Parents- do you expect your CM do complete homework with your child?

I think, as well, we have to be sensitive to the parents who do want to do reading with their children.
I have worked with parents who would strongly object to me taking over what they see as an important parenting job. They want to know how their child is getting on first hand. They don't want to hear from me 2nd hand - they can get a report from the teacher.

That's what I mean when I query that parents apparently don't have time to listen to their children reading - I think that's an incredibly insulting thing to assume.

Other homework shouldn't require 1:1. If it does, there's a problem with the homework set, or the child is struggling, and the teacher should be made aware.
A private school locally is requesting signed confirmation that parents have not "helped" a child with homework. The purpose of it is to check a child's understanding, not to find out whether or not the parent or carer can remember his or her lessons!

Very much depends on the children involved. My own dc do their homework after snack time and mindee who's same age as dd does hers then too. Smaller mindee just started school and sits with the older ones and does her homework but I think that's a novelty that'll wear off pretty soon. I don't force any of them to do it, just let them get on with it tbh (and can feel a bit smug that I've taken the pressure off their parents a bit)

Two of my afterschoolers come twice a week. The youngest is in year 1. His mum asked if he could do his homework with me. Most of the time it only takes 5 minutes and he does it with great ease but there are some afternoons when he is really tired and just doesn't have the concentration to get it done. He always has a go but sometimes has to complete it with his parents when he gets home.

My ds gets his homework on a Friday to be returned on a Monday so homework is always a weekend thing for us but maybe I could incorporate it into our weekly routine as I now have a couple more afterschoolers this term and it sounds like their parents would be grateful if it could be completed before hometime.

If listening to reading, would you comment in the reading diary? I listened to mindee reading yesterday as it was only him and his sister here but I didn't feel it was my place to fill in his diary.

NickNacks as I said before; your business, your rules. You don't have to offer a service you don't want to.

I do think though, that if you wanted to you could reach a compromise with this mum. You could say 'I'll do my best, but can't promise anything'. Then if you do get 10 mins to listen to him read, great, but no worries if you're too busy.

'I cannot listen to each child read each evening as with 5 this work mean around 1 hour of the three I care for them'

To avoid this problem you could listen to each child read twice a week after school, which mean only 20 minutes. I'm sure the other schoolies and even the two babies/toddler can entertain themselves for 20 minutes. If I were the mum I would find this a good compromise, 'No I can't listen to him read everyday because of the other children needing their turn to read, but I will be able to listen to twice a week'.

Parents who have 5 kids can do it, if you don't want to, okay that's fine so long as you disclose this from the off, but it's not at all un-doable!

I think in that case it is something that you need to spell out very clearly before taking a child on to make sure it suits the parent thinking of using your services. Particularly if you are taking on younger school children.

I don't think its UR to assume a home from home routine, which many would assume will include HELP with homework! So spelling out that while you do provide quiet space for independant homework you do not do 1:1 reading etc

I still don't see why any of them have to wait, yours or mindees, as when I au-paired for a large family I would sit them all up and go around the table giving them each a bit of 1:1 in turn while the others worked on whatever, I listened to the little 'uns reading and music more intensly while cooking their post school food

It depends on the homework. I can provide quiet space for a child to work independently, I can get a child to read to everyone, I can get everyone doing something similar to the school art project, but I can't do concentrated 1:1 work when I have 5 other children to look after.

In the ideal world yes a cm should be able to do homework as they are caring for that child and tbh I find homework is better done as soon as home from school - rather then nearer 6.30 by the time they get home and have a bath etc

Obv as a nanny I supervise all homework and listen to reading and spellings

If as a cm you have lots of after school children then harder but instead of free play there needs to be homework time

I understand that some cm don't want to have the hassle of homework but I certainly don't think the mum had a nerve asking

doing homework at bedtime does not set a good routine for later years at all!
the whole point of child-minders is supposed to be a home from home set up, and at home you do not do your homework in bed!

Childminding is not just about dropping off and collecting from school or feeding children 5 times a day ..it is also teaching children from an early stage and being proud of their achievements later on.

We can see that some parents are very understanding here while others may not be.....but I don't think that parents are lazy and we should not call them that in this forum...does nothing for our professionalism

I don't think it's usual and tbh I think it's a bit of a cheek. It's easy enough to read a YR1 type book either before bed or at bedtime. i know my cminder wouldn't have time - it's pretty much all go collecting all the dc, organising tea, changing and feeding the babies. Then cleaning up after them all. I don't think she gets much time to do her own dc's reading. I'm not a cm but I think it's an unrealistic request.

Difficult one this as I see things from both sides....parents seem so busy these days they end up doing homework until 8pm and the kids must be so tired by that time....their schedules are so tight, everything has a slot, while I am organized and relaxed around my children and can multitask no end...

