CHILDMINDERS - What do you do...???

[eastmidlandsnightnanny]

What do you do when a new prospective parent and child come to visit you?

ie - what do you tell them, show them??

I only ask as I dont know what they should be doing on a first visit.

Went to see a lovely childminder only had one toddler mindee full time, another in pre-school part day, her own 5yr old at school. She had already emailed me all her information apart from ofsted info.

She made me cup of tea and chatted to baby (5mths) at times as he was on my lap which is fine.

I asked her lots questions which she answered fully and gave little bits of info without prompting like we dont have tv on, we go to the parks and childrens groups but most of it was general chit chat and "my son used to do x,y and z"

She is going to get her most recent ofsted report and email it to me as it was done last year but her one down 3yrs ago is the only accesible on the ofsted site for some reason when I searched.

She was very nice but thought perhaps she should have been telling me more without prompting or maybe she felt all covered in the information pack she had emailed me.

I generally do what this childminder did. I show parents around, just explain what my day looks like. I show some photos of the places I take children to, show examples of crafts and other activities we do. I ask questions about the child and the routine. That's pretty much all. What else were you expecting?
For me it is an informal chat. I'm happy to answer any questions a parent asks.

Yeah it was an informal chat, she had some toys out for toddler that was there, she didnt actually show me anything we just went in the lounge.

She was very nice and the toddler was obv very attached to her had been then since small baby.

Her information pack was very extensive that was emailed to me

I just thought she may have offered more information without being asked

What did you want her to tell you?

yes, I am confused. What did you want her to tell you?

If she emailed you an information pack, she probably didn't want to sound repetitive and likely was more concerned with answering any questions you had/making sure you felt comfortable with her during your visit.

Do you feel that she was hiding something?

A niggling or bad feeling isn't a good thing.

What is it that you wanted her to tell you. Did you have a list of questions it sometimes helps.
Why not email her if there is something you want answered or ask for another visit she won't mind.

If you are a 'new mum'and perhaps inexperienced when dealing in matters of childcare, what you really need when visiting a childminder for the first time, is a feeling that this person (bearing in mind that she has set herself up as a childcare 'professional' and is going to take your hard earned cash from you!)has the experience and confidence to look after your child and to help you with any problems as they occur, and not only that, but you want to know that your child is going to feel safe and loved by this person. Maybe a tall order? Good childminders are hard to find and if you don't feel 100% confident with the one you have met, keep looking..it will save on the anxiety and heartache later.

Thanks I just know that as a night nanny I always tell the families a bit about myself etc despite having emailed them information so was expecting maybe to be told about her being rated good by ofsted without having to be asked when she was last inspected she replied with the date then I had to ask what was she rated.

I just didnt know what to expect but found her to be really nice and am considering using her but as she is first I have seen need to compare obv.

I did go to a nursery today and got the tour as I expected and as expected am thinking not for my baby or perhaps when he is a yr old having him go one day a week with 3 days at childminder.

Thanks for replies its good to know that informal chat is all fine.

Go again, maybe she didn't want to overload you with info and just wanted you to get a "feeling", write down anything else you think you want to know and ask if you can have a nosey look around. I sometimes forget to show people the other areas of my house (not that it is very big), but I know it probably gives more of an understanding about our family (although outside looks like a war zone with the amount of mud)

It seems to me that while she did nothing wrong you're maybe just a naturally warmer person than she is and expected a more open and easy conversation, particularly based on your experience as a night nanny where you know being approachable and not holding back is a good thing.

Do you maybe feel that her not volunteering information was indicative of how much pride/interest she takes in her work? Because I think that would be a dangerous conclusion. She may feel that giving you the information pack via email meant she could be open, attentive and receptive to your queries and needs.

On the other hand your personalities just may not match.

Give her a chance, she may have been nervous! I would be more concerned about her general friendliness and how the children interacted with her. There's so many parts to being a CM that there is a lot to tell.