Gertie Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Is anyone a child minder? Thinking about possibly becoming a childminder in the future and wondered what the pros & cons are, how much people charge, what insurances you need, what could stop you becoming a childminder etc. I'm currently an Early Years Teacher so have some relevant experience. There's a briefing information session I'm attending next week go find out more. I'm not sure if my home is suitable as its has coal central heating & needs modernisation (we've not long moved in). The pluses are we have space to play and learn, 2.3 acres, pond, hens, pets, wildlife etc. Thanks for you thoughts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Me, I am! I'm a part-time teacher (specialising in early years) and part-time childminder. When you start thinking about it and setting up your business, you will have loads of questions. And no one can really give you a definite answer - your business, your rules, demand will vary depending on your area and the children you take on will influence job satisfaction. Type in 'childminding help forum' into google. Just do a search. There's loads of info there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 My sister is and has been for over 20 years now! Your home has to pass checks to ensure it's safe and they will advise you on any changes to be made. It does not have to be the most modern, flash, place in the world. Homely and safe and warm is the most important - safe being at the top of the list! Ponds could be a problem, enless you can put a grill over it or a secure fence around it it could be a no-no! Contact your council and start things rolling - then decide what you can offer and assess the viability of your plans! Good luck in making your decision! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janepie33 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I used to be a Childminder years ago and then I worked as a development worker for the local Childminding association and my job now brings me into contact with several Childminders. As said before, your pond might be a bit of a problem and it will be up to you to demonstrate how you will keep children safe around the pond. You might have to make simple adjustments to your house. E.g - when my (quite tatty) house was inspected, I was told I had to replace the glass in 3 huge child height glass panes OR cover it with safety film. We chose the cheaper safety film option. You sound an ideal person to be a Childminder! The plus point about Childminding are that you can set your own hours of working and you build up fantastic relationships with the families you work with. The down side is that you constantly have your house filled with toys and equipment for your work and nowadays there is quite a bit of paperwork you need to complete on a daily basis. The best website to go to is the NCMA http://www.ncma.org.uk who will tell you everything you need to know about Childminding. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Thank you everyone for the very helpful replies. I would love to be able to make it work. I think we need to do some remedial work on the house first, but that's reassuring to know it doesn't have to be a show home. I'm not too bothered about the paperwork because I'm used to doing mountains of it anyway! I'll check out the websites. I'm looking forward to finding out more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chestnutmare Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I'm not too bothered about the paperwork because I'm used to doing mountains of it anyway! Much, much less paperwork with childminding. Far less children in your childminding 'class' and the detail of planning isn't needed. I'm a member of NCMA, it's a great organisation but talking to other childminders from the forum answered all of my questions. Good luck, keep us updated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wiggle39 Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 Hello Gertie, I've been childminding for just over 3 years now and I love it. Regarding the suitability of your home, as long as you risk assess and make everything as safe as you can you're usually ok. As some of the other ladies have mentioned the NCMA are great, especially for advice when you are thinking of starting minding. The briefing session that I attended was really informative and gives you a fair idea of what is expected. But as an Early Years teacher you will have so much knowledge that you will use anyway. I find the children are amazing, it's just the occasional parent that's a pain in the bum The paperwork is easy enough to get your head around and lots of my childminding friends and i use one of the online hosted admin systems which really takes the hassle out of the paperwork side anyway. If you'd like any further info about these PM and I'll give you more info, I'm not linked to them other than using them but I'm not sure if I'm supposed to name drop! All the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbaraJ Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 I have been minding for nearly 20 years and had chickens and a duck for 4 my duck was the only problem as i use a paddling pool for a pond. The area is fenced and gate locked. i'd doubt you could have an open pond unless you had a fenced off play area. the pros: mostly great kids, pride at their achievements, constant friends for my kids to play with when they were younger, being able to utalise the weather as we drop anything to get outside on a good day, acting like a kid with all the fun kids stuff lol, being at home for my kids was the main reason i started as i had 3 under 5. small relatives love to come here the cons, unreliable work dependant on area, some parents (though always harder work than the kids ) toys EVERYWHERE though i now have my conservatory as a playroom and i love it!!. paperwork for me can be tough sometimes. hubby can occasionly get fed up with all the 'stuff' luckily thats rare as you couldn't do this job with a hubby/partner that wasn't behind you. every childminder i know has an area they find harder so it just depends what your character is . i find i usually attract animals as i have a bit of a managerie lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Wow! Thanks again for all the info and helpful thoughts. I really appreciate it. I know there would be lots of areas I would be good at and find easy. I'm quite used to dealing with tricky parents and the social work side of the job. I will PM you wiggle 39 to find out more. The potential unreliable finance element would be something to get used to. How do you guys deal with that situation. Also, are the ofsteds as stressful as in a school situation? Think I might start risk assessing my home now...that's probably going to take years and years!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Palmer Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I'm applying to register as a childminder too. We're in the process of giving the house and garden a massive spring clean! I've worked in primary school as learning support and then got EYPS and worked in nurseries. I decided I'd prefer to do things my own way and give a better quality of care to a smaller group of children in my own home, rather than trying to spread myself over 15+ children and staff. I won't miss the endless paperwork either! The briefing meeting was great. It didn't matter how obscure or daft some of the question asked may have seemed, they were able to answer everyone's queries. Wiggle39, I wouldn't mind knowing who you use either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleTree Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 My sister-in-law is currently in the process of becoming a childminder, she was a solicitor until she had my niece about 15 months ago. She wanted to do something where she could stay home with my nephew & niece, she's planning on just having 2 or 3 kids before & after school. She started the process last year & did the 3 session course & has done the various first aid courses, I think she has also done an exam and passed. She's now working her way through writing up 12 policies she has to have in place, this bit sounds a bit of a nightmare. Once these are ok'd she then has to fill in a very lengthy application form. It seems the house inspection is the last thing that is done. It's all taking a lot longer than she expected, she was originally hoping to be up and running by February. It now looks like it'll be September. Good luck with it all, it sounds like you have experience already & will be a great childminder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks everyone. It sounds like quite a bit of paperwork re setting up but I'm lucky as I've worked in EYFS for 10 years so I have loads of policies and risk assessment formats to adapt. I'm just a but worried that if I do all the courses and fail the house inspection it will be very upsetting. Still, got time yet to do DIY. I'm also so lucky as my friend is just about to give me all her baby stuff so I will have buggy and many other bits plus all my teaching resources. Perhaps it's meant to be! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
