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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

ok. no more daily diaries

9 replies

thebody · 06/07/2011 20:42

have written to parents this week to say that my daily diaries are now stopping...

progress will be monthly obs/planning and include lots of photos of activities and chat about the children..

I simply cant keep up with the daily paperwork.

I work full time 50 hours plus..( btw all my mums are part time so lucky ladies)
and need to spend the weekends and evenings with my own dcs and dh..

fel lioke a weight has lifted off my shoulders.. hope parents dont mind because its this way or tbh its time to give notice...

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HSMM · 06/07/2011 21:48

I don't blame you. I keep refining how I do things, to try and make it a bit easier. I went the other way. I stopped doing separate observations and included them with my daily diary notes. Just a different solution to the same problem. I did think about a daily general email about what we had done, with photos for individual children's activities, but that might be another plan for another day.

The parents will probably be sad not to get their daily diaries, but I'm sure they'll understand.

Original poster

thebody · 06/07/2011 23:13

yes HSSM .. agree.. but in the end the decision was simple, it was stop them and stop the stress of trying to fit them in at weekends and evenings or give notice.

i like your idea of an email with photos...would be a lot less time consumong...

OP posts:

sassyminder · 06/07/2011 23:20

Oh I didnt know that daily diaries could count as evidence of observations whit no need for separate shits sheets ...and space to store them all.
So do you put photos on daily diaries??
How about a weekly diary to be sent home at weekend and return on Monday?

HSMM · 07/07/2011 07:53

sassyminder - I do my daily diary/note in a duplicate book. Parents get the original and I keep the copy. I include any specific obs (wow moments, etc) on the note. At the end of the day, I put my copy in the child's file, with photos for the day and scribble notes on it about learning areas and next steps.

RosieGirl · 07/07/2011 08:57

That's a really good idea HSMM, I might steal that . I have also been thinking of ways of cutting down on paperwork and tend to find I leave the learning journeys and then have a mad catch up session at the end of term, I end up going through diaries to remind myself what we have been doing and link it up with photos. Merging the two together would be much better. I don't do diaries during the school holidays as get much too busy, but might look at this for the new term. Thanks.

Numberfour · 07/07/2011 09:18

HSMM, I have had the idea of duplicate books for years but have done nothing about it! Sounds as good an idea as I thought it would be!

babybaabaa · 07/07/2011 09:28

It is a great idea HSMM.
The only problem for me would be that since learning to type my hand writing is truly appalling!
I do emails at the end of the day (I like being able to edit in word which you can't do in hand writing) and then print what I have written plus any parent's replies to add to the child's files.
I don't put any photos in files any more as it was costing too much in ink. The photos get emailled directly to the parents each day.

HSMM · 07/07/2011 09:54

babybaabaa - that sounds similar to the computerised idea I was pondering. I was actually then planning to keep the children's obs notes, diaries, photos etc on a memory stick, so I don't have to print anything - ie digital file instead of a paper one.

For those of you thinking of duplicate books - If you order from Rymans online, it is slightly cheaper and you can get a bulk discount. If anyone finds anything cheaper, do let me know :)

boombangabang · 07/07/2011 14:46

I still do daily diaries but have let the monthly / termly bit slip. Duplicate books sound like a good solution - Ofsted didn't think they were all that though, even though the monthly planning / next steps was all copied from things in the diary (this was the reason I couldn't see the point anymore, copying things out=big waste of time).
Mind you i was kind of relying on my parents to come up with the diaries to show inspectors, which they did, but i am constantly afraid they will lose them...

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