To not contact this child minder again if she can't spell

[Mummyofonesofar]

I am expecting twins in March, I wanted to get in touch with a few childminders to find out what people are charging at the moment and maybe set up some viewings (haven't used one in years). I saw someone posted online recommending a childminder who has space now the poster's children were going to school and she passed me her mobile number.

I text and asked for some info about her. Got a reply and the first line is "I have bin childminding for 25 yrs".

You would think someone looking for work looking after children would bother to spell properly by text, so can only assume she thinks "bin" is the same as "been". AIBU to ignore the recommendation?

YABU autocorrect is a nightmare for stuff like this.

YABU. At least talk to her and get a feel for how well she cares for children first. You might find a childminder difficult to find for twins if they're under a year old, because of legal ratios.

Well, maybe you would think so. Or maybe you would think that her caregiving, compassion, ability to have fun with kids, etc, are more important. Unless she is going to be giving grammar lessons to your kids.

Do you think everyone is good at everything, and people who are not good with words are not good caregivers? No logic, there. Just snobbery.

OK, it's a stupid mistake - could be predictive text, could be just a bad speller, could be dyslexia...no way of knowing. However, is her spelling really an important feature? Presumably you are looking for someone to care for very young children going by your post, so she's not going to be teaching them to spell.

I have a child, am married to a childminder and help run a childcare business - and there are an awful lot of features I'd look for in someone caring for an infant before I got to their spelling abilities.

YABU. I don't think my sister would make that mistake, but it is possible as she has severe dyslexia. Otherwise she is massively qualified in childcare including a degree and many many extension courses after. She is very sought after. Spelling doesn't equal care. It doesn't equal anything really.

tbh, although it would bother me, she's a childminder, not an academic ( presumably - I don't know that of course) so I wouldn't dismiss the idea on that basis. Most of the nursery reports I've ever read have been written by people who have made multiple grammatical and spelling errors. I've just ignored it. They were wonderful at looking after my children.

You text her did you?

Many people who can't spell are able to love and care for and bring up their children perfectly well...

I'm a massive grammar snob and spelling nazi, but that wouldn't bother me one iota.

Although I don't think you should contact her again, she doesn't deserve Mrs Judgeypants as a client after that long childminding!

Yes YABU, as I say that as someone who is very fussy about language.

Your CM won't specifically be teaching your DTs to write and spell - that'll be the job of school and you.

Childminding is much more about the type of person she is, how caring she is with her charges and whether she does lots of fun and stimulating activities with them. My CMs are Polish and their written English is not perfect but I don't worry in the slightest as they are beyond brilliant and far more patient than me with my DSs.

Spelling is the very last thing I'd be worried about with an infant's childminder.

mintyy

yanbu. It's not professional, at best it's lazy, at worst she can't spell the simplest of words. Either way I wouldn't be interested in her services.

YABU. She's a child minder, not a teacher.

I thought I was being precious - needed confirmation! I will take off my judgeypants now

Errr I think it might be better if you let your DP sort out the child minder really.

I mean since you clearly have your priorities wrong.

Does she have childminding qualifications? My aunt's only qualification is that she queezed out 2 kids, she's been doing it for 30 years+.

I'd overlook it unless you expect her to do homework with your kids.

*squeezed!

I am also a pedant and grammar obsessive, and get quite aeriated about errors in official documents and preprinted shop signs

This really wouldn't bother me. I assume she has a regional accent in which been is pronounced as bin, and rushed off a quick text in between doing some vital child-related activities. I know several dedicated caring young women training to go into childcare who couldn't spell to save their lives but are studying at college to become childcare professionals, and they're going to be a fuck of a lot better at it than I would be, for all my ability to spell "been"

But I would say childminders are supposed to teach. They are early years teachers if the continue to care for children up until school age. Early years would teach letter recognition, sounds work and writing their name - and more if they can.

mintyy I was thinking the same thing.

Nah. What you need is someone with perfect spelling and grammar skills. How well they care for their charges is of secondary importance.

it would bother me. I decided not to use a particular after school club because of the atrocious spelling and also their blog which was very negative about working mothers.

Mummy I don't think you can technically consider them early years teachers can you? Surely CMs are caregivers, not teachers? Even at pre-school nursery they don't teach writing, only encourage kids who show an interest.