A soon to be registered childminder, any tips/ advice from you lovely people

[MJP1]

I am soon to be a registered childminder with a nearly 1 year old. Has anyone got any advice or tips they would like to share with me.

Thank you in advance x

Don't underestimate the paperwork

Don't expect to be full all the time

Expect to work bloody hard

Enjoy it

Great advice.

Get out every day.

Keep on top of the paperwork.

But keep it simple.

Keep private space and toys for your own dc. (More so when they are older)

Don't let special toys that belong to your dc become public property for the mindees. If and when they get broken they tend to become very anti childminding. Also, if your own dc doesn't gel with the mindee don't be afraid to say you can't have them anymore. Your dc should be comfortable in their own home.

Keep on top of paperwork and your accounts. Far easier to do it regularly than store it up and have to do it all in one go.

Know that ofsted will always want more. At every inspection they will pick you up on something, even if the last inspector didn't.

If your local authority offers someone to come out to visit you to help with paper work take them up on the offer, it's their job and they should be able to point you in the right direction with what ofsted are looking for.

When you have the right combination of children and get into a routine that works for you, being a cm is fab. it can take a while to get to that point, but don't be disheartened if it does take a while to get there.

Don't be afraid to say No! If the required hours don't work for you, trying too hard to make it fit will always cause resentment.

Take payment in advance.

Plan what you are going to do each day, but be adaptable if circumstances dictate something different!

Work out when you're going to charge and not charge (holiday, sick, flooding, etc). Make this clear in your policies and contracts.

Make sure you don't take on too much at once (maybe start part time, or with only one child initially).

Don't take on more than you can handle initially. Think about the impact on your own family.

I took on a little Polish girl who spoke no English. The language thing on its own I could have handled, but her hours were very unpredictable as her mum worked shifts, so she was unsettled and clingy, wanted carrying all the time, got upset when I cuddled any other child, including my own 3 year old.

It was the first contract I ever had, so I didn't think through how the unpredictable hours would affect her. These days I have learned to say no if it is in the best interests of the mindees and my own family.

Good luck with it all. .

lots have used www.childmindingpaperwork.co.uk for policy, procedure & form templates that you print out and personalise :)