CM Numbers continue to fall

Well I am joining the statistics too!

Childminding got too much for me to juggle, my books were full when i cut my hours but all I discovered was I couldn't manage FTn cm'ing plus out of hours work, and I can't afford to cm part time. So I am off to work in a lovely nursery instead.

I am so fed up of people not realising / respecting that CMs do the same work as any other child care provider - but not only that they do it all on their own, in their own time.

Now I have made the decision I cant wait! Can completely clear my house, and redecorate (had one mindee smear my walls with paint, another ripped all myposters off the walls ripping the paper). I am looking forward to having my house back and o is the rest of my family.

after yesterday's inspection, there's one more to add to the list - me

well now i am on top of everything and have done all the training i must say i am not spending as much time as i was on paperwork. i love this job and if all this legislation and eyfs lets people know we are more professional they go for it. i just dont let it all stress me out anymore and in the evening and a weekends my time is my time.

totally agree with you nomorarover.
We obviously need to stick up for ourselves as any professional would but I am with you on the teaching, my sister is one and she works ridiculous hours.
I can at least be home based for my kids and, if sometimes I cant put them first, at least I am here with them. lots of up sides to CMing. just hope ther are the parents who want to use us in the future because I do love the job and love being at home.

thebody - I'm with you - I've already told the inspector what I am expecting for my inspection after the number of hours I put in to the job!

The crucial point others have made on here imo is the increasing number of breakfast clubs and wrap around care that schools and nurseries are providing at a cost much les than I can afford on account of their much more generous ratios.......

I'm not advocating an increase in numbers mind you - I can only just manage the ones I have!

But like you guys I am knackered - seriously....

BUT those thinking of going into teaching - unless you can get into your local school don't bother - you'll never get childcare that starts early enough for you to get to school!! I am already qualified teacher and now have children of my own - impossible to manage teaching and motherhood - you think CMing is bad...teaching still alot worse!

agree with lots of this, I have risk assessments and policies, daily diaries and do 3 month obs.
I am waiting for my Ofsted inspection, I am good and will kick up a bloody stink until I get a good.
We dont have to roll over you know, its not all one way and I will ask the inspector as many questions as he or she will ask me, for instance in the official bumf it states that cms do not need written policies, I have them so that should be a plus to me.
After all, I work for the parents and not the government, as I pointed out to the Ofsted official who first assessed me I charge almost as much as the local nursery so I am picked because parents want the home based care, and the one to one interaction for their children.

I'm a new childminder and registered in Jan 09 and i'm still putting the finishing touches to my house and my policies. As for menu planners i'm going to base it on what my mindees enjoy and introduce more veg and fruit and see if they would like to try new things.
I'm going to encourage the children to grow their own food in our veg plot so they can maybe enjoy it more?
As for planning i'm doing the basics based on the religious festivals and seasons.
Anything else will be child lead.
Scrapbooks for each child (one item a week) at the most, photos.
Observations, they say do a planned one once a month and record WOW! moments as they occur.
The biggest pain is the risk assesments but once they are written you just need to check it and date everytime its been reviewed.
The account side of it i've not even got into yet.
As although they say there are less childminders around i think its NOT to do with EYFS, its mainly because of after school clubs, breakfast clubs, sure start centers and parents staying at home.
There just aren't that many children around Not here anyway!

Totally agree. Kids go home at 6-6.30pm, i clean and tidy ready for the next day, put kids to bed, collapse in a heap and then remember I need to eat so have dinner then collapse again - have tried and tried to do paperwork in the evenings but I'm far too exhausted after a very energetic day with all the kiddies! Soooo, weekends is when it's all done usually

And don't start me on that bloody SEF!!! DON'T do it online!!! lol

Oh, and the parents all rolled their eyes when I gave the new handbook with MANY more policies to read and all the new permission forms. Sh*t, forgot to get them to sign to say I can wipe their kids noses.....must do that this weekend!!!

After a 50 hr week I'm not sure I have the energy to do any work after DD goes to bed at 8

I generally collapse on the floor & whimper

BTW, fellow cms- is there anything I missed out above (ahead of impending OFSTED inspection!)

By the time your own children are in bed, you're too knackered to do the paperwork!!

When I started minding 3 years ago, I had a file with contracts, child record forms and permission slips for each child I looked after.I decided (ahead of EYFS!) to do daily diaries but only 1 parent wanted to do it.

I had about 8 policies and procedures. I was inspected 6 wks after I started and got a 'Good' grading which I was thrilled about.

NOW, for each child I have:

Personal file with contracts, child record forms, permission slips (numerous!), confirmation parents received and read HUGE file containing current policies and procedures

Daily diaries

Observation and assessment file, containing ondividual play plans (even though eyfs isn't supposed to be about 'planning' any more!

