I've resigned!!

[Mum2Luke]

Finally resigned from childminding today, it was by no means an easy decision but with private nurseries offering free sessions and me not having had any calls for months even with a Good rating I felt I cannot compete any longer

In our area there is no funding, the Quality team are no more and there is no training available. It has gone back 15 years to when we used to have the local Under 8's team come for a coffee.

I feel childminders should have more support from this government, they were the ones wanting us to be OFSTED inspected and telling us to be NVQ level 3 qualified which many are - but where are the children???

Dear Mum2luke,
I'm so sorry you had to come to this conclusion. Times are hard and I hope you have something better to move onto. I was thinking the same thing about the NVQ3 today (I haven't done it) and the level of qualification they want - without giving us much in return.
Good luck with the future. But maybe don't resign completely, childminding is strange like that, things turn up when you least expect it.

I know what you mean. I'm half way through my EYPS and now they are talking about replacing it www.nurseryworld.co.uk/news/bulletin/nurseryworldupdate/article/1157644/?DCMP=EMC-CONNurseryWorldUpdate

As tubsmum said ... maybe not resign yet (unless you are just about to pay all your insurance, registration, etc). You never know what might turn up and you don't want to have to retrain from scratch.

do you have something to move to?

I have found my first year as CM tough going. And don't know how long I will do it for. How long have you been doing it?

Good luck!

I am giving serious though to it too. I started, for health reasons, to do before and after schoolc are. However, the local nursery, part funded by the RAF on the base where I live, and part funded by charity now offers before and after school sessions for £2.00 per child per session, so £4.00 per day compared to my £4.00 per hour. They also offer £20 for a whole day session in the school holidays - which covers from 7am till 6.30pm and includes meals

I have got 3 childre, 2 of them siblings

Saltire
When I filled in the Childcare Commission Survey (if that's what it was called - can't remember)
All I could think is that it would lead to more wrap around care at schools. Which would likely put me out of business.
There are no plans as yet at my school (I'm a Parent Governor so I think I would find out in advance) But it worries me.

And begs the question do I apply for Early Years PGCE now?

I

Please c/ms do hold on...times are very difficult but i feel this is an opportunity to vent all our worries over the years with all the changes coming

I am very proactive and am dedicating lots of time and energy so that the proposals coming out soon take consideration of c/ms and add a huge dollop of respect for what we do...I work 3 days so have time to invest in this

We have been 'slightly' neglected but rarely raised any worries...we just got on and let others decide for us
We are not well represented by those we pay to do so but this is the time to see what the alternative is...what can we do?
(strangely enough last night we were talking about having a Union to belong to...apparently we can and I am looking into it)

Inthe meantime we can do a lot I think....mainly write and write until we get heard...raise concerns, express your opinions, use all means to do so
(I have run my own preschool for the first 8 years of my career...things were different comparing to the constant feeling c/ms come last as I have experienced in 11 years of cminding)

I wrote to Gove again yesterday with concerns that all the funding given to LAs and other agencies is not trickling down to us...especially when it comes to training...they know at the DfE what goes on ..hopefully there is the will to do something about it

As you know I have organized a workshop with ofsted for c/ms and got little help in advertising it from those who can reach to all compared to my limited means and those are supposed to be my representatives...thank God for Nursery World and EYE who are twweting like mad to get the news spread toall c/ms

If you look at the petition against deregulation...it only got 10,000 signatures ...where were the 57,000 c/m whose job is on the line if Truss gets her way???
I maybe wrong but the time has come for us to listened to...don't give up as yet!!!

This is happening everywhere

It makes me very cynical about the childcare costs debate currently raging. Who decided that childcare was too expensive? Who decided to target childminders, the least expensive option?

My DH came up with an interesting theory. He reckons the whole debate is being fuelled by the big nursery chains in order to wipe out the local competition and they're lobbying the Goverment.

Mum2Luke, I'm sorry to see you going after all this time xx

The politicians decided to put childcare at the front as it is a vote winner aimed at women struggling to pay fees when they return to work...if they can find work
Truss started it with ludicrous ideas and it got her in govt
Parents struggle to pay fees we struggle to make a decent living and drown in regulation...balance please!!!

it is up to us, c/ms especially, to counter attack the argument with facts when some of these think tanks come up with solutions dreamed up overnight or after a short visit to far away countries whose childcare they want to copy but without coughing up the investments those countries make!

Yes sorry that you are going ...good luck and come back to this blog when you are free from our worries.

Tanith ..have you heard of many c/ms leaving? wonder if the exodus is due to all this bashing and uncertainty or looking for greener pastures...if it is happening someone should ring alarm bells.

Tanith
C/ms are the least expensive option (also the best for children in terms of care) but in a way we are also losing the argument because we are blocked from doing the free education...or the majority of c/ms are if not in a network...
therefore our parents had two choices: pay our higher fees or send the child into a preschool to get the 15 free hrs...that needs urgent attention as does the review of the free entitlement...
I am in no hurry to get 50% less than my fees from my LA which is well below the minimum wage or living wage and join their 'exclusive' network which up to now was open to the few but suddenly welcomes all c/ms because without us the 2 year old funding will be a flop!!!

Sorry for repeating this but it is my crusade and, as my representing association is not fighting to address this I will do it myself and have told both the DfE and Truss about it...strangely enough no one at the DfE knew about accredited c/ms...I think they know now

Sorry to hear you are thinking of giving up childminding OP.

Where are you all based if you are able to tell me? I ask only because in looking for a CM for my son, I couldn't find a single one with any full time places - they were all too busy. I am going to have DC2 soon and am considering all childcare options again; there is again no childminder I can find locally with free places who rates as good or above with Ofsted.

I'm in London by the way.

which part of London or which Local Authority are you in? have you contacted the FIS and looked at the vacancy list??
You can then access their inspection report and read it....it helps

I'm in North East London. I have done what you said, thank you. I was just interested in the thread - it seems there is an enormous demand for good CM where I live. So I just was interested in whether this was because it was London (high population, lots of working parents) being different from everywhere else and still having need for lots of childcare. Or whether actually CMs in London are finding the same lack of business and I've just hit a very busy time randomly.

Thanks for all your responses, OFSTED said the same thing too that they were sorry to hear I was resigning. I just cannot keep waiting to see if I will get a phonecall asking, I had PLI to pay and that was getting very expensive too.

I have had a look at doing Relief Nursery Nurse jobs, covering for staff who are sick but am nervous as I have no worked under someone for years and am not young like the nursery nurses although I do have experience and NVQ level 3 which will help.

The only problem I have is my 10 yr old ds, we don't have childcare help and I worry about him getting up and ready and going to school on his own. His big brother (22 yrs) is going for an interview tomorrow and his sister (19 yrs) is at catering college so she has to leave early. Have no relatives nearby that he could call on to go to safely and I cannot afford a childminder (bit ironic I know but thats why I was a cm). Willhave to do the dinner lady job for a while longer I think, lets hope I get some work very soon.

Sorry Rubyroo, am in Tameside, Greater Manchester. Hope you find a cm soon xx