What would you expect on the 1st visit to a childminder's?

[TherewasnoMOOMattheINn]

Am having a few problems with sorting childcare for when i go back to work. My current childminder who is excellent can't have dd2 who will be 7m when i go back until sept next year and so i need temp cover from may, 2 days a week for 8 weeks. my chilminder recommended 2 other ladies nearby for this. i went to see the one nearest my house with dd2 in tow. she seemed a nice person but didn't offer any paperwork or info at all. when i first visited my current c/minder she showed me references, a folder of certificates, photos of the children she'd minded, letters from satisfied parents - the lot basically.

i know it sounds silly but i was too embarrassed to ask the other lady for her credentials whilst i was there and i felt i was scrabbling about for questions. it all seems a bit funny but i was kind of reassured by the fact her dh is headteacher but i guess this is no real indication. i left the house saying i'd ring in the new year but have doubts now. part of me wants to ring her and ask for all the stuff i want to see, part of me think forget it if you can't be bothered to show a bit of professionalism! the things in her favour are that she's nearby, she'll have dd2 just for that short time and my other c/minder said she's v.good. but i don't know now...

Did you like her ??

If you felt she was nice then I think you're 80% there ! If so plan another visit and take a list of questions - ask to see her registration etc. - if you feel self conscious just say "dh says I must just check..." that's what I did anyway !

I really think gut instinct is important here - plus recommendations which you have !

You must see her qualifications/registration cert/insurance

Go back again and ask to see her info...it is important.

OFSTED now say it must be on display - not in a folder anymore

I can understand why some minders find it hard to present this ultra-professional image - it can be hard enough trying to impress a parent because you want them to like you, but also having to present a stash of paperwork is even worse! I hate dragging out my portfolio with my registration certificate (which will be pinned to the back of my front door forthwith to comply with OFSTED regulations!), insurance certificates for public liability, vehicle insurance/MOT, certificates for 1st aid and the umpteen million courses I've been on, NCMA membership, networking/quality assured certificate etc. etc. etc.

I just want to reassure parents that their baby will have lots of cuddles, lots of singing, lots of toys and activities, and will want to move in with me by the time they reach their 2nd birthday. (Or will parents will be more impressed with my two-hour workshop certificate on Origami for Babies?)

Moomin - if your minder can't have your dd2 because of being over her numbers, she can apply to OFSTED for a registration variation as having a sibling for an existing child would be classed as "continuity of care".

(And profuse apologies for my rant, it's late!!)

What the Prisoner says is true - esp for only 8 weeks...I'm sure my OFSTED lady would say OK....and hers might?

I really can't understand childminders who do not show their paperwork????

Mine is all in a portfolio and gets shown to the paresnt..includes first aid cert etc and photos and letters from parents........I also give them a slimmed down version of my policies to take home and read!

i don't know the reasons my current childminder can't have both dds but i know her well enough to trust what she says - i'm sure she knows about ofsted regs as she used this for someone else recently, there must be another reason. to begin with she thought she wouldn't be able to have the baby at all but I told her i couldn't have both children at different childminders and she bent over backwards to take dd2 from sept as she didn't want to lose dd1 permanently.

to be honest i think i'd be more sure of this other woman if she HAD made noises about cuddles and activities like you said, ThePrisoner, but she didn't even do that. there was like a kind of awkward silence hanging in the air until I asked questions about food and stuff like that (which we are on the same wavelength about at least). I have to add though she was ill at the time I visited and had almost lost her voice, so maybe that constricted her. I'd have thought she could have got some things out to show me though, at least?!

Some of the "old school" of childminders may find it awkward to have to do the "paperwork" chat as it is something they haven't had to do in the past. If she doesn't mix with other minders, or doesn't attend many courses, it may well be that she isn't completely aware that she has to do it. She might not have read any letters about it either - we are inundated with correspondence and it is sometimes hard to differentiate between the important stuff and the complete dross. (I'm trying to be nice about her!)

It is drummed into new minders that you have to do this, so they tend to be a bit more confident about it.

And some minders really don't sell themselves very well face-to-face either! Can you talk to your current minder about how she knows that this other one is very good?