Childminders vs nurseries

[SophieB85]

Hi everybody, I wondered if I could get some advice? I'm expecting my first child April 2018. I've just come to realise that I need to be enrolling them now into childcare well over a year in advance as a lot of nurseries appear to have large waiting lists. I'm finding the experience quite daunting as I require a maximum of two days. This doesn't seem like much in comparison to some parents who have full time but the cost is almost not worth me working (staff nurse) I just wondered if anybody knows whether a childminder is a slightly cheaper option or whether both types of childcare are on par with each other, price wise. Thank you.

We use a nursery, it's a lovely environment with great staff. My husband did consider a childminder until a friend pointed out we'd need time off when they go on holiday and also the fact if they are sick chances are there is no cover so you could end up stuck.
There is only about £5 a day difference between local childminders and our nursery.
Our nursery hours are good too, 7:30-6:30

My 1 year old boy is with a childminder a few days a week. We originally had him signed up for a nursery but when a space became available with a local CM we switched him over (husband and wife team). He’s only been going since the new year but he’s already happy and settled - and he’s what I’d describe as a high needs baby. I think the calm, home from home environment has been ideal for him. Cost of our CM is the same as nursery. We don’t pay when they take holidays though. I wouldn’t have had any reservations about sending him to nursery but I do think it would’ve taken him a lot longer to settle. I don’t worry about him at all when I’m at work. CM writes detailed reports on his progress, which I look forward to reading each week!

Thank you so much to everybody who has responded and given me their personal experiences.

Having read through them all, I think it really is a case of coming down to personal choice and which works best in terms of hours, holidays and sickness.

I shall keep on researching both nurseries and childminders

Thank you everybody x

I'm on a lower band than you and have two in nursery and have money to spare. It's not just the salary, it's pension, maintaining your skills & registration, etc... look into the tax free childcare account.

I did a mixture of childminder and nursery to start with but stopped the childminder and they're now only at nursery.

They much prefer the nursery but it's a very small, family run nursery. The childminder worked alone and it seemed a bit chaotic!

I'd advise a childminder if it's a team or childminder with an assistant and a nursery if it's small and homely.

A child minder is usually much cheaper but generally it is just one person so if they are sick, on holiday or have a family emergency you maybe stuck.
In a nursery their are multiple staff so if one nursery assistant is off sick, on holiday or has a family emergency you are unaffected.
We chose a nursery as as an older mum I didn’t want my children having a strong bond to another individual/mother figure. Also I didn’t want to have to take annual leave to fit in with the child minded. Plus some child minders are much better than others. Some go to soft play/playgroup pay a minimal price and meet up with other child minders sip coffee and chat and don’t seem to give a flying you know what for the children in their care.

I agree having two D.C. just over a year apart initially I was paying more in childcare than I earned. But with pay rises, moving up the incremental scale and once the free childcare places kick in, its worth it longer term not to loose your footing in the labour market.
Also you might appreciate the perks of work I.e. a change of scenery, adult conversation, going to the loo in peace and drinking a coffee before it goes cold two days a week etc etc.

Some people have said nurseries were more expensive, but that really depends on the area and hours you need, so do plenty of research.

Where I am, childminders are about 4.50 an hour. We would need them for 11 hours per day, due to commuting times. The nursery is 46 per day for the same hours, so they ended up being slightly more affordable.

I have a massive trust issue with childminders. I know they are all checked and registered etc and 99% of them will be doing a great job but how does anybody really know what's going on behind the scenes?
Nurseries have multiple staff so bad eggs should be weeded out.

Wow @CheesecakeAddict £90 a day for nursery? Are you in somewhere like Kensington & Chelsea? We are in Zone 3 North London and ours is only £65 for 7.30 am to 6pm.

BrightEyes27 intereting what you say about not wanting your boy to have a strong bond to another mother figure. I think I might have also been motivated by this into choosing nursery over childminder, but hadn’t actually admitted it to myself. Interested why you say that this is a particular issue for you “as an older mother”? I am one of those too, I was 43 when he was born.

AvoidingDM ..................you wont believe what goes on behind the closed doors of some nurseries and the many recent issues that have com to court show its not about the type of setting or safety in numbers. The fact is you don't know in any type of setting 100% and you are not safer in larger settings. But then statistically your child is more at risk visiting friends and family.

Following for info due to go back to work in summer and need to think about childcare x

JessieMcJessie Wed 14-Feb-18 23:27:11

BrightEyes27" intereting what you say about not wanting your boy to have a strong bond to another mother figure. I think I might have also been motivated by this into choosing nursery over childminder, but hadn’t actually admitted it to myself. Interested why you say that this is a particular issue for you “as an older mother”? I am one of those too, I was 43 when he was born"

I think this is a massive part in many parents decision if they were honest I know before I studied childcare I was of