Do chidminders need a new name?

[KatyMac]

Something that reflects the job we 'actually' do rather than just babysitting/minding children; Early Year Educator or something nice & professional sounding

I'm off to do something else (possibly sleep) so I thought you could have a big argument nice Saturday night chat about it

People talking about their childminder doing xyz when their childminder is not a childminder (there is one currently) but there are regularly this sort of thread where people refer to 'their childminder' who is a babysitter

I had a parent visit the other day and he asked who Ofsted are! Someone who I would have expected to know! So ... I don't think it matters what we are called, because we are at home and will always be bottom of the ranks :)

I do not think you are thought of bottom of the ranks. Katymac you will always get the occasional few like this whatever you called yourself. I know aupairs that suddenly call themselves nannies.

I really think some parents think all we do is babysit, even other childcarers.

It's not about the name; but about the perception of the name

when i was a sahm i told any nozy bastard who asked at a party,'oh and what do you do?' i said i was into support systems... i didnt elaborate to say that meant i supported my dh to go to work while i did everything else...

now as a cm if anyone asked i say i run a home based child care business...sounds a bit posher than a child minder.. but then i am sadly a totaly bull shitter anyway....

I am sick to death of being looked down on because I am 'just a childminder' I have NVQ Level 3 (would love to do Early Years Foundation Degree but no funding available now).

When I was minding the 2 little ones I had we did allsorts : cooking, visiting the zoo, farms, painting, messy play the list goes on. (they moved to another area due to jobs in case you are wondering). I really miss that side of minding and would love to mind little ones again.

I am also a Network childminder and run a Network support group as well as being a dinner lady part-time and minding a boisterous 9 year old as well as my own lad.

Thats not actual bullshit though thats what you are.

Hi - just a mum here but one that has a great childminder for my DS (2.7 years). He's been going to his childminder since he was 7 mo. I chose a childminder because I want him to have a 'real' relationship in a home-based environment with someone with real experience of parenting who shares a similar parenting approach to me. It would really upset me if my son's CM felt I thought she offered a lesser quality of care than a nursery - I've occasionally used a nursery for ad-hoc cover and although fine, it is in my experience a poor substitute, particularly for full-time care. If, therefore, finding a new job title works to support in improving the status of the role, then great (though I'd be rubbish at coming up with one). But whatever it was, I'd hope it could reflect the extra bits that have made CM such a good choice for us and doesn't just ape supposedly 'more professional' roles such as nursery-based carers. I'm thinking of things like the fact I know my DS loves his CM and her daughter and sons, and that he feels really secure in her care. Or that she takes him on lots of trips and that makes him really well socialised in lots of different situations. And she knows when he's just a bit quiet and when he's unwell, because she knows him really well. But that's hard to get into a job title!

I think this happens with a lot of jobs tbh, there's a misunderstanding about what it involves. Teachers for example get 'finsish work at 3pm and 15 weeks holidays', when in reality they work much longer days, often weekends and some of the holidays.

Childminders don't need a knew name because it describes what you do. You mind children while their parents are at work. People do need to be educated though on what you do whilst you mind them/ what minding them involves i.e. education etc etc

*new (not knew!!)

I guess

It just seems so hard keeping up to date with new stuff, studying for my degree, putting staff on courses, developing on Best Practise just so we can 'mind' children

You do not have to do all that to mind children Katy Mac.

Well I personally do & it's hard work

I am very good at what I do & yet some people think I am a babysitter based on my job title

Well I am sure you put them right on that one.

I'm a childminder and I tell people that I run a childcare business when they ask what I do.
I do feel like I get looked down on when I tell them I'm a childminder, as if it's not really a proper job. I was dropping one of my mindees off at nursery yesterday and one of the other parents was asking about my job. When I told her I had the same level 3 qualification and am a qualified nursery nurse, the same as the ones in the nursery school where we were dropping the children off, her response was "couldn't you get a job in a nursery then?" My response...."I enjoy my job, I love the children I look after, all the parents I deal with are great, I like being my own boss and not having to answer to anyone else, and I'm financially better off being a childminder, than I would be working in a nursery"
I think she just genuinely didn't realise that being a childminder is a real job, and that we have to be Ofsted registered and complete paperwork, and progress folders for children, the same as nurseries do.
I'm sure people are under the impression that I sit watching daytime TV all day while the children play.....if only they spent a day doing our job they might see things very differently!

Exactly

It really annoys me, most of my relatives don't respect me and my career, thinking I can drop everything and be where they want/need me to be. I genuinely feel that I am looked down on. Local nurseries annoy me especially when I am trying to chase them to ensure we swap development details. At my recent inspection I was grilled about the steps I take to ensure I work with the child's other carers, and yet NOT ONE other agency/nursery/pre-school have EVER taken the effort to contact me - especially as I work on my own and struggle to visit them with several other children in tow.

I think it would be a brilliant idea to change our name, but have no idea to what.

RosieGirl - same here. My family can't understand why I can't just drop everything to go to some kind of family gathering. I also get no help with 2 way conversations from schools/nurseries/pre schools.

Nor me

So much for working in partnership with other settings

Really important people don't have to tell you they are important

A rose would be just as sweet with another name (misquoted I know!)

Personally, I think nannies should be called: Personal assistants to small tyrants. Only Joking.

Of course you will always get people who are ignorant about all the things that childminders and nannies do. I hate being referred to as a babysitter and get really cross when people refer to Aupairs as nannies but life's too short to worry about ostentacious sounding titles. I'm too busy trying to do a good job to care that much for title's

Well said sunshine nanny. Well if anyone asks what a childminder does I will direct them to this thread where lots of people are keen to share exactly what they do.

BTW I am a nanny and I am a babysitter too. Just in the evenings for the babysitting though.

Really looking down on you redglow only a babysitter. How about evening nanny ? The shame of calling yourself a babysitter.

Well I do not think they will pay nanny rates in the evening, and I will only be sitting.

Maybe in the day I could be called general dogsbody for children. Is that a grand enough title for me.?

Haha redglow - you're a realist i see!! :)

Maybe redglow should call herself: A nightime specialist and expert in the care of the sleeping child.