Does this sound like an OK day for a nearly two year old?

my just 2yr old does breakfast and play, playgroup type thing, home for lunch, nap, school run (term time), tea and play and I collect at 4.30pm

old childminder (from 9mths-19mths) used to be breakfast, tv, school run (term time), sometimes park/sometimes (almost always) shop/her doc appointment/home to play in playroom, lunch, nap, school run, home for tea/play and tv - not totally great but ok but new one is much better

I think you've done the right thing here, for sure. I wouldn't have been happy with that, either.

It just highlights how difficult it is to find quality childcare. I've met some truly awful potential childminders - filthy houses, no rapport with children, etc.

It's the lack of choices for parents that keeps these people in business. A good childminder is like gold-dust

I don't think you should pay the notice period - it's gross misconduct (or whatever the equivalent is when you're using a service). I doubt she's going to chase it - she won't want you reporting her to OFSTED which you rightfully could (should?) do.

MN don't generally delete threads unless there's loads of identifying details. I'd let it stand - I don't think it's remotely identifying and it serves as a salutary reminder to both CMs and parents choosing childcare.

I'm a childminder and whilst we don't have a hugely structured day it usually includes some of the following:

'helping' prepare food (in the way only toddlers can!!)
messy play activity (paint, craft, baking, playdough, moddeling clay etc)
toddler group / softplay / music group / gym class / dance class depending on the day
Playground and play dates
free play time
story time
song time
walk in woods / to community garden to do some gardening

Basically, apart from naps which they usually don't co-ordinate, my day is completely child focused. That's what i'm paid to do.

Yes I chuck a load of washing in and sort the dishwasher. Do the chores that are absolutely necessary (wipe worktops after food prep kind of thing) I'm not paid to watch telly and do my shopping. I certainly would never leave children in the care of someone else unless they were my assistant.

I would be having a serious chat with her and considering my options if I were you.

If you're still in such early days then I would expect her to still be trying to make more of an effort. For me, watching soaps (any sort of adult tv) would be completely out. We don't watch tv at all but if we did it would definitely be children's tv, not adult. I think it's completely inappropriate, tbh. And leaving them with her daughter is absolutely out of the question. I would move your children now.

Bugger the meeting, just move her and report to Ofsted for the breach of registration.

The daughter isn't old enough at 17 to be an assistant, they need to be 18 and have paediatric first aid and must have parental permission, a cm local to me was regularly leaving her 17 year old with 2 or 3 children while she went to school and she had a visit from ofsted not sure of the outcome.

Argh bloody phone that should be 'strongly suggest'

If you are still in the first 4 weeks of your contract you may well have a get out clause ie no notice on either side and i would stringly duggest you use it. I don't watch soaps when looking after my own kids let alone when I'm being paid to care for someone else's and if she's doing all the things you say in the first few weeks this can only get worse. Get out now & if her daughter isn't an assistant with paediatric first aid then I would also report her to Ofsted.

Definitely shouldn't leave them with her daughter, even for 10 mins.

The rest of the schedule, it depends how it averages out over the week or two, as someone else said. I'd expect them to be coming home with lots of drawings, or sticky decorated biscuits etc, not a summary of the plot of Neighbours.

Maybe say that nursery are doing something on the EYF and you wondered how what she is doing with DD2 fits it?

Watching soaps every day?! What kind of soap is your CM letting your DD watch? I feel guilty letting my 3yr old watching too much t.v after lunch while I catch up with jobs - but I'm catching up with cleaning the kitchen/dishes while I have it on in the background and he's watching Cbeebies.

She can't do a supermarket shop every morning - what else does she do in the mornings?

the fact that she left your DDs with her DD means you should end this arrangement.

A 'home enviornment' is only worth it if it's a good home environment - I don't know any SAHMs who watch soaps in the day with their own DCs, let alone the childminders who are being paid for their time. This doesn't sound like a woman who is treating caring for your children as a job. She's not doing you a favour keeping an eye on your kids, she's being paid to do a job, she's not doing it.

You need to either find another childminder or look at nurseries.

I never realised that my CM watched TV a lot until I was no longer working FT and if I was channel-hopping, my DS would say 'that was one of X's favourite programmes'

I suspect she watched a lot of telly.

I don't think you can take one day in isolation - over a week though - do your DDs go out? To playgroups, to the park, etc? Is the food good?

Does she really take them to the supermarket every single day??

She left a child with her daughter?! No, not on!

I'm a cm and the general day here is

Breakfast
School run
Toddler group/soft play/park/messy play at home/library
Lunch
Sleep
School run
Free play/garden play
Tea

The tv is rarely on unless I need 5 mins to put Lunch on. I never do a full shop with mindees. I plan specific activities to encourage their development in all areas of the EYFS. I am always with my mindees, occasionally a named person (parents have signed permission form for this) watches mindee If I need toilet etc but I am always in same building and never for longer than few minutes.
To leave mindees with anyone else without prior permission or full crb checks for that person is actually against ofsted guidance.

Here's the killer... When dh and I arrived slightly early to pick up today the cm's 17 year old was with the children because cm had popped out for 10 mins (I assume) to pick up her other dd from work.

She's not allowed to do this - she is breaching the terms of her Ofsted regulation in doing so. She may only be out for 10mins but what if a child had an accident in the time she is away.

If you have a good relationship on the whole you need to find a way to raise it eg say you're worried DD2 is bored.
Could you suggest any groups or activities locally that DD2 would enjoy (not your job really but if she's not doing it herself..) and see if she will agree to take her?

WHY don't you want to change childminders if you're absolutely sure this is what's going on? It sounds like you and your DD1 are happy because you don't know what else is out there. Take a look around, there could be a childminder with spaces available who you'll love even more. I have a 2 year old tomorrow (along with my own 2 year old) and our day will be: school drop off, lots of free play (with me on the floor playing with them, reading to them), decorating homemade biscuits, blackberrying, playing in the garden. Lunch will be homemade soup. TV is never on in the day in this house when mindees are here. I would only ever pop to the shop if it were one or 2 items I need.