Loooking at being a childminder.. help & advice?

[boilingpoint]

Hello, Hoping someone can shed some light here.

I am thinking of becoming a childminder, can anyone tell me what i need to do to make it happen? I.e courses/qualifications/registers?

How do i decide if its a good idea? any childminders out there who can tell me what it is like?

you need to contact your local Early Years team at the county council to get the ball rolling

Quals - you will need a 12 hr First Aid cert, undertake an introduction to childminding course (might be a different title now) and a safeguarding course (EY team can help you to find providers), and register with Ofsted (again your EY team will signpost the route to take)

There are vague plans to make all CMs Level 3 practitioners at some point so there may well be some serious study coming up

You can usually care for up to 3 under 5s (and of these 3 only 1 may be under 1; if you have young children of your own they will take up these spaces) and up to 6 under 8s including the under 5s, depending on the room you have in your home

CMing is not easy, the paperwork can be onerous partic when starting out

BUT

it's a GREAT job if you approach it professionally, so so satisfying

I LOVE it

Brill response thanks!

Do you know the costs of getting qualified atall?

I have a 14month old so she would take a space, To be fair i prefer older kids to babies. The reason i am thinking of it is because i love being home with DD and obviously want to earn money, i work part-time evenings at the minute.

What do you charge? do you do food / activities?

not sure what the costs are nowadays, used to be free but I fear these days are long gorn

£4 per hour, you make your money with the under 5s because they are with you say 8 hrs a day as opposed to before/after schoolies who take up perhaps a couple of hours a day

I ask my parent to provide packed lunches, I provide snacks

We go to groups, attractions/museums, visit parks/woods, play in rain/sun/snow, hug trees, track deer, make rainbows, visit old folks/butcher/library/garden centre, handle money, play with natural objects/jelly/oats/mud/sand/water. *

*non-exhaustive list

I forgot to say earlier you will need to register with the ICO if you intend to photograph the children (which you will do, as part of observing them and detailing their learning journey with you) £35 per year

Back later

Where do you live roughly... such as which Country, or borough?
Geographic location will make a difference to things, such as what sort of fees childminders can charge, cost of training courses etc.
By posting your rough location, someone may live in the same general area and thus be able to give you a guide as to costs.

How do you decide if it's a good idea? That's a hard one. Suppose first off do you want to run your own business? Do you want to do accounts and marketing? Do you have a large car so can college children from school/pre-school. Do you want your house to become like a nursery, with signs up around the place saying No Smoking, Wash Your Hands, Notices up about childcare regulation and inspection, disposable paper towels for drying hands and/or individually named towels (if those are permitted these days).

I expect some childminders will be along later to tell you about all the negative side of things... it's not just playing with the children, there is a lot more to it.

Some documents to read:
EYFS Framework
EYFS Guidance

college! Should be collect - can't blame iPhone, as I don't have one

Hi, I'm a childminder. I was talking to someone newly registered a few weeks ago and she said it cost her about £500 to set up re courses etc. As someone said before go to the early years dept at your local council. I think they do an evening pre-registration when they will tell you roughly whats involved before you commit to anything so you will have a better idea.
Also, with you saying you would like to care for older children - just check the rates the after school clubs are charging - they are extremely cheap in my area and I cannot compete financially.I have only got the after school children I have really because of continuity of care in that Ive had them since they were young or that I work later than the after school club. Do you have a vacancy co-ordinator in your area? They can advise on how much work is actually out there at the moment. Getting registered is just the start...you then have to go and find your work! By the time you have paid for the courses etc and equipped your home - it will be a while before you start to see any profit so bear that in mind.I have done loads of courses and the NVQ3 after a full 10 hour day - it has been hard going(exhausting in fact)and I dont have a little one like you! Also as nannynick mentioned - your house becomes less of your own - I have a fire evacuation sign up, wash your hands etc etc - Everything in your home needs to be risk assessed and any faults rectified at once (then logged!) - Its sometimes hard to switch off from work because of the constant reminders around your home!
However, this job has provided me with a good income for 12 years now and enabled me to look after my own daughter. It's a really tough job but rewarding and enjoyable - so I cant really complain about it!
Good luck whatever you decide to do x

Ditto to AMY

Hi all thanks for your really helpfull replies! I live in peterborough. In my area there is only one other childminder so that must be a good opportunity there.

Only one childminder? That isn't always a good sign... could mean there is little demand. However if that childminder is constantly full, then it could mean that there is demand for another childminder in the area. How are you checking how many childminders (and other childcare facilities) there are in the area? Have you used the Ofsted inspection report search (bottom of that page)

The village I work in has very few childminders. I think 3 childminders currently collect from the village primary school (people travel to the school from other local villages/town). However I only know of one parent looking for a childminder who can collect from the school... most people collecting from school are the children's mothers, lots of SAHM's in the area it seems.