CM's advice re qualifications please

[fantus]

I am currently in the process of registering as a CM. I have attended all the relevant training and have sent off all my forms, I am just waiting now for a visit from an inspector before (hopefully!) getting my registration.

My question is with regards what further qualifications I require once registered. During our initial childminding training we were advised that in order to progress once qualified we would need a level 3 NVQ in Early Years. I currently have an NVQ level 3 in Caring for Children and Young People, a level 4 in Health and Social care and I am 4 years into studying for a part time degree in Health and Social Care. Will I also need to complete an NVQ in Early Years?? I can choose a childcare related module in order to complete my degree (with the OU) which is the equivalent of a level 4 NVQ. Would this be acceptable does anyone know?

TIA for your help. I am sure I will be here a lot more once my registration comes through!

Nothing is obligatory. They advise the level 3 but can't make you.

Once you've got your degree you could try for the EYPS course - you get paid for that and is worth a lot more than a level 3 - opens lots of doors.

Go to
www.cwdcouncil.org.uk/early-years/audit-tool
and enter your details, it will tell you if your qualification is acceptable.

Thanks Stomp - I had a look at the site and entered my NVQ in CYP and it came up with a big tick saying "this qualification is valid" so I take it it should be sufficient. The reason I asked is that during training the trainer frequently referred to becoming a network childminder like this had a much higher status and that in order to do so you had to be level 3 qualified.

chabbychic - can you tell me a bit more about the EYPS course? Who is it run by, how long does it last and how / who pays for it?

Many thanks for your answers so far!

EYPS is a postgraduate course for early years professionals so you do a degree and then there are various pathways depending on your degree.

It's delivered by universities, funding varies and the length is also variable depending on the pathway.

Thanks Snap - because your degree isn't in childcare you'd probably be on the long pathway which is 15 months - it's about 2/3 days at Uni per month and the rest is you building up a portfolio of evidence.

That's great, thanks. Something to think about when I finish my degree.

Can I ask, what is the difference being a network childminder??

I think that's to do with be able to offer the free government hours - being accredited. Could be wrong. There's no network where I live.

Thanks everyone. I'll stop worrying about that for now and concentrate on getting all my paperwork together for when the inspector comes.

Sorry to be a pain but can I ask some more questions?? I have put together my P&P file and risk assessments but I am stuggling with the obs / planning paperwork. There just seems so many different formats you can use and I am not sure which is best. Is there a magical form out there that has everything I need? Also can someone clarify how often observations are supposed to take place - and should they be seperate ones for each area. I really appreciate all your help!

I use babysdays but I'd better not mention it too much on here - I seem forever plugging it!

You can do as many obs as you like but there should be 1 a month minimum I would say. Dome people like to do an obs for major development changes which will happen a lot in the early months and less as they get older. I sometimes set out specific activities just to observe and do a write up on, other times if something interesting is happening during free-play then I'll write about that. You don't need an obs per category as most play will cover lots of different elements, but make sure you observe a range of different activities.