Questions for a childminder.

[curlyclaz13]

I am in the process of finding a childminder for ds. He will be nine months when I return to work. What questions should I be asking potential cm ?

First off I'd ask to see all the relevant certificates; Registration, First Aid and any other they claim they have.

Ask to see copies of all their policies too. Ask them about their routines; how many school runs do they do? What playgroups do they go to? Do they get outside in the garden or to the park a lot? What kind of activities do they do at home? How many other children do they look after - especially on the days your DS will be there.

It might also be worth asking for some kind of review/recommendation/reference from another parent.

Oh and find out their terms; do they charge for holidays or sickness. How much time off do they generally take. Do they want a deposit? Do they offer settling in sessions?

I'm a childminder and these are the kinds of questions parents ask me on their first visit.

Hi curlyclaz13

How long have you been cm ding for?
how many children do you cm and what are there ages?
What training have you got?
Have you been ofsted inspected and what grade did you get?
What is your daily routine?
What toys and equipment have you got for babies
Do you attend any toddler or cm groups
What procedure do you follow in settling a new child into your setting.
Could I look at your ofsted registration and insurance certificates

I hope that helps.

Food! I forgot food! Do they provide meals and if so what kind? I give parents a sample menu so they can see the kind of food I offer.

The things that I wanted to know when I was looking for a CM for my 12 month old -
how long they'd been CMing for/experience
other children and ages
did they do a school run
typical day
what rooms the minded children had access to/the garden
meal plan
arrangements for sleeping
fees and who pays what for bank holidays, sickness, holidays etc
how much holiday they take and when they let us know
if there were other parents that could provide references
car and car seats

I childmind a baby.

What sleeping arrangements do you have for little ones? (what do they sleep in and where do they sleep)

Do you do daily diaries (my parents provide them for the under 5's

Do you provide meals or do I have to provide (my baby's mum provide all the meals and nappies etc)

Ask about TV.

Definitely food, idea of what they do on a daily basis, how many child, age range mix, fees, flexibility (I worked shifts and could potentially be called to stay in late and needed a degree of flexibility), any animals and sickness policy.

I saw some shockers whilst visiting CMs and some absolute brilliant CMs. Go with you gut instincts. I think how you feel about the person is the biggest deciding factor.

I assume you're paying this cm about half the minimum wage with no holidays or benefits? I'd be nice!

Alternative what?? A CM is a self employed person who sets their own rates. They have holidays in much the same way as self-employed people across the land do. They have perks to their jobs much in the same way as everyone else. They don't do this as a charity, they run a business - they are not mums trying to earn pin money.

Childminders are self-employed people running a business Alternative - why would they expect minimum wage or benefits from their customers

Alternative, it's not about being 'nice'!! All the parents who asked me the questions I listed above were very, very nice. In fact they still are because they went on to use my services. But they were thorough, as they should be. And I'd rather they were thorough before we signed contracts rather than issues crop up afterwards. In fact, the only parent I've had who was tricky to deal with barely asked me a single question. She literally just dropped her child off and ran with no settling in sessions. I'd far rather be given the 3rd degree...

As for minimum wage, that's not really relevant. No one person pays our wage so how can they be responsible for us earning minimum wage?

Would they mind me having a notebook with the questions in and writing answers down ? I struggle to remember my name at the moment !

Of course not! I certainly wouldn't have minded.

CD' s like-minded earns well above the minimum wage. Her hourly rate per child is just below and she was more than happy to as answer all my questions. She also insisted from the start that I should speak to her if I'm unhappy with anything.

I pay nothing for DD' s pre-school...I certainly wouldn't keep quiet if I wasn't happy about something...

Bloody Kindle auto correct. I still can't get used to it.

Alternative,
Makes a change from the usual how we're money grabbers who sit cackling in our piles of cash whilst the lo sits in front of Jeremy kyle all day eating gruel

Visit lots. You will need to get on well with them as a person and feel that they are right for you and your child.

Definitely cover all the practicalities. Do take a notebook (the CM may make notes too).