'All About Me' Scrap books containing their 'work' and photographs

On top of this I have:

The aforementioned file (currently 3ins thick!)containing policies and procedures to show how I meet all of the Welfare Requirements of EYFS (which has to be updated everytime 'they' decide to change the 'rules'!)

Parents Information file

EYFS Information for Parents file

Observation and Planning Information for Parents file

Risk Assessment File covering all types of outings as well as my home (must remember to risk assess my kittens before Ofsted come next week!)

Then of course, there are the attendance registers, accident and medical records, menu planning, accounts etc, etc .......... Oh, forgot all of the training courses which we have to attend (in our own time), which are usually in the evenings and weekends - taking me away from my family again

At the moment I work about 15 hrs a week but often spend longer than that on the 'business' side of it - and yes, that does mean sitting my ds in front of cbeebies after he's finished nursery! He's happy enough, but I became a cm to spend time at home with him, not do paperwork! In the past week, I've also spent hours filling out the SEF onine - all unpaid!

This is why lots of bl**dy good cms out there are giving up - many of them after lots of years spent caring for dozens of children.

I've (somehow ) found the time to pass my DHC and also the NVQ3 available to us, but it isn't helping me now to fill my places when I am competing with free breakfast clubs (run by the LEA!) and greatly reduced (subsidised!) wrap around nursery care . Mu earnings this year are down by about 30% - and I'm not the only one in my area.

When my ds starts school in September, I'll be another 'statistic' as I can't afford to continue as a cm - I too am looking at taking what I've learned through training and experience in to the formal teaching environment.

Sorry for the rant - but fellow cms out there will (hopefully!) understand. Feel much better now - heading for the fridge

I'm not a childminder, but am thinking of using one and interested in the new laws etc around becoming one.

Not sure why you would have to neglect your own children..surely your paperwork etc should be done when children are in bed ?

ALso I think getting qualified works in your favour, showing you're more dedicated to the role ?

Well that is connected to the issue that if cm were employed they would be entitled to childcare support for their children, and they don't even get a tax rebate as their children effectively block a space

KatyMac - thats why it is sooo important that I am the best

Looneytune - I know exactly what you mean, I am sat here thinking about planning and what I need to do instead of taking dd out and I must say I dont have many mindees so may feel completely differently when i hopefully get busier, my only point was that, certainly for me, this is a much better option than any other job i looked at, and I think I now having the paperwork under control so that it doesnt take long on a daily basis.

I know what you're saying SMM but I was self employed with lots of paperwork before EYFS, it's just that the amount has increased SO MUCH that my own children are suffering because I now spend a lot of time at weekends doing stuff so they don't get ANY quality time with me quite often (although I'm working at changing that now my inspection is out of the way, I can't carry on like this!). Yes, I'm there with my children BUT they are in the background whilst I'm sorting all the other children out so in a way, I actually think it would be better (for me anyway) to do a different job that still enables me to be there for my children but where I actually get to switch off and spend time with them at weekends! That's the plan anyway. Plus as much as I love it, my 2 kids are squashed in a small bedroom as the other room is a naptime room for the mindees. It would be nice if they could have their own rooms.

SMM - that is a bad thing - it's called competition

looking in my area the number of childminders has steadily increased over the past 3 years

will probably get shot down for this but to just get a satisfactory grading, cant alot of the paperwork be forgotten?

My honest personal opinion is that yes, there does seem to be a fair amount of paperwork, but as a self employed business person there always will be. Its sad that people are leaving a profession they love but in my case for example, my dh works so many hours that if my dd went into full time childcare, she would only see one of her parents for an hour or so a day, so the fact that I can (try to) earn a wage whilst being at home to care for her is an absolute godsend, regardless of how hard I have to work due to eyfs reg

Thanks Arfa

In my area we are at about Mar 03 levels which is when I started (& I would agree with that tbh)

I will look at it in more detail after I have finished my ou work

This doesn't surprise me, I've heard of loads stopping, it's such a shame! I personally am looking into teaching (say reception aged children) in the long term. I love my job but now the paperwork is getting more equal to what teachers have to do, I may as well look into that and get my home back!! I can't imagine the paperwork could be any harder to fit in as the hours are shorter so the rest of the day could be spent on paperwork plus you have the school holidays whereas atm, I'm fighting to do it in the evenings and weekends as that's the only chance to sort it (oh, apart from using my week off recently of course!!). I do love my job but the paperwork is spoiling it and the parents think it's all crazy!

Arfa - can you link to the figures - I can't find them