Asking for a references

[ThePrisoner]

I hate asking parents who leave to write me a reference - I don't like writing them myself, and I know that some of my minding parents will struggle (putting it in writing, not struggling to find something nice to say!!)

I was thinking of putting together something with a list of questions instead, but can't really decide what. Dh says not to ask anything negative (like "is there anything ThePrisoner can do to improve her service?") as it would invite comments you might not want to show Ofsted (although it would be good for me so I could improve things).

I don't know if you can ask things like, "what did Little Fred enjoy most about being with ThePrisoner?" because it sounds a bit daft.

I also need to ask questions that invite more than a yes/no answer. Anyone got any bright ideas? Or is it a silly idea in the first place?

Will be watching this with interest as 2 of my mindees will be leaving me later this year to start school and I was thinking along similar lines but I too wondered what questions I would put on it.

tp i have questionaires that i give out to parents,i shall go see if i can find them....................

Message withdrawn

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR PARENTS

1. Did you feel you and your child were welcomed initially, and do you feel your child has settled in since?

1. Is your childminder always ready for your child's arrival?

1. Are you greeted with a welcoming smile?

1. Are you given time to exchange any information needed for the day?

1. Are you informed of the activities that your child is involved in during the day?

1. Do you feel your child has healthy balanced meals, taking into account your child(ren)s likes and dislikes?

1. Do you feel your childminder?s home is a safe and hygienic environment?

1. Do you feel your childminder shares information on your child(ren)s development and experiences?

1. Do you think your childminder plays their part in the emotional and physical development of your child(ren)?

10. Does your childminder involve your child in local groups, for example, toddler, childminders etc.

11. Do you have time to discuss any concerns when picking your child up at the end of the day?

12. Are you aware there is a complaints procedure should you ever need to refer to it?

Thank you very much for taking the time to fill in this questionnaire for me. Please feel free to add any comments you feel may improve my services in caring for your child.

Any other comments are also welcome.

Child(ren)s Name(s)?????????????????????.
Parent's Signature????????????????????

if anyone wants a copy of the questionaire,email at nik 1971 (at) bt inter net (dot) com

I much prefer asking parents to write whatever comes into their heads. A bit like I do really with their children's diaries.
I asked for parent's written 'thoughts' (rather than calling it a reference) about my service - good, bad, all the nitty gritty etc - before my last inspection and got some excellent stuff back, from professioanlly typed with perfect spelling to crazily handwritten, straight from the heart, on back of the nearest envelop type stuff.
I'll have a think about more formal questions though. They probably are useful for self-evaluation - but only if parents are honest.

smeeinit - I like some of your questions, but think I'd have to lose the first one:

"Did you feel you and your child were welcomed initially, and do you feel your child has settled in since?" - the children who are leaving are now 12 years old, and have been here for nearly the same length of time. I don't think any of us would remember that far back!!

Have any of your parents filled in one of them? Do they write more than a simple yes/no?

shosha - also like your questions. Perhaps we should all start a Mumsnet Patented References Sheet!

I think dh's reasoning behind not inviting negative comments is that some of my parents and I habitually wind each other up, and I can imagine that they'd have great fun answering some of the questions!

"Why did you choose ThePrisoner?" would probably invite a response like, "we were desperate and she's so useless that she was the only one with vacancies."

Mine asks:
duration of childcare arrangement
reason for leaving childcare (gives list of options, moved house/starting school etc)
On a scale of 1-10 how would you rate the care you received?
How reliable did you find (cm)
What did you like best about the care your child received
" least "
Do you feel your wishes were taken into account?
Is there anything you would like to see improved at this facility
Would you recommend (cm) to other people
Do you give permission for the cm to give your contact details to other parents considering using this cm?
Name of Parent
Date
Age of child (ren) on leaving date.

So far, everyone has left the "liked least" blank and put nothing to be improved. Before i did questionnaires everyone promised to write references but only 3 did. Only one person has failed to return a questionnaire, so these are great to show both Ofsted and prospective parents. Some parents put loads of nice things on the back of the questionnaire too.

What does anyone think about giving the child (older ones only, obviously) a light-hearted sheet to fill in?

eg. "What did you like best about being at ThePrisoner's?" which would definitely invite the "large quantities of chocolate biscuits, endless time on playstation and having spitting competitions".

ayla99 - definitely like the idea of asking if they would recommend me and if we can use them as reference for other parents.

tp yes all my parents fill them in and only one set of parents have ever answered with a simple yes or no!

Message withdrawn

shosha - what did it say???! Spill!!!

I'm never sure whether asking children to write anything about me is a good idea. One of my 6yr olds, who I've known since the day she was born, doesn't call me by name. She calls me "Evil Childminder" (as do all her schoolfriends now!)

My mindees often make me adverts to put on the back window of my bus. They usually say things like, "come to ThePrisoner's, she won't let you eat sweets or run around smacking babies."

Message withdrawn

I think we must be twins in a previous life (except for the vodka!)

My mindees wrote a list of rules for the noticeboard, which included things like "no killing, no stamping on babies and no having fun."

Message withdrawn

i save all my cards the children/parents send me which is lovely to look throught

i wouldnt wait till somebody is leaving i normally send something out every couple of years

my last one i sent out simply said:
what impression of the ethos of the setting do parents get?

got loads of poss coments