Cm Club: Do I need to keep written records of all meals given and all trips taken?

[diddle]

Hi,

I wondered if i need to keep a record of literally every meal i serve, or if I can do a total at the end of eveyr week, and record it in my accounts book.

Also do i need to list all my mileage and places i visit, or can i do the same with this, and make a weekly note, with no evidence to support it?

id do it to cover your back as children may become ill and then you can rule out meal you gave them and for trips, yes, i think you should.
on the money expenses side of it, id have to write down each day and then weekly figures would be easier.hth

I write what food i give in the mindees daily diary and as for expenses that's a joke so far. I just keep all my receipts at the moment and work out what percentage is for mindees.

ah but ive yet to start minding..thats just the theory of what ill do

I keep notes in my diary of where we've been so, theoretically, I can jot down mileage done at the end of each week. (In practice, my accounts are done in the last few days before tax return is due at Inland Revenue).

I only provide snacks and drinks, not full meals, and I keep receipts or make notes in my diary of what I've bought.

For your financial records, the inland revenue won't want to see your menus, they allow you to put down "reasonable estimated costs" but I've found I'm claiming much more now I keep all my supermarket receipts. I try to put the childminding things first & get a subtotal and then work out percentages for things that are both personal & childminding stuff. You must keep receipts for any thing that totals £10 or more.

Its good practice to keep a food diary - either your own meal planner or individual food diaries for parents - this helps you to keep track of who likes what as well as being prepared in case any food allergies develop. Some parents like to see this as evidence of what they are paying for as well as for ideas of what to try at home!

Mileage - I keep a small notebook in the car to keep a note of "business miles" as I go. In my accounts I just write: destination (purpose)
eg Cambridge (library)

I suppose as well that with the food diary you can also show the parent not only what they had but how much they ate - if kids are feeling a little bit under the weather their appetite wont be huge.
also if the child has eaten a big lunch with you and had snacks they may be feeling quite full when its dinner time with their parents so being able to show what child has eaten the parent knows why they may not be hungry or coming down with something...
some parents may just assume that because you provide meals that the child will eat it all.

this is just my opinion though - I'm in the middle of becoming registered at the mo so just going by what the kids in my family are like...

I only have one regular mindee so I suppose is easier but in accounts book (ncma one) I note how many breakfast/lunch/snack/dinners mindee has had in the week and tot it up at the end, charging eg 50p breakfast, 1.00 lunch etc (I calculated average cost of different meals). The meals she has and what they were go in house diary and her diary too. I know that if I had more mindees this would probably be less detailed!

With mileage I write in house diary where we've been and put in accounts book (listing where we've been) at end of week, 40p per mile. I keep list of miles to regular destinations eg library, childminding group, toddler group etc so use that to calculate it.

I know other childminders who buy food for mindees on separate receipt and put through books that way.