Wish childminders could just mind children.

[Kendodd]

Why are childminders so regulated these days? I wish they could just look after children like a normal parent would. I don't want them doing observations on my children. I just want them bumping round the house playing while the childminder just got on with things. Playing/reading etc to them when they have time, not at the child's beckon call. Taking them to the supermarket with them, hanging the washing up doing normal things a parent would do, not a cross between a red coat and a teacher. Making sure they are always there when a child needs them, not every time a child wants them.

This sort of child minder doesn't seem to exist any more. Why not? If I wanted a nursery I would send them to a nursery.

A nanny can/does all do this but it costs more.

I think there are a few around tbh but OFSTED have made it very tricky for them I think.

I'm a childminder and I wish I could just look after the children without worrying about the paperwork side BUT otoh I do see how in time we will be respected a bit more than we currently are because it will be seen as a profession rather than people thinking we are just doing it to stay at home and earn a bit of pocket money plus now I have put simple systems in place it isn't actually as much hard work as it was first made out to be, although I would be happier if we could write less down because we are only writing it down for the benefit of OFSTED who come out every 3 yrs, it is not for the childs benefit imo because when you work with a small group of children you get to know them really well and without needing anything written down you know instinctively what comes next but I write it down anyway!

There is nothing wrong with providing stimulation, learning opportunities, building on something a child is really interested in etc you can do it in a very relaxed manner, it doesn't have to be in a structured way, children learn though play if you provide enough different things for them to play with, show interest, praise them, answer questions - all things parents do without realising imo. I personally am not at each individual childs beck and call because I am not a nanny looking after one child I have a variety of ages and a number of children so I need to ensure all children are treated fairly and equally so can't give 100% attention to every child, they have to share my time which I do think I manage to do very well and was actually graded outstanding in that aspect in my most recent inspection.

If you would like a childminder that is willing to do less obs and activities then visit quite a few and make your views known, it may be that they are relieved they can agree with you and are happy to work with you, if you don't ask you don't get as my mum always used to tell me.

Absolutelty, I completely agree. I take mindee to one play group or pop in a day (that is for my sanity as well as his enjoyment) and then we spend the rest of the day doing 'normal' things, school run and shopping or a play date at one of my friend's houses. At home I potter around and mindee has access to loads of toys that I rotate to keep his interest. But I am new, this is only week 10 for me and while I do a daily diary for him, and for my part time mindee, and I do observations and try to do eyfs, I am worried how our routine will be viewed by ofsted when i have my first inspection.

Why should i feel like i am failing if i don't have activities planned for every second of the day?

What a good description! A Redcoat! That's exactly why I am no longer a childminder. I loved all my mindees and I believe they and their families love them being here. Never had an outstanding from Ofsted, but always got an outstanding from parents and kids! I never went without work for over 10 years and I didn't advertise once, so I must have been doing something right,

Sadly, Ofsted said I wasn't doing enough observations and organised play and didn't have rules and regs on the wall and clean towels for each child and menu plans and so on and so on....

So, I gave up!

I think we have covered the history of childminding in the past. I have a document from someone who covered the history as part of their doctoral dissertation.

Regulation has been around for quite a long time now... 1896 trial and execution of Mrs Dyer prompted the need for legislation. Major legislation was in 1948 - there were some bits of law before this but it is the Nurseries and Childminders Regulation Act 1948 which is the major one.

What I expect you are not liking about the current legislation, is the things to do with EYFS. The educational element is something most childcare providers do as part of their day anyway... the EYFS just makes it more formal.

As lifeinagoldfishbowl says, nannies are exempt from EYFS, so that is the current way of getting away from the education side of things. However a nanny will be doing educational things with your child anyway - like you would... such as counting objects, looking at shapes, colours, money, cooking, playing with various toys.

ooh NannyNick could I have a copy of that document please.... i am doing my dissertation that sounds like it would come in very handy.

In answer to the OP - I do 'just mind' children like parents do. The children never know I am doing an obs. The rarely see the planning and organisation.
We go out, we do stuff in the house, we don't have activities planned for every second of the day - we very much go with the flow.

Agree with Nannynick and pippin26. In fact, even though I'm accredited, I've often felt pressured by the parents to justify what we've done all day (just because they don't have a pretty picture to take home does not mean they haven't been learning).

You only have to read some of the other threads on here to see that an awful lot of parents want us to be more structured and nursery-like (complaints about taking the child shopping, for example, and wasn't there a thread very recently where a parent asked what her childminder did all day with the kids?).

My parents have previously been used to me using the Foundation Stage. One or two are finding it difficult to understand that their children are still learning with me because the EYFS is not nearly so rigid and structured.

