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Paid childcare

Discuss everything related to paid childcare here, including childminders, nannies, nurseries and au pairs.

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Original poster

Would you use a childminder who couldn't speak English?

67 replies

dotcotton · 21/02/2007 23:13

I've found a newly-registered childminder who i really like the idea of - nice, caring, mother of four, well set up with toys and books, clean home, completed courses and seems very committed etc etc.

But despite her having done several English courses it was quite difficult to communicate with her when i interviewed her. My dd will be one when she goes to her. She's assured me she'll be going to lots of groups locally so there will be contact with other children and minders, but i've got a bit of a nagging doubt that if dd is with her full time and she's not speaking fluent english, she may miss out on learning and it might be difficult for them to communicate once dd does start talking. Other than this i thought she was lovely and felt instinctively i could trust her with my dd so i'm a bit torn here.

What do you think?

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Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 19:37

Umm, she's new, but i think the network are NCMA approved and when i spoke to her mentor i gathered that once she begins minding she will then be monitored by the network co-ordinator and start to work towards quality assurance. Is this right or have i got confused?

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Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 19:38

And she is an NCMA member

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ThePrisoner · 22/02/2007 19:48

NCMA-approved quality-assured network is good.

(Being a member of the NCMA isn't anything "special", all registered childminders are allowed to - it's just a case of paying your money!!)

MrsSchadenfreude · 22/02/2007 20:35

Oh go for it! My DD had a Romanian speaking nanny for the first three years of her life so Romanian was essentially her first language. She started kindergarten speaking very little English but soon came on leaps and bounds. She's now in an English Primary School, age 8 (Year 3) and her teacher told me she has a reading age of 15. The Romanian also helped her with other languages - her French teacher could tell that shehad learned another language fromt eh way she approached French. It really hasn't held her back.

chocolatekimmy · 22/02/2007 21:13

No way.

What happens if there is a danger and she can't warn your daughter - like don't touch that, don't go near the road etc. Or if she is upset and she can't comfort her verbally.

I would find someone else and maybe go back to her in 6 months time to see if her english has improved enough

Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 21:38

She can speak enough english to warn dd or comfort her - surely if you are warning away from something or comforting it's your tone of voice etc not the actual words? dd is only 11 months and will be 1 yr old if and when she starts with her.

All these responses are so wildly different but i think the answer is to go and see her again, and as some have suggested to go for a trial period if i do go with her. I instinctively feel that she is a good mother, and i'm inclined to think that the influence of a different culture will be a good thing.

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ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 21:40

How many hours a week will your Baby be spending with the Childminder?

Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 21:43

It would be full time, 8.30-6.30.

OP posts:

ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 21:48

Sorry but I think you'd be mad to leave your child with a Minder 5/7 days who speaks very poor english...it's a very important time in her language development.

I really can't see why you don't seem that worried about it to be honest? (confused emoticon)

fannyannie · 22/02/2007 21:50

in Zim it's not at all uncommon for the maid to look after the children of English speaking families during the day - often the only language the maid speaks is her native tongue - which they speak to the child in almost exclusively. It doesn't stop the children growing up speaking perfectly good English as well!

Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 21:51

Well i am worried about it and that's why i started the thread, to see if other people had similar experiences or advice.

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fannyannie · 22/02/2007 21:55

and of course in this country your CM would be taking your DD out to local groups with English speaking children and adults - so wouldn't only be surrounded by Gujurati. I'd go for it for a trial period.

ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 22:01

I think if you had no other choice, as in a Maid who spoke only her native tongue then that's fine but a child who spends most of her life (lets face it) with a person whom speaks poor english will be slow in speech development!

I'll shut up now as it's a real hot point for me after coming across so many pre-schoolers with poor speech due to the au-pair speaking poor english!

