4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Snowy]

I've got my initial meeting this morning with the Development Advisor from County Hall, first step in the process of applying to be a childminder! Not sure what to expect - I've read all the paperwork, there's such a lot to comply with! Seems more stringent than the process I had to go through to become a nurse! I just hope she doesn't tell me I have to keep the chickens in their run - that might just be a rule too far!

 

Anyway, please wish me luck!!

[chickencam]

Best of luck

[cammy73]

Good luck Snowy!

Sharon x

[Lapinou]

Good luck! You're brave. I considered becoming a child minder, but I don't want to be ofsteded! I wouldn't be able to stop myself rude to the inspector anyway simply by dissing all the rubbish about national curriculum for littlies

[AMO]

Good Luck Snowy!

[Tina C]

Good luck (rather you than me though)

 

I am sure you will sail through it.

[MedusA]

Hope it all goes well for you, Snowy.

[Jules.]

I'm sure you'll sail through it

[The Dogmother]

Good luck Snowy - a friend has been through the process and said that it wasn't as bad as she'd thought.

[ajm200]

I think BarbaraJ is a childminder and she keeps her chickens in a run when the children are around but I don't know that for certain.

 

Good luck with the interview.

[Snowy]

Well it's all done, and you are right it's not so bad! Yes the checks are very stringent (and rightly so) but it's all straightforward and not as expensive as I'd feared (plus there are grants available).

 

She loved the idea of the chickens and wasn't in the least bit fazed by the chicken poo covered patio

 

Lapinou I will have to bite my tongue when the Ofsted inspecter calls

[Jules.]

Good news

[BarbaraJ]

hi, yes i've been minding for 20yrs now, its a great job if you can get the work it can be unpredictable. alot of after school clubs have sprung up around here so most of my work has been under 5's the last few years.

Ofsted visits differ an awful lot my last one was lovely the one before i had to bite my tongue as she told me i would get a mark against me for having a 6'' piece of bramble on the gras at the end of a 70' child friendly garden insane!!

There is alot of paperwork , virtually none when i started not even a contract just need to keep on top of it!

Chickens, well as mentioned i keep them in while kids are out there, only occasionly let out just before they go home so they can throw some corn down for them.

To be honest some inspectors would have a fit over poo over the garden i think, some maybe not!! personally (jmo) i would clear up poo and shut them in when inspector comes and ask her if they could be let out when kids there or not. If she says no ask parents if they mind, then go from there. i wouldnt be happy with young toddlers around poo. Especially if they walked it in house

 

 

 

editted because oops forgot to mention chickens lol

[Snowy]

Thanks Barbara! I'll be PMing you for advice!

I just thought it would be useful to have as a backup to my main work, and it fits in with my running the toddler group (in the past I've had Mums ask if do childminding). I'm not bothered if I don't have children all the time, just a few hours a week would be fine. I was worried that all the training and expense wouldn't be worth just for the sake of a few hours a week. But I've just booked myself onto the paediatric FA course and the ICP course (both free) and am just about to fill in the Ofsted papers.

 

That's what I was thinking about the chickens as well. I do keep the garden fairly clean anyway because of my own two, but they have also learned to dodge the odd splat that I miss! Will give the patio an extra good scrub on inspection day though

[ali-s]

I was a registered childminder for 10 years when my two were littlies I loved every minute of it. I still see most of the children, babies and toddlers but now they are at primary school, high school and one is now working.

 

Only the other day I found a pile of photos from my childminding days and they brought back some lovely memories

[Egluntyne]

Good luck Snowy.

 

You will be brilliant.

[Basset]

Good Luck Snowy,

 

I hope it all goes well. I'm interested to hear how the process goes, as it's something I may consider when my youngest starts school.

[Seagazer]

I think its probably a good idea that its more stringent now. When I trained about 16 years ago you had a six week course covering health, play, contracts etc and that was it. You also had to have an inspection. We had to change the spindles in our banister as they were slightly too far apart. Can't tell you how happy my husband was to move them all!! I also had a slight slope in part of my garden (my two children managed to get up and down it ok) but I had to put a gate across it (we had a small wall and hedge with gap in the middle) again very happy hubby putting gate on.

 

When I was doing it you could tell your kids' school that you were a childminder and then they would pass the number on to parents. I'm not sure what they do now though. That way you could perhaps do just a pick up after school for a couple of hours. This is what I did until I started looking after relatives' children.

 

My SIL was a childminder until recently (she is now a childminder assessor) so I know that there is a lot more to it than in my day.

 

Good luck with it all, it can be very rewarding.