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Original poster

Would you be happy if childminder started home schooling whilst minding?

36 replies

doingitalllagain · 08/08/2022 10:23

Childminder home schooled her autistic son during covid and found he thrived at home as opposed to struggling in school so has decided to keep him being home schooled. Obviously after the pandemic her minded kids went back to her and she continued to home school. She would do Instagram stories showing activities she’s laid out for the minded kids and then pan over to her sons school work. We were already having some difficulties, my son was unhappy there, so we pulled him out and put him in nursery, but it was the nail in the coffin as I did worry that if doing both of course her sons education would take priority and I imagined the minded kids were going to lose atleast some of her time and attention and activities/trips out they were doing. I had forgotten about it to be honest but saw her tagged in a post by her husband saying that she’s superwoman juggling 8 hours a day of childminding and home school and how well their son is doing. I just wandered if I other people would be happy with such a change if your kids were with a childminder who decided to do this?

OP posts:

InDubiousBattle · 08/08/2022 10:28

I can't imagine anyone would be happy with this tbh.

HoneyFlowers · 08/08/2022 10:34

Absolutely not. Your child should be getting full attention.

RudsyFarmer · 08/08/2022 10:36

God I couldn’t multi task at all when my children were hole schooled during the pandemic. I can’t see how she is managing this and doing it well.

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RudsyFarmer · 08/08/2022 10:36

*home

BeetyAxe · 08/08/2022 10:51

No absolutely wouldn’t be happy about this. Obviously her child will need the attention and your child will miss out.

Icedbannoffee · 08/08/2022 10:52

Absolutely not in a million years! I'm sure ofsted wouldn't view positively on it either.

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 08/08/2022 10:52

I think I'd potentially be OK with this.

Childminding is supposed to be a home like so, to an extent, your kid will be fitting in around whatever else is happening. For example, its normal to take the pre schoolers along to school picks ups.

Most home educators don't spend the whole day on formal work. They might do an hour or two in the morning and something more fun in the afternoon.
I'd be happy for my kid to play with toys or do a quiet activity while the bigger ones were doing school work so long as it didnt dominate the entire day.

I think your ex childminder is missing a trick though. Theres a massive shortage of suitable child care for home educated children. If she focused herself there she would find herself in demand.

Sirzy · 08/08/2022 10:53

I don’t see how she can give full attention to either role in this situation without the other parent also being there to do the schooling side.

Beees · 08/08/2022 11:06

I'm surprised she has any charges left to be honest. Most parents would be cautious of a childminder having their own child as a charge due to potential favouritism let alone having an older child with additional needs at home supposedly being home schooled whilst she is also looking after charges.

I can't see how she can do both roles effectively without one being given less importance and realistically that role isn't going to be the home schooling, it's going to be her childminding role.

I wouldn't have left my DS in that environment. I can't imagine she plans her days around the interests of the children she is caring for surely they are planned around her own child? I also can't see how the needs of all the children would be met properly in such a set up.

Coughee · 08/08/2022 11:12

I'm a former childminder and I don't see it as any different to the school holidays really where you're balancing the needs of a range of children of different ages. Its hard work but it's doable. If you're homeschooling then that doesn't have to take place Monday to Friday during work or school hours either. So if you need to focus closely on a home school activity you would just plan it for the weekends or evenings.

I mean you even give the example from her insta story where she'd set up activities for both so it's not like she was showing her son engrossed in an activity with the charges sat in front of the TV behind him is it?

IdasFlowers · 08/08/2022 12:05

No I wouldn't.

JustLyra · 08/08/2022 14:02

I think it entirely depends on the childminder. We had one childminder over the years that absolutely could do that. She was an absolute whizz at catering for the children’s different ages, abilities and interests.

Moonface123 · 08/08/2022 14:14

l would think it would be quite educating for the other children to see a different way of learning/ studying, most kids that are home schooled tend not to study for more than 3 hours a day, but then maybe study over the weekends and school holidays instead.

PuttingDownRoots · 08/08/2022 14:17

If it meant that she wasn't able to take the little ones to toddler appropriate activities, then yes it would be a problem.

However an older child who could be left for a couple of hours would be different

Whinge · 08/08/2022 14:22

How old is the childminder's son?

mumto2teenagers · 08/08/2022 14:24

I think it depends on the childminder. You said your child wasn't happy there, if he had been happy there would you still had an issue with her son being home schooled.

Surely her own child needs to be included in her ratio, so I don't really see any difference between that and her having another minded child of school age. Home schooling can be done at any time and there will be times when her child is completing work without too much input, so as long as the childminder is organised and fair I wouldn't have an issue.

Someone mentioned favouritism, when I was growing up my Mum was a childminder, my sister and I were not treated any differently to the other children while they were in the house. We were school age when she became a childminder so were old enough to understand we would be treated the same as the other children when they were in the house. We had rules for when the children were there and different rules for when they were not, for example use of the TV was more relaxed when Mum was not childminding.

ClocksGoingBackwards · 08/08/2022 14:25

No I wouldn’t be happy about it. She can’t possibly be giving either job her full attention, and naturally she’s going to be more invested in her own son’s education than she is her mindees.

I wonder if she tells new prospective parents that she childminds at the same time as homeschooling.

PineappleWilson · 08/08/2022 14:26

I'd agree with PuttingDownRoots; if she's not going to library reading rhyme time or toddler groups because she needs to prioritise her son, I'd say that's an issue, but CMs much have done this over lockdown when they had key workers' children and their own kids at home.

NumericalBlock · 08/08/2022 14:31

Lots of childminders home educate. It sounds like she's trying to actually replicate school at home whilst also managing her mindees, which is the bit I wouldn't be happy with. I'd be more than happy with the home educated children being a part of the usual childminding day though.

NumericalBlock · 08/08/2022 14:34

Beees · 08/08/2022 11:06

I can't see how she can do both roles effectively without one being given less importance and realistically that role isn't going to be the home schooling, it's going to be her childminding role.

My Mum childminded. My 2 sisters and I were treated the same as any other child when they were there. Our bedrooms were our personal space and the mindees weren't allowed in without being invited by us, but we usually played downstairs with them all. I purposely chose minders with children as I know that mine would be in a family environment. I'm sure that the majority of minders have children anyway?!

Notanotherwindow · 08/08/2022 14:36

I'd be fucking thrilled because God knows I can't get them to do their bloody homework. If they join in with anything educational I consider it a win.

Beees · 08/08/2022 14:37

When you say you were school age do you mean you were at school? I think having the minders children there sometimes e.g after school or in the holidays is vastly different to them being there all the time. Surley in the latter situation the younger children won't be doing groups, activities targeted at their age etc as the childminder will always have the older child to consider. In that situation I don't think many parents would be best pleased.

Surely one of the major benefits of a childminder is they tailor their activities more to their charges and in this situation that wouldn't happen as the older child would have to be considered first and foremost.

Bottlesandjars · 08/08/2022 14:40

Sirzy · 08/08/2022 10:53

I don’t see how she can give full attention to either role in this situation without the other parent also being there to do the schooling side.

Depending on her numbers of children she may be able to . I home educated my 13 year old and I have other dc as well and everyone’s needs are met and more ! It’s perfectly doable in family life so I’m sure for a childminder it would be the same ?

daffodilandtulip · 08/08/2022 14:58

I'm a childminder. I homeschooled my two plus two mindees, plus two keyworker babies, during lockdown ... and it absolutely killed me. I can't imagine doing it out of choice.

DorisWallis · 08/08/2022 15:01

No, I wouldn't be happy
She's changed the goal posts

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