parents should be coming together to demand better quality and funding from the government to ensure all children get the best possible care. Most good childminders are trying to up the standards all the time and many are affiliated to professional bodies such as IPPA and coutny childcare committees.
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