Some of my children have been in my care for a long time so I am interested to see how they are getting on with their reading and like to help with their maths...
I find it intriguing that sometimes they question my answers as if only parents and teachers should be the educators and know complex fractions and algebra....so we go on discussing that, I too, went to school and learnt the same...that sets the pace and on we get !!

After dinner I get about half hour before pick ups, which are staggered, so I encourage them to do their homework and read to me in the hope they will get some quality time with their parents once they get home ???

Is reading or homework part of our work?...some parents appreciate it, others don't but I think the children love reading to me and getting endless praise rather than '''hurry up' it's nearly bedtime!!!

YANBU to not want to/not be able to do it. It's your childcare business and you decide what services you want to offer.

However, I don't think it was unreasonable for the mum to ask, I don't think she's lazy and certainly don't think she's 'got a nerve' to ask.

Nannies will help with homework/reading, au pairs will help with homework/reading, afterschool clubs will often provide help with homework/reading, parents who are able to pick up their own children will do homework/reading it's very much part of the 'after school' routine. It's therefore perfectly reasonable for the mum to ask the person who deals with her child's after school routine to do this (as I said also perfectly reasonable that you can't/don't want to do it).

thebody listening to a child read is no more a 'parents job' than picking them up from school, looking after them on school holidays, giving them their tea, playing with them etc. I assume you do at least some of those things as a childminder?

Absolutely not... Wouldn't have had the time, quiet, or inclination.

Parents job.

It depends on the age of the child.

I used to look after a 10 year old who was taking a scholarship. She was focused, wanted to get on with it and I provided a quiet place for her to work (she got her scholarship, by the way).

I was getting the younger ones to sit at the kitchen table and do their homework after a parent insisted, but they hated doing it - most unfair when one has homework and the others do not. They all said they'd rather do it at home with their parents anyway.

What finally convinced me to abandon it for the younger ones was a chat with one of my teacher parents. She said the only important homework for infant children was the daily reading. The rest was not necessary and was usually set to placate the pushy parents in the class who demanded it.

"Fine," I thought, recognising that pushy parent description all too well! "If she wants her kids to have homework, she should do it with them."

So I let the 4 year old play with the others in the garden instead of struggling with her letters every night. We did games and activities that supported handwriting instead - much more fun and everyone wanted to join in.

As for the reading: parents are really too busy to listen to a child read a couple of pages? Really?!

Can I answer as a parent/cm. 4 of my own and six cm.

Some of the kids spend lots of time with me, therefore I did make time available for homework with the kids.

I found one child would do it willingly but it was a stuggle with some.

I had a situation where the mum wanted the children to do homework but they did not really want to do it. Mum insisted. To cut a long story short I decided I would not force anyone to do homwork if they did not want to do it.

Each cm differs. It depend on the schedule of the cm. A lot is expected of us. We also deal with children of varying ages.

I enjoy visiting the library and getting books for the kids. I love touch and feel books and so do the little ones. The best time for reading with them was during the school hours when the older ones were at school. After school the routine changes, I have more kids to deal with.

This is the personal choice of the cm. Some may do it some may not be able to.

I also allow the older ones to read if they wish and will mark it in their reading record.

Please take into consideration the amount of children your cm is dealing with and her daily routine.

Hi,I'm a CM and I don't do homework with children-if they are able to do it on their own then they can go ahead, but my own DD has to do hers when I'm not working so I don't think its fair for me to sit with other children and help with theirs...
.....plus,I'm too bus and its too noisy!

Helping with homework is different than listening to a young child read. As op said homework can be assisted with by sitting with several at one time and can potter between prepping dinner and keeping an eye on the younger ones. Sitting 1-2-1 doesn't come in to it as the other children need monitoring also. If people want 1-2-1 then I'm afraid they need an individual nanny.

I provide a quiet space for children to work if they need to and I will sometimes get them to 'read' to the toddlers, but an environment with a group of mixed age children from 0-9 and one adult is not suited for 1:1 time.

Can see both sides, by the time parents and DC get home, eg 6.30pm it is often too late for reading etc.

no I wouldn't do homework with the minded children

I don't call it lazy parenting either; perhaps the parents are struggling to juggle the logistics of having a school age child/work; have a heart please.

plus if you did it that way then your DCs homework would be done once the mindees leave and you could enjoy family time more

I would expect anyone looking after my child till 6pm to facilitate homework, that is part of what you are paying for! IMO after 6 is too late for homework for a child thats had a knackering day at home and doesn't set a good routine for later years!

mine get home, have drink/light snack/homework then play/dinner/play

I did it with the kids right after a light snack and drink when they got home when I was au pairing and there were blooming loads of them!

If they're all sat up at the table together then I don't see why you couldn't help the smaller ones!

I pick up 6 children from school and do their homework with them every night, i do it after snack time while its free play