Donna Nevill Childminding Services ~ Ofsted Registration No: EY561944

 

My Terms and Conditions of Childcare
The EYFS is a legal document containing the requirements that Early Years Providers must adhere to.
Settling in Policy (updated June 2023)

I’m aware that many young children and minders are currently struggling with attachment issues to the point that families are being turned away from nurseries or advised to seek care with assistants. Sadly when a child struggles to settle this can be tough on everyone and affect the care of other children in the setting. After the 1st few sessions, I may advise settling in sessions, but these may not be the actual hours that you need because the aim will be to reduce your child’s distress by giving the opportunity to become more familiar with me, quicker, learn how I will soon be meeting their needs and trust that when you leave them that you will still return. For some little ones, the days in between are too long and by the time they return they have forgotten the minder and it all starts again and I’ve seen some be distressed for many months, although I have not personally had this.

I will waive the minimum hours and offer as little as 1 to 2 hours charged at the normal fee.

I also suggest that if there is a settling in problem, we work together to think about your routine at home, do you pick up your little one every time they cry, do you rock them to sleep and so on.

Working in partnership will ensure your child is as settled as possible and so I urge you to communicate honestly from the beginning.

Some parents ask if they can call during the day to find out how their child is. As I may be caring for a number of children I prefer if we can agree to text or WhatsApp.

Child Record Forms
In summary these include written information on emergency contact numbers, dietary requirements, special health requirements, info about who has legal contact of the child and who has parental responsibility, parental permission to seek emergency medical advice, starting date and number of sessions per week, illness and vaccinations, consent for photography for monitoring, advertising and evaluating, consent to take part in off site activities. This is a legal requirement that these are completed prior to any child is left in my care.

Opening Times, Fees, Funding & other charges (please hover over the links to see more)
The hours of work are negotiable however the rates include everything needed; snacks, meals, activities; so you will never be asked for any additional money. Please provide your own nappies and creams and anything that you specifically want your child to eat or drink. I rarely supply juice as the children are offered water and milk. In brief:

Childminding Rate/Fee per hour per child

Normal hours 8 am - 6 pm - £6.50 per hour (min 5 hours)

Adhoc hours < 8 am & > 6 pm - £7.50 per hour (min 4 hours)

Unsociable hours are £10.00 per hour at my discretion

Weekends/Bank Holidays £10.00 per hour.

I charge a minimum of 2 hours before/after school.

Regular lateness may be charged for to the nearest half hour, the odd 10 minutes here and there is waived but frequent lateness will be invoiced
Note: examples of goodwill gestures at my discretion; 1) there may be times I offer to drop a child home to make it easier for you if I am planning a trip out anyway or 2) I may have 5 children and so may decide that it is not necessary to charge you a cancellation fee.

Cancellations/Holidays
In brief; if you cancel I still charge but if I cancel there is no charge as you will have to find alternative care (on such occasions I can offer alternative details of Childminders who we meet up with regularly).
The space is reserved for your child and once a contract is in place you have my full commitment to care for your child as agreed and the space (explained in the adult/child ratios) is reserved until further notice.  
I go above and beyond on many occasions and often keep children longer for no additional charge when our initial contract is working well. I hope you will appreciate these gestures and agree a good working relationship is paramount and is made up of give and take. A lot of time, effort and planning goes into a Childminders day, I have an 8 year old who may have to put things away to make the following day age appropriate and safe, so when cancelled at last minute fees are still payable.

Healthy Eating
You can provide lunch if you wish but as the children eat together I have learnt that generally they prefer to eat the same. I’ve found that it also helps encourage them to eat it. You are welcome to make an occasional contribution of food to share so that your child has something familiar and that the children have variety and maybe food from different cultures or tastes to try. Please see healthy eating policy/ special dietary needs may incur a slight fee. Allergy information will be made clear to all families.



Travel in car
I use a 9 seater Vauxhall Vivaro minibus fully insured for business use as a Childminder. It has 2 Isofix points and I have the relevant car seats for all ages.
Car seat Law states that children should use an appropriate car seat until they are 12 years old or 135 centimetres tall, whichever comes first. You can choose carseats based on height or weight;  ‘i-Size’ seats must be rear-facing until your child is over 15 months old and weight-based seats as below








Dropping home and Collection Policy

If you do not have transport I may at times be able to collect or drop your child home to make it easier for you than using public transport. In this case I would charge for my extra time until I arrive back home plus 15 minutes or for half the cost of a return taxi - at my discretion but agreed in advance. Example taxi fares one way from Tilgate - to the railway pub £5.80, to Southgate £4.40, to Wakehams Green £9.00 -£10.00.

Arrival to the setting - Please let me know in advance if you think you may arrive at a different time from the contracted one. If you arrive unexpectedly early I may not be ready to care for your child and if late I may have personal plans. On arrival children will be recorded in the attendance register for safety and these hours are logged on a spreadsheet that I use to summarise the bill.

Collection from the setting - I will only release your child from my care to adults who you have given written permission to collect them. I will therefore, need you to provide me with a list of people authorised to collect. If there is an emergency or the person is not known to me, we will agree on a password. All details required should be included in the registration forms.
Delays can occur and so to avoid children being distressed at collection time I ask where possible to let me know in advance or message me if the time is likely to change. I’m happy for you to send a message when you leave so we can better plan arrival time.  
If you are late and I have not heard from you I will try and make contact. If I am unable to get hold of you I will be required to attempt to contact the emergency numbers provided. If I am still unable  to make contact with anyone I am expected to contact Social Services and follow their advice.
I reserve the right to make an additional charge for late collection but am flexible where possible.

Payment/Late Payment Policy
Payment is preferred a week in advance although I am happy to discuss this. Any debts will be expected to be paid in full when the contract ends. I keep a spreadsheet to keep track of actual hours charged for and the amounts paid. Should you end a contract through no fault of my own and be in *credit monies will not be refunded. (*you may be in credit if we have calculated a regular fee to cover a change of hours during term time/half term).
Late payments may incur a fee; being self employed I already waive holiday and sick pay, so please do not let it get to the stage where a late payment causes bad feeling because I have incurred charges that I may then have to pass onto you.
If you have had a change in personal circumstances and are now struggling to make payments, please let me know so we can make suitable arrangements. It may be that you are now entitled to additional funding through the Childcare element of the Working Tax Credit and other benefits.
I understand how difficult it may be to leave your child, so, it’s important to me that you are happy with the care that I provide and that I give as much information as possible.
Registered childminder’s can now care for 6 children under the age of 8 years old, children over 8’s do not come into this ratio. I must show how I risk assess and how I will therefore safely manage and not inhibit the care of any other children if I was to have 6 under 5 years!
I think it is important to explain this for families to understand why various terms apply such as paying for cancellations or not being able to accommodate extra hours. This ensures we have the correct foundations of the business relationship in place right from the start. It’s therefore important for both parties to take into account the hours needed, considering travel or if your circumstances may be changing to avoid any disappointment or confusion.

Before any childcare can take place, there is a legal requirement to complete various Childcare Agreements, Contract and Consents.   

Admissions Policy- updated 2022

 

Group 0
0kg to 10kg
Group 0+
0kg to 13kg
Group 1
9kg to 18kg
Group 2
15kg to 25kg
Group 3
22kg to 36kg
Booster
I have 1 isofix
rear facing seat  
1 isofix
2 normal
1 seat up to 36kg
2 booster

Terms contd