I am registering - come and be kind to me :)

[Mrsbigroundbottom]

I have decided to take the plunge and leave my career to become a childminder (looks around the office furtively)

I've just been on the phone to my LA's childcare coordinator who has told me two ways of doing things... one way which involves me doing nothing until the end of April whereby I enrol on an excruciatingly tedious sounding variety of breifing sessions and practice home inspections etc before beginning to complete my forms around Septmeber time... and another whereby I complete the forms today and follow the following path: (Have i missed anything?)

Book on to pre-reg course (end April)
Book first aid course
Complete EYC forms online
Get partner to complete EY2 form
Have a house inspection a couple of weeks after I submit my forms (any tips on this would be really really helpful)
Attend pre-reg course
Attend course
Et voila....

Somewhere in there I'll need a CRB for my partner and I... How do I go about that? Am I right in thinking that the CRBs are free for childminders?

I told my DD last night that mummy would no longer be working 100s of hours a week and that I could pick her up from school etc when she goes in to her next school year - she nearly exploded with happiness

I am just starting to train as a childminder to. Im doing a course online so hoping to be done by end of April. Some people have been really supportive and helpful and others have just put a downer on it. I'm doing it so I can be home with my 8 month old. I have found this thread really helpful to. My only issue is I don't have a downstairs toilet and someone said that ofsted will not be happy about that.

My first childminder had my DD for 4 years and had a downstairs toilet if that helps.. She never seems to have any bother.

she was fab in fact, and she didn't even do any observations. Which meant she only ever got a "satisfactory" grading which was mental as she was the most incredible childminder EVER!

ToyaJane I don't have a downstairs loo and that's not been an issue at all, either in registration or during grading.

Well, I do have a downstairs loo actually. It's in an outhouse with a brick floor and a drain, with no water because the pipe in there froze and burst at the weekend, and the pan is cracked because it froze with water in last winter. You have to climb over my recycling boxes to get into it. It would definitely be more of an issue if I was attempting to use it to please Ofsted :)

Thats good to know. Think it could of just been my really unhelpful sister in law trying to annoy me by telling me that.

Flisspaps - I'd LOVE to see the risk assessment on that one!