becoming a childminder

[bluearya]

Hi, I'm considering in a near future (when we move to our house) to become a childminder.
I was looking into courses to help get me started and was wondering if this one from NEC, Diploma in Home-based Childcare is a good idea, any thoughts?? By then I will have a newborn so home learning would be my best option.

www.nec.ac.uk/courses/product?product_id=1860&category_id=4920

Thanks for help

I would ring your Local Council. To see what courses they recommend. They often run them and lots of other relevant courses. And their help can be so valuable. They are usually run by Early Years Department. My course was 7 weeks and we had a whole host of experts come in - from Inclusion Officer, Business Development and Marketing and every week there was a local registered Childminder Present - so inspirational!

Yes, the council is the best place to start. They will also tell you what the demand and supply is like in your area so you can think about how much you'd be able to charge and therefore whether it's financially viable.

Sorry for hijacking...I'm considering Childminding as an alternative to going back to work. Do you recommend it? I have 2 schoolage children & a 5mth old. Work is hideous & have asked us to take a paycut. Not at all family friendly...figure I'd make mre £ by looking after my own kids & others & being my own boss sounds very attractive ATM.

I'm not a CM Jellybellyrbest but I'd say it entirely depends where you are. In many parts of London childminders charge upwards of £6ph per child and those that make an effort are always full. In other places the going rate is less than £4ph and new childminders may struggle to get a couple of part-timers in the current economic climate.

I'd repeat what I said to blue - talk to the council and find out where childcare is needed in your area. If there's a lot of demand then you can make reasonable money (I'm able to charge £5/hour which is top whack for here) but if there are lots of CMs then you're looking at more like £3.20 an hour. You can get an idea from looking at childcare.co.uk as well.

Please bare in mind that with the new eyfs being introduced that it can now take from 12-18 months to become registered so it is not a quick fix thing. You have to complete many courses in evening including first aid etc

The new EYFS already in place does not have to extend the time at all. The only significant difference in registration requirements is that you must now complete an approved course before getting your certificate instead of within 6 months after. Some local authorities ration places on these courses and require you to attend pre-course briefings (!) but you don't have to do a course through your LA, you can even do it on line. Some LAs are better than others about information on this.

I did all the courses before getting my certificate and it was four months start to finish.

This may be an area difference then. My county has given 12 month minimum for registration now. (You could bypass this if you already have level 3, and go private for first aid)

Like I say, some Local Authorities give better information than others - you are registered by Ofsted and it has nothing to do with the LA.

What they should have said was "it takes 12 months to do the training with us because we can't afford to put on any more courses but you can do an approved childminding course with MNT or another provider and the first aid with St Johns or the Red Cross"

I think that the EYFS says that some courses have to be 'LA approved' so please make sure you know what you are doing...those included are First Aid and Child Protection as the trainer will be delivering contents approved by your LA

I m not sure why this is as First Aid is the same all over the country but there you have it !!!
As in everything in early years the fact that each LA can do as it pleases makes the whole system a joke at times and there are 'too many personal interpretations' when replies are given as there are levels of support from LAs...

Actually no, the whole point is that LAs cannot do as they please when it comes to registrations as these are entirely up to Ofsted.

First Aid is a requirement but the regulations make no reference to LA approval for this. Safeguarding is not mentioned anywhere in the regulations.

The one thing that IS a requirement for early years registration is that "Childminders must have completed a local authority approved training course which helps them understand and implement the EYFS before they can register with Ofsted". I understand that in practice Ofsted accept CYPOP5 course completion certificates from NCMA, MNT and possibly other providers but I suggest that anyone thinking of going down this route check specifically with Ofsted.

JellyBelly

I wouldn't have recommended CM a few months ago as it took me a long time to get my first customers in. Course passed July '11, Registered November '11 started June '12! I experienced being messed about and parents circumstances changed)

But now I'm up and running I find it rewarding and it fits in well with family life.
I took £30 before school today (but did start at 6.30am) with my breakfast club and £40 after school. But had school hours 'off' and went into help in my son's class and then spent the afternoon with my other DS.

There is a lot if paperwork - particularly to get up and running. But I am lucky to have a great Early Years Dept who out an Early Years worker out and she has helped me get my act together.

I would second getting a feel for the market in your area. At my children's school there are 2/3 CM's inc me. But at the more popular posher school they are overrun with CM's.

I have been lucky that I have been recommended by family members of my mindees and by friends. Plus I give a v good service and I am friendly, professional and the most importantly good with children! There is absolutely no point doing it unless you are passionate about it and enjoy it!

I charge £3.50 per hour / max £35 a day (7.30-6). It includes food, snacks and drink.
£5 for breakfast club and £10 after school. I've gone with the top end of local prices, but feel able too because there isn't much CM choice at my school. (and I have acquired a couple dissatisfied customers from another CM).
I take on average £320 / week but only work all day on a Monday and Tuesday, then just before and after rest if week.

Such a long post!

jelly you need to consider whether its worth your while if you will already have 3 children of your own. you wont have many spaces left.

With 2 school age and one 5 month old. You can still have 3 under school age. 1 under 1. So you could easily take in 2 preschoolers and before and after school ( between age 4/5 and 8), then unlimited over 8.

It depends on location ad house size, but I would say def worth looking into as would save nursery fees of one and two school holiday care for the other two.

What you need to do is call your Local Authority and tell them that you want to let them know that you are going to become a childminder and you need to know what you must to to satisfy their minimum legal requirements and let them know you will do everything yourself in order to get it completed asap.

Speaking for my LA - they are keen to allow people to think it will take 6 months + but frankly it is simple once you know what youre doing... I was registered within 7 weeks from deciding to become a childminder, to receiving my certificate.

You can find all of the forms online and Ofsted will help you with any queries you have. Book yourself on to all the LA courses, but get the ball rolling yourself in all other regards.

I was sad to see that the other 8 women on my course had been told that they couldn't so much as fill in the Ofsted form until they had completed the course!! I was sat there fully registered and with mindees starting the following week. One woman had been left by her husband and was desperate to earn money yet had been set back 4 months by the LA's lack of advice and ulterior motives

As MrA says, you do now need to do the course before you can mind, but you can get everything else moving along now.