Disclaimer for those who worry about such things: I work with my husband and I'm having a coffee break. The children are not unsupervised while I'm on MN. Thank you for your concern.

as ever with these things it's surely a fine line? CMs give you greater flexibility (IME), but with that is the danger that your child is "fitting in" with the CM's other chores of the day...so whilst at nursery a visit to the shops is definitely going to be a learning experience (because it's structured) a visit to the shops with a cm might be because she'd forgotten to get dinner that night and needs to stock up... it's only the prospect of Ofsted that prevent this being a regular occurrence... Or make it into a learning experience because she can do an observation at the same time...
A good cm is exactly what you are talking about OP, and one that can do observations without the kids noticing, and does regular feedback to the parents. Sadly they are few and far between and i wonder if ofsted etc make the notsogood cms pull their socks up a bit and realise they are looking after Another Precious Child, even if it's not their own.

Any chance you could tell this to OFSTED? I'm a cm and at the moment I have my own 8 year old, another 8 year old from his school and I collect his sister from a nursery at 4.30.

She is tired when I pick er up and there often is not much time to do an activity as I am getting their tea ready as on 2 days we have to get to my son's swim lesson at 5 and the older 2 go to football training at 6-7 on another.

I have had days when they just don't turn up and with no notice so my activity/prepared dinner goes right out the window!!! . We work on our own, how on earth are we supposed to observe, take notes etc and play with a baby? Nurseries are ok, they have other staff to help, we haven't. I take my children out in the holidays to parks to let off steam.

My only problem is the child making me late for school (he walks the 2 min walk and I text to let his Mum know) and the parent doesn't seem to care, should I leave for school or make my child late which is not fair.

I CM for 2 brothers. Neither eats anything unless it comes out of a tin.

OFSTED say i should be encouraging them to eat healthy food and prepare healthy meals for them. So I do that, then they just sit there refusing to eat.
So - do I elt them go hungry so i can comply with OFSTED, or do i do what they eat at home - tins and then they at leat hav efood?

disclaimer,for those that think i am unprofessional, and worry about things that childmidner do in their rest (ha ha what's that) time I don't have any mindees until later today, thank you

I was "that sort" of childminder until my inspection.

I thought my inspection went well until I received the action plan.

I was shocked tbh. I won't go into details because I could go on and on. It was one of extremes - on one hand I was highly praised on some of my practice with lots of 'excellents', but on the other hand I was slammed on certain other aspects.

The undertone of the report is basically, "shape up in terms of your paperwork and knowledge of the EYFS, or you won't be a childminder for much longer."

I got satisfactory overall. However, unless I implement the action plan (that is, actions and recommendations) I could well fail my next inspection which is probably why "that sort" of childminder no longer exists.

I currently only look after school aged children.

new2cm I would point a finger at your early years team for not supporting you and guiding you as you started out tbh

What sort of things were you 'picked up' on - give vague details if you like - we might be able to offer resources or help

There are so many, it will take all day to type them out!

Here are some vague details:

-Review assessment systems to ensure that all areas of learning and development are given equal importance and observations are analysed consistently to plan for the next steps in learning

-develop further self-evaluation and review systems, in order to identify and plan continuous improvements to the childminding service

-develop further the systems for children who attend more than one setting, to ensure effective continuity and progression by sharing relevant information with each other

-develop further systems that provide a summary of children's achievements to ensure their progression

-consider extending opportunities for children to develop their awareness of diversity

-develop self-assessment and reflective practice to improve outcomes for children

-consolidate the maintained records of risk assessments by including assessments for specific outings and for the individual animals in the home

-obtain information from parents in advance of a child being admitted to the provision, regarding who has legal contact with the child, and who has parental responsibility for the child

-improve the frequency of the evacuation procedures to ensure all children cared for are able to become familiar with them

The list goes on and on.

During the course of a conversation, I said that I had given Calprofen to a child with parental permission. I was advised that childminders are not allowed to adminster medicines containing Ibuprofen. Hence, there a significant comment about the administration of non-prescribed medicine.

As the inspector said, it is a case of reading through and implementing the guidance.

You know what boys your right her early years team is letting her down, but I have been childminding 3 yrs in March,
I have had 2 calls from my early years team, as asking if I need any help, twice Ive left a message on the answer phone saying yes please and thats it.. Ive not heard or seen them since.

Im not looking forward to my next inspection,
Especially if it was Like my grading inspection,
when I had the inspector and her
inspector, inspecting my inspector,

sitting at my dining room table, for 4 hours(which I will add is not near the lounge with all the appropriate toys at that time to play with)
talking about my inspector!!! the little one
(8mths) and I sat at the table with them, playing, until his sleep time.
Not once did they ask to see any paper
work, porfolio, policies etc which I brought in from the lounge.
It seems to me, the few questions they asked me at the end, were an afterthought Imo.

I received a Satisfactory.

