Question re providing early years education/vouchers

[Greedygirl]

Hi

I am meeting a new potential CM tomorrow. My little boy is 3 at the end of Nov so gets his free nursery education in Jan 11.

My new potential CM is not registered to provide education but hopes to be registered by Easter. Only just found this out so wondering what the process is for registering to provide early years education and if it takes long? Do you think it could be rushed through quicker (assuming she is up for this)?

I am a bit confused by some of the different info I have read about education vouchers. I know my CM has to be registered. If I find a CM who is registered could I use the 15 hours over 2 days? I read somewhere you could only use 2 sessions a day totalling 5 hours. Is this correct? I guess this would mean just paying for 2.5 hours a day during term?

Thanks in anticipation of your expertise! I am a teacher and like to think I am fairly intelligent but my brain seems to take a holiday everytime I try to get my head round this!

Possibly not.

Assuming they have the required qualifications many las have further requirements and limitations linked to being part of an accredited network. Childminders registered for education are very much the minority.

In our area (each council is different) you need to have had a 'good' OFSTED then you work through quality standards providing evidence.

It took me (Outstanding) about 4 months of hard slog plus I had about 12 visits from in my network co-ordinator (this was in addition to already being a 'network' childminder - which took 6 months to complete then 6 weekly visits to maintain)

So it's possible, I guess

Again our council you can use 15hr over 3 days, 12.5 over 2 & 9 in one

Oh really? Damn. I just assumed, as my current CM is registered, it was fairly common.

Oh & you must have a level 3 too

You can use the 15 hours over a minimum of 2.5 days.

The rate the childminder receives from the la may be less than the hourly rate they charge you- it may be more. That is one reason why less register.

As well as ofsted registration you need to meet the la criteria to be on the list of funded providers. This is not automatic and will have quality criteria built in. Usually the network is funded and the childminder has to meet the requirements of the network. Places on the network are limited- often one in and one out.

OK, thanks that it very useful! But I am a bit gutted as thought I had found the perfect CM on my doorstep - grrrrrr!

I am a registered CM and jumped through all the hoops to be allowed to provide government funded places, only to find i could end up significantly worse off, so i have decided not to offer this service. Don't bank on getting the funding with someone who is not already providing it. The government have unfortunately made it very hard for childminders to provide.

Yep I get paid in arrears, have to fill in loads of extra paperwork & so do the parents & the actual claim is time wasting and pathetic

I only do it for children I have had a while - it's not cost effective

Oh balls ! I was really counting on having some extra income coe January and just made some assumptions based on my current childcare provision. Ah well. Back to the drawing board. Completely agree that the government seem to make things unnecessarily difficult for all concerned. I don't want to put my child in a private day nursery. Pre-schools are not geared up for working parents. They should definitely support CMs more!!

katymac, i wanted to do it just for existing mindees and i have been told i can't?

Well do you have space for others?

I never seem to

Another question if you don't mind? Another potential CM has told me that she has to be seen by Ofsted, then wait for her CRB to come through. I thought it would be the other way around as Ofsted would be wasting their time if anything dodgy did come up?

P.S. Thanks again by the way for letting me pick your brains, it is greatly appreciated even though I am now very naffed off at my situation!!

No makes sense they apply for the visit & the CRB at the same time - so it will happen either way round

OK so perhaps she is assuming CRB will take longer than Ofsted. Cool. That makes sense.

ofsted will finalise her registration when they are happy with her crb. I would be surprised if she can use 3 yr old funding as soon as she registers, because she would have to be part of an accredited network to do so. Sorry for asking questions on your thread by the way (katymac - i was told as soon as i have a full day space someone can take a few funded hours and take up the whole space and i can't turn them away).

Crb will take only a few days usually. 2 weeks is longest I have known- I have 7 current crbs!

I wouldn't get into an argument - just say that in the best interests of the children you don't wish to destabilise the social equilibrium

Simba ours take 6-12 weeks

Thanks katymac.

My DH's crb took 4 months, because it sat in someone's in tray at the police station. I think it's supposed to be max 12 wks.

I call 3 days after posting it in. They dig it out of post and process it.

Agree the CRB takes around 3 months on average. I also was interested in setting up to provide this until I found out I'd be worse off and I decided there was no way I was putting in so much extra work for LESS pay so I didn't bother in the end!

I see you say education/vouchers, were you purely asking about the 15 hours funding? Just asking as a registered childminder can accept payment by voucher schemes which works out cheaper for the parent but this is different to the education funding.

Cheers everyone.

I know CRBs can be a nightmare as I have to send students on health and social care placements and they seem to take anything from 2 weeks to a year! But that is Humberside and think it has the worst response time.

Loony - yes I currently use the tax free vouchers which are fantastic.

HSMM - thanks for the heads up re one of my potential CMs unlikely to use the 3 year old funding straight away. It's a minefield!

We have moved on to the single are formula & I get 120% ish of my normal fee - which helps with all the extra work involved

Well I am thoroughly fed up today and no further forward. Seriously considering seeing what availability the local nurseries have. Moan over! I have contacted one of my new potential CMs to ask again if they will be accredited - they didn't seem to think it will be a prob but they need to check with their co-ordinator. I didn't want to say that you all think it is highly unlikely . I frequently have to reframe advice I have recieved on Mnet "I heard somewhere...!"

All the childminders I know would have to work at a loss to provide the EYFS funded sessions. My previous CM does but her parents make voluntary donations towards trips out etc otherwise it's not worth her while, she only does it as a favour to us.