Childming Insurance

[jennimay321]

Hi, I am hoping to become a registered childminder and am I trying to work out all my costs.

I was wondering how much annual childminding insurance was? Also how much is the usual start up cost, buying everything you need etc?

Thank you! Jenny

Hi, my cm insurance is about £40 per year. Not sure about start up costs. Iv'e been cm for ever and did it when my own were small so used all equiptment/toys etc i had for them. Good luck.

It depends what equipment you already have. You also can buy stuff as and when you take on new children, you don't need it all to start.
I've got 4 of my own children but I still had to replace a worn out double buggy when I took on 2 toddlers so it used my whole weeks wages but thats what you need to do.
I had a grant of £350 when I started and it was used to buy the start up box from ncma which included a fire blanket and insurance,I then bought a first aid kit, boxes, shelving. I then spent £350 on a storage shed, £350 to replace my old comp and £150 on a new printer and bought lots of folders and stationary,but if youve got those things you should be fine.
I treated myself to a new camera, and laminator,pogo printer,and various bits for treasure baskets etc but it just gets added to as and when its needed.
Have a look on the ncma website they may have some prices for setting up.

Yes agree. Lots of replacing done over the years!

Thank you. Do they still do grants to start up? If so where do I go to apply? Jenny

Jenni - if you go to a pre-reg briefing session (ring your local council) they'll give you the details there. You won't normally get the grant until after you've got your registration certificate.

You'll also get lots of other handy info, and the pack of forms you need to send off to Ofsted to apply.

With respect to insurance, I strongly recommend that you shop around for the best quote.

A specialist childminding insurance company quoted me, on average, £300 more than ANY of the other companies on a like-for-like basis. Moreover, they tried to pressurise me to take up the insurance there and then, and got quite stroppy when I declined. Worst still, when I asked them to send the quote in writing, they refused. I did receive an e-mail afterwards saying that the quote was enclosed as an attachement, but when I opened the attachment, it was a blank page/screen.

Bear in mind that you need both a household insurance and a public liability insurance. If you intend to use a car, you need to make sure that the policy says the car is used for childminding purposes. Make sure everthing is in writing.

When shopping for my car insurance, one insurance company mumbled something about passengers not being covered. She would not clarify what she had said, so I gave that one a miss. Make sure the company is clear about the level of insurance cover you require - do not rely on them to figure it out for you.

As Flisspaps says, you really need to go to a pre-reg briefing session to get an idea of other expenses.

Thank you for all the advice, I am booked for a briefing session in March, so no doubt after that I'll be back to ask more questions! :) Jenny