For Childminders and Early Years Childcare Providers
A parent calls at 7am asking about availability for September start. You are already with three children and cannot answer. They call the next childminder on their list. You lose a placement worth £800–£1,500 per month without ever knowing the call happened.
Propel fixes this. Every call answered, every enquiry captured, every waiting list update communicated — while you are focused on the children in your care.
Childminding is a relationship-based business built on trust. Parents looking for childcare call around, get a feel for who is available, and choose the first childminder who can accommodate their specific days, hours, and start date.
The nature of the work means you are hands-on with children throughout the day. Your phone is in your pocket. You cannot answer calls during sessions. But the parents who are most likely to need childcare — working parents with demanding jobs — tend to call during conventional working hours. When you cannot answer, they move on.
Each lost placement represents £800–£1,500 per month in lost income. Over a year, that is up to £18,000 in lost revenue from a single missed enquiry.
When a parent calls about childcare, Propel captures the essential information you need to assess whether you can help — days needed, hours, start date, children's ages, and any specific requirements.
Not every call is a new placement request. Here is exactly what Propel handles while you are with the children:
Most childminders charge between £4–£7 per hour per child. A full-time placement (40 hours per week) at £5 per hour per child is approximately £1,000 per month per child. That is £12,000 per year from a single full-time placement.
The average childminder misses 2–4 childcare enquiries per month simply because they cannot answer the phone during the working day. That is 2–4 placements per year that you never hear about, priced at £12,000 each.
"I had a waiting list of six families when I got a call from a parent who needed care from the following week. I did not see it until 4pm. By the time I called back, they had found someone else. I lost a placement that was worth about £1,100 a month. Since Propel, I have not missed a single enquiry — and I actually filled that waiting list gap within a week."
— Childminder, Berkshire
Can Propel manage my waiting list?
Propel can capture waiting list position, record when parents joined, and communicate their current position on request — without you needing to call each parent individually.
What if a parent needs emergency childcare?
Urgent requests — parent called in sick, childcare fell through — can be flagged immediately via SMS so you can call back and assess whether you have availability.
Can it answer questions about my OFSTED registration?
Yes. Propel can share your OFSTED number, registration status, DBS check date, and first aid qualifications when parents ask — all pre-configured.
What about existing parents needing session changes?
Session changes, additional hours, and ad hoc requests are captured and logged for your review, with the parent told when to expect confirmation.
Every missed call is a placement you did not get to price. Propel captures every enquiry so you can fill your waiting list and grow your income — even when you cannot answer.