To be put off using childminders because of the ones at toddler group?

[Strawberrypeachlime]

They actually seem like lovely women but they don’t watch the kids at all because they are chatting amongst themselves. Am I being unfair / unreasonable? I get it must be a really tough job but I would just want a bit more.

They’ll be using them when they get to school though. Even in infants. So in today’s world that skill is just as useful as pen and paper.

Fair enough, I’m not really familiar with primary education.

So in today’s world that skill is just as useful as pen and paper.

Respectfully, I disagree that using an iPad (to toddler proficiency) is a skill as useful as writing.

It's the amount of children, few women have four toddlers. I would worry about whether she'd be able to keep my child safe. I felt much better about putting my kids in nursery. It was a lovely nursery with a big garden and they had a lot of fun.

Also, the childminder is doing it to earn money. So they will have a mix of kids from different schools. So a 2/3 year old will walk to take them to various schools then walk back. Then might walk up at lunchtime to collect someone from nursery who does half days. Then walks back up at 3 to get the various after school kids from local schools, might be different ones who got dropped off earlier. So they can be trudging about nearly all day in all weathers.
It just looks awful for them.

Absolutely fine to disagree. Can I ask why you disagree?

if I think of the ratio of using paper to pen to screens in my life it is heavily skewed towards using tech.

The childminders I’ve met have only taken children from one school as they can’t possibly be there at pick up and drop off for multiple schools.

It's funny how we have different perceptions I would think all that walking was good for them, helped them build stamina. Humans are meant to be active, what would you have them do instead ? Also logistically challenging to do more than one school pick up I would think.

But my little one (which is who I'm talking about in regards to my concerns) was around 5 months old at the time of the 3 year old hurting her. She wouldn't have ever been in a 2:16 ratio, she'd have been cared for in a 1:3 ratio in a nursery at that age. So yes, I believe that my child (who are talking about), would have been better watched in a nursery setting at that age.

I volunteer to run a stay and play toddler group. We don’t allow childminders anymore as they caused so many problems we advised them to start their own group

There are some great childminders out there - one of my friends uses one who is absolutely amazing. But I think the problem with some of them is that they basically want to be SAHMs to their own children, but can’t afford not to work at all, so they hit on childminding as a solution. They don’t do it because they like children and have a desire to work in childcare. I’ve heard some at our local toddler group slagging off working mums!

My mum was a childminder and this was her reason for choosing it as a job. I think it’s a very common reason to do it I’ve heard others say the same

Where i live the local primaries all stagger their finishing times due to traffic chaos when they all came out at once.

That's just your friend.

If the CM I used didn't like doing her job then she wouldn't do it. Her youngest child is in his early 20s.

It's the same as a few of the older staff at my DD's former nursery. Their children were in their 20s and 30s. The younger staff didn't have any children but were over 21.

Where I live the CMs only collect from one school except in the one place as the two schools are literally next door to each other.

They walk to the schools due to parking enforcement.

I've only ever seen one childminder regularly out and about who I would have used - she had amazing control and care over the children. The rest of the childminders all seem to put more independence on the kids that mine wouldn't be able to meet. A nursery environment was much more suitable.

There are obviously some amazing childminders and I've had friends who've had great success but their children appear to be the type who would thrive in any environment.

That's just your friend.

If the CM I used didn't like doing her job then she wouldn't do it. Her youngest child is in his early 20s.

Eh? I said my friend uses one who is amazing. And yes, as it happens, she is one who has grown-up children.

But it’s also very common to do it as a second-best option to being a SAHM, and I wouldn’t want that for my child.

Writing is important for literacy obviously, including reading and language acquisition. The process of writing also helps motor development. Sure, lots of jobs are tech heavy. My husband works in tech (albeit the finance side) as a director but he is an excellent communicator through non-literary writing, even if he may not be able to write a novel or a descriptive short story very well. His schooling taught him this (as well as his parents). He picked up his knowledge of tech as an adult. He mostly works from home nowadays, as do his colleagues, so the increasingly remote, virtual nature of many jobs now means it’s more important. Of course it’s good if kids pick up skills in ICT as part of their education but they do. Our curriculum has coding like Python in addition to the usual Excel skills etc.

Completely this as well. They appear to spend their whole day doing everyone else's school runs.

What I always noticed when walking around was that the group of kids with CM often had open coats, no gloves, runny noses. That was the turn off for me.

We all see these childminders out and about and they all give the rest of us a bad name.

It depends on your perception and also what works for your family. My older two went to nursery for 2 mornings a week. Dh and I discussed childminders but he thought they would be better in a setting with kids their own age.

In hindsight I think mg son would have done better with a childminder, in particular one of rhe ones I met at a toddler group, she's firm but very affectionate with the kids she cares for. Yes she talks to other parents and childminders but she is always aware of where her charges are and never has more than 2 toddlers at a time. I know of another that has to do school runs ar two schools and always seems in a rush but again is super affectionate with the kids in her care and does things like wiping kids noses without a second thought. At nursery I have seen keyworkers who are affectionate and warm with kids and some who quite frankly are only interested in themselves. There is good and bad everywhere. A post like this would always make people defensive because it feels or comes across as you are judging the childcare choices they make for their child.

Do what's right for your family.

I do not understand the use of iPads in nurseries. I saw this when I toured a couple of settings and it put me off. No child of nursery age needs to learn how to use one? The emphasis should 100% be on using the tools for later development with reading and writing skills - so books, paint brushes, pencils etc. It was another reason I preferred our CM as she made it clear that digital devices were not used/permitted for any mindee. She was a bit old school really which I came to appreciate.

How do you know they are CMs. Kids can play on their own you know, everyone is so helicopter nowadays,.

I am so glad my DC went to a childminder - she was wonderful and it gave DC a great start. I feel so grateful that she was available. DC went to a nursery at 3, and it was nothing like as good a setting.