DumbledoresGirl · 22/02/2007 22:02

I wouldn't like the idea as I would worry about it from my child's point of view. It is enough of a worry when you leave your toddler with someone who does speak English, wondering if your child with their limited language, incorrect pronunciation, and special words for certain things will make themselves understood. But you are adding another barrier by leaving her with someone whose English is itself imperfect.

I am sure it could work well, but I wouldn't want to be putting up extra hurdles for my 1 yo.

fuzzywuzzy · 22/02/2007 22:02

I wouldn't worry about your dd's english to be honest. Your dd will learn to speak english from you and most likely Gujarati from the CM, however as the cm has children they will probably speak in english to eachother and to your dd.

I was only able to speak Urdu as a child, according to my mother I couldn't speak a word of english when I started nursery (all my relatives at home would speak in urdu amongst themselves). However by primary school level, I spoke(still do in fact) flawless english, had managed to read the entire infants library worth of books (so teachers would bring in books for me to read), and I was top of the clas in maths too (no idea if the latter had anything to do with anything, just pointing out that I was not disadvantaged for speaking a language other than english during my babyhood), I was utterly crap at PE though (nothing to do with the languafges I spoke though).

If you like her I would go for a trial period, see how dd settles in and how you find her as a cm.

fannyannie · 22/02/2007 22:02

I'd be very suprised if it was purely down to the Au Pair having poor English TBH......

fuzzywuzzy · 22/02/2007 22:04

I have to add that I got the highest mark in my 11 plus exams too, I got better marks than native english speaking children...

ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 22:06

fannyannie, you'd be surprised!

Over the past few years with au-pairs becoming much more popular there is a definite rise in child speech problems!

Anyway I said I'd butt out!!!

fannyannie · 22/02/2007 22:07

DH spent the first 6yrs of his life speaking almost exclusively his mother tongue in the village before going to school......where he learnt English with no problem at all - infact he was the winner of the National Schools Public Speaking competition (in English I may add) in his last year at school - and runner up (to a white South African girl in what was still Apartheid South Africa with White South AFrican judges......) in the Southern African Toastmasters Competition....so obviously didn't hinder his English too much

Original poster

dotcotton · 22/02/2007 22:10

Actually it's not quite the same thing but both my parents have strong european accents and there's not a trace of either, so i'm a bit doubtful about the idea that children only pick up language from their main carer. I'm like you fuzzywuzzy, ahead in language and rubbish at sport..

And as others have said she will be at groups and with the Cm's kids who do speak English. Actually the more i think about it and the more "No Way" posts i read, the more i think it could be fine..

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ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 22:11

I'm not saying that the child will not learn english, but it will be delayed due to only having 2 days of perfect english v poor english/gujurati!

ScottishThistle · 22/02/2007 22:14

I worked with an Italian family where Mum & dad spoke exclusively in Italian & I spoke in English...After 3 years the children were miles ahead in English as were all of their peers with english speaking Nannies!

fuzzywuzzy · 22/02/2007 22:15

She will hear english during the mornings and evenings, during her time at baby groups, whilst playing with the CM's children.....

I speak Urdu exclusively with my girls, I do not have a TV, and yet my dd's still speak in english to me and the youngest does not go to nursery, although the eldest goes three mornings a week. If my 2 year old can tell me quite sternly to 'stop it now mummy' when I'm teasing her, I'm sure Dottydot's dd will speak perfect english and most likely pretty decent Gujarati too, it's not unheard of.

I'd give it a go if I liked the CM.

fuzzywuzzy · 22/02/2007 22:17

sorry meant dotcotton (my typing bears no reflection on my grasp of the english language...I swear ti doesn't)

Aloha · 22/02/2007 22:18

I wouldn't. My dd is cared for from 9.30 to 3pm two days a week with a Polish au pair who is lovely but has slightly limited English, but if she is spending most of her waking hours with someone, I'd like them to speak good English. She sounds a lovely woman but she plans to speak to your child all day, five days a week in fractured, limited English. If it was two or even three days a week, I might well consider it, but for five long days? No.

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