Apart from making me dread my next inspection (you poor soul new2cm), it just shows how much paperwork is taken into account, surely the view of the parents and how you work with the children should be more important..

I had no idea we were not allowed to give anything with ibuprofen in, it didn't come up at my recent first-aid course and I have been giving nurofen for children to 2 different children this week alone(sent with the children and all the necessary forms filled out) does anyone else know about this, or is it just me .

Our most conscientious childminder was criticised by Ofsted because she did not provice sufficient IT equipment- for a child of 3! The parents thought the child was better off playing in the sandpit, but no, they had to ensure that "all areas of learning and development are given equal importance". Bah humbug!

Imho it was precisely this constant fussing over all areas of learning and development that made ds go selectively mute for a long time at the CM's. It was just too intensely educational, all games had an agenda, it was too much for him.

What is the point of doing observations though? What happens to them once they are done?

EYFS is a load of nonsense (IMO) children learn all the time as long as they get to play, run round, sit up for meals go to the toilet, go to the shops do normal things. Why does a 2 year old need to be 'assessed' to see what 'areas of learning' need to be developed. I think it's a bit like- The average child walks at 13 months but we can do better than that lets focus on getting them all to walk at 12 months. Leave them alone they are fine.

I like the milestones the HV have though, can they hop at such an age etc As I understand it these 'targets' are set very low so that they only pick up special needs children who don't make the milestones. Improvement is not the aim, they will do that on their own.

This is exactly why I think parents should be able to choose if they want to use an 'Ofsted Registered' Childminder or not - fine make it an option, but don't make it compulsory.

I for one would much rather have someone like Kendodd/MaureenMLove/New2CM (and anyone who thinks along the same lines) minding my children than someone doing all the crap that Ofsted insists they need or some other parents want.

I wouldn't want or need everything to be a guided learning experience, I wouldn't want every footstep out of the front door to require a risk assessment, I wouldn't want 'activities' thrust at my child. I'm happy for them to eat as they do at home, I'd be happy for them to share a handtowel - I wouldn't want or need a daily diary.

Let them be kids, leave them be!

Make it an OPTION they are our children - why can't we choose if we use an Ofsted registered person or not?

Ken the point of the observations is to see what the child can do, and offers opportunities to consider which aspects need more support, which aspects are secure, what the child is currently interested in so that activities can be tailored to that child's interests; so yes it can pick up developmental issues but also makes the time the child is at the CMs more enjoyable if they have access to stuff that switches them on. Of course you would expect a good CM to be responsive and alert to children's reception of activities and abandon if it's not working/change tack

New2cm I will start a new thread for you to ponder/mull over stuff etc, we'll chip in to help x

so whilst at nursery a visit to the shops is definitely going to be a learning experience (because it's structured) a visit to the shops with a cm might be because she'd forgotten to get dinner that night and needs to stock up... it's only the prospect of Ofsted that prevent this being a regular occurrence... Or make it into a learning experience because she can do an observation at the same time...

But surely it IS a learning experience whether it's structured or not? Everyone needs to shop, children learn by observation, they're going to get a lot more, IMO, out of seeing things happen naturally (like because the CM forgot to buy dinner) than by going on a "structured visit".

I agree. All I would want is that they had done some first aid training. Other than that I don't need an ofsted inspection, I can do my own inspection.

Ken I couldn't agree more

The views of the parents are worth more than anything

Cory, a childminding colleague also had a comment regarding ICT. Hers was: develop more ways of extending children's basic skills in turning on and operating some information and communication technology (ICT) equipment.

Which was odd, because her home is full of ICT equipment which her mindees have access to.

that is bizarro, isn't it

IMO children in a nursery need more structured activities because they are in one environment majority of the time so need the special attention to planned activities/ trips etc. I could not work in a nursery, being in one place would drive me mad, I like variety, I like to be spontainous, I like to be able to use the facilities and activities on offer in lots of places. IME as a childminder children get much more variety so it matters less because things that happen out and about trigger conversations/ trips/ activities etc

eg today while on afternoon school run we drove past the library, 2 of the dc's in my car asked if we could go there once we had collected the other 2 dc's I said yes we could once we had nipped home had a snack, juice, toilet stop/ nappy change.
Another example is this morning my dd2 started singing the alphabet song so my 3yr old mindee joined in then 2yr old mindee also hummed the tune and clapped then following on from that I sat with mindee and we made the alphabet out of playdough.

None of this was planned, all I had planned for today was school runs, toddler group (I go to one each morning or soft play or a garden centre or park and I consider what each place offers, todays offers a large hall with ride on toys, construction, slides, basically somewhere they can burn off some energy and socialise with other children) meals, naps/ quiet time. Imo you need to allow time for flexibility and to run with childrens ideas which after all is what EYFS is imo.