Childminders and parents who have childminders: may I ask for some help?

[SilverfootedThetis]

I am thinking about becoming a childminder, having recently resigned from my job (the position I hoped to return to after maternity leave is no longer available due to cut-backs). I'm trying to see this as a positive thing, as it was never really my 'calling' anyway.

I will be attending a course provided by the council to learn more about childminding, but I am very curious about a number of things, and I'm not sure I can wait until next month!

1. I live within reach of some very good primary schools, both state and private. I am therefore considering before and after school care. However, I have an 11 month old son - is it preferable or easier to childmind a child (or children) of a similar age or could this work well? Would school-age mindess be happy for a much younger child (i.e. my son) to 'tag along'?

2. We are moving soon to a second floor flat on a quite desirable highstreet in SW11. However, this flat is relatively small and, as it's rented, it's not particularly plush. Obviously I will ensure it's very clean and safe, with plenty of opportunities to play and learn.
   Would this put off potential parents? As we will be living close to the 'hub' of things (especially playgrounds and parks), we could also go out a lot so I could ensure any potential mindees would not feel cooped up.

3. Could any childminders in London, especially South West London, tell me what they charge per child per hour? Presumably you would charge less if you were just starting out and had no previous experience?

Thank you so much for your help. Apologies if any of these questions seem naïve.

With regards to the mix of age of children, that is one of the reasons some parents choose a childminder, because they normally have a variety of ages of children.

My oldest mindee is 11 and youngest has just turned 1. Eldest mixes very well with the babies and toddlers and i can see thatg he enjoys playing with thr younger children as well as the school age children.

Are you going to be minding only school age children plus your son or a mix of ages?

I know a few childminders that stay in flats. I think as long as you explain to the parents how the children will get to spend time outside, so visting parks etc so as they get time outside and time to run about it should be fine. :)

Be aware that the smallness of your flat may mean you are limited in terms of how many children you will be registered to care for. My lovely ex-childminder has a real problem because her space has been assessed as suitable for only 2 children at a time. Since her daughter counts as one child, she cannot earn more than what one full time place brings in and it's hard for her to make ends meet on that.

You'll also need to consider that you need the landlords permission to childmind from a rented property.

You will need to get permission from the landlord to run your business from his property.
Being in a flat you might need to consider the needs of the other residents.
Also - what about getting buggies, non-mobile children, possibly disabled children up and down any stairs.
Being in a flat - as already mentioned your numbers could be restricted.

Research your area - do they need more minders? Where are the gaps - holiday, before/after school care, shift workers/ early mornings-late evenings for example. What is going to be your unique selling point?

You have an 11month old - by the time you are reg'd your LO will be over 1 so that frees up your under one space.
I don't think there is any preferable way of working with age groups - just depends what you want to do or prefer.

Thank you all.

Pollywolly - I was thinking only school age children. As Pippin has pointed out below, the stairs up to my flat would make it difficult to have more than one child in a buggy. There's space for a couple of buggies at the bottom of the stairs, but I would still need to take the babies up separately and therefore one would be left strapped in the buggy while I took the other upstairs, which isn't ideal.

Autodidact - good point. May I ask how large your ex-childminder's flat was? Just so I can get an idea in advance as to whether I would be able to have 2 mindees plus my son. Do Ofsted take it into account if you intend to go out a lot? I will be very close to two large commons.

PrivatePoster and Pippin - I know the landlord's permission is very important. At the moment, I'm still trying to learn more about childminding, so I want to be absolutely certain it's right for me before asking the landlord for permission.

Thank you Pippen, this is really useful. I will research the area. I have rather assumed that because it's such a family-orientated area, there's a need for plenty of childminders. However, it's quite possible that for this very reason it's flooded with them! So definitely something to check out. My unique selling point would be that I'd be happy to take children early on in the day. It seems many childminders and nurseries aren't prepared to take children on until 7:30 or 8:00am. I could take mindees on earlier (time would be negotiable). I suppose the other benefit is my location - very, very close to lots of green, open space, three playgrounds and a good library. Although, that's not to say there aren't plenty of other childminders living on this street!

My childminder had a small 2 bed flat and it did not detract from thecare she was able to offer - she had 4 kids in the day then her school age daughter as well after school. You will need to lay out how you plan to manage the daily fresh air requirements, but you seem to be thinking of this already.
In my authority (hampshire) they state that the process of becoming a childminder takes 6 months (i've just attended the info evening) and you need to commit to further training. One thing you do need to be aware of is the requirement for GCSE (or equivalent) maths and english. THis seemed to upset lots of people at the meeting who didn't have and weren't prepared to obtain!!
Good luck

i started childminding from a second floor flat which didnt put parents off but we eventually had to move because of the disturbance to the neighbours downstairs and the landlord asked us to leave even though they knew i was minding,just worth bearing that in mind! good luck though

Not sure your neighbours going to be happy with you working from very early ? worth checking the noise proofing

Don't forget 3 year olds - they don't need a pushchair, and some of them might only be in nursery for a few mornings a week (like mine!). My CM does drop offs and pick ups for my 3 year old at nursery - he finishes at 1.15 so they have a lovely afternoon of activities. Because she is 'responsible' for him during the nursery hours, I am charged for those hours - quite standard I believe. On the other day she has him he doesn't go to nursery at all so they have lots of lovely outings.

Both my DSs go 2 days a week, and the CM has 2 DC, a girl older than my 2 DSs, and a boy who is 'between' my DSs. DS1 adores her DD and DS2 adores her DS - although they all get along fabulously. So slightly different ages works well for us.

Supersewer - that's good to hear, thanks. So perhaps I will be able to look after three children (including my son). The GCSEs are luckily not a problem. Although I'm ashamed to say I have forgetten an awful lot of my GCSE Maths!

Vicki and Blessings - this is something that worries me. My aim is to have a chat with the neighbours below when I move in, explain my intentions and see how they react, and if necessary, see if we can compromise in any way (for example, I don't begin childminding before a set time). I had already been thinking about ways to reduce noise, such as high pile rugs. I understand the neighbours have a young baby, and the couple that lived in the flat we're about to move into also have a toddler, so I imagine that to some extent they are used to a bit of noise. I do appreciate that several children generate a lot more noise, however.

Chitchat - a three year old would be great, actually. It's good to know different ages work well for you!