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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

CM Club: what records to keep/day diaries HELP!!

9 replies

FooFooTrue · 19/04/2007 13:59

Hi all, i am newly registered and have just taken on first mindee, only one day a week. He is my nephew but as I am being paid i want to do it all properly. I am a member of the NCMA and have their contracts/accounts books etc... I wanted to know if other minders just used them or kept other records as well. Also for those who do day diaries what do you record? just what ate,did etc??... Sorry for the dumb questions, appreciate any comments/help!!

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TheIronLady · 19/04/2007 14:03

I use NCMA Contracts etc

In children's day diaries, I record anything we have done during the day (well, whatever I have time to record) also what they eat, nappy changes and naps.

I have also just started using 0-3 trackers which incorporates the BT3; these are great as they are just tick boxes!

PinkChick · 19/04/2007 14:06

where did you get thsoe trackers from iron lady?

i fill in diary of each child, just run down of things they have done/played/eaten, if they slept, when they did something good/funny any questions from me and at end of week any comments from parent.

i use ncma paperwork in its entirety, then i have a normal black diary for paretns to write in the time they actually arrive and time they actually leave(for health and safety, ofsted are big on this, but helps-with future mindees- if parents are always late/early!

TheIronLady · 19/04/2007 14:31

Hi pinkchick

Got them from QED Publications www.qed.uk.com
as well as a manual on making 'Birth to three matters' work for you!

I got these because I was worried about my lack of knowledge re. observations etc and the BT3 - these are an absolute godsend for me - explains everything. Just need to learn now about planning (on paper)...

PinkChick · 19/04/2007 14:36

sounds good as my inspector said i may have got higher grade if i had all my birth to three in palce(plus she wanted me to live on a farm and grow my own food, but hey ho!)

ThePrisoner · 19/04/2007 20:47

I write the diaries as if it is the mindee writing it - it means that I can legitimitely say, "I did a right stonker of a nappy" (Ofsted don't like us being negative, but I obviously can't help it if the "child" has written it!!)

ThePrisoner · 19/04/2007 20:58

They also "write" about what they've eaten/drunk, where we've been, who/what they may have played with, and all the lovely things that their wonderful childminder has done with them (stories, painting etc).

If a mindee is learning how to do something -using scissors, for instance - the mindee also writes about that (so that I can prove to Ofsted that I'm really good at making observations and planning their next stage of development!)

Sometimes they tell their mummies and daddies if their childminder is completely knackered by the end of the day.

AskABusyPerson · 19/04/2007 22:04

I use NCMA attendance book, accounts book and accident/incident book as well as contracts.

I keep a 'bullet point' style house diary with the places we've been, activities we've done, toys we've had out, food we've eaten and any themes I've managed to stick to!

For my regular mindee (I have one regular, the other 6 are on a flexible, ad-hoc basis!) I write in a notebook a chatty account of what the mindee has been doing, eating, napping, saying etc, and the parents add to it as well.

I know other childminders who do no diaries and just give a brief account of what the day's been like to parents at the end of the day, and others who do a short 'played with xxx, eaten xxx, slept for xxx and had nappy changed xxx times. Guess it depends what parents like, my regular mindee's parents love the diary and only recently the mum said she reads it with her dd at the end of the week and talks about the things in it - I was quite touched!

Original poster

FooFooTrue · 23/04/2007 19:35

Thanks all for your comemnts. Can I ask what you all do about expenses, can you just use the ncma book or do you need to do tour own spreadsheets? also do you keep all receipts? I know you don't need to if under £10 but that way I think I'd have no receipts!! Thanks

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AskABusyPerson · 23/04/2007 20:23

If you don't use the ncma book I think you have to keep some sort of similar records, you can put things in if you've bought eg paper for £1.00 or a book for £5.99 but if you bought lots of things together from the same shop and the total cost is over £10 then you have to keep the receipt - Inland Revenue requirement. Tbh I keep all receipts so I know what I've spent - if I don't keep it I forget I've bought something and hence forget to write it in!

If you are an NCMA member you should have got or will get three booklets, one of these explains expenses, and also what can and can't be claimed.

Hope this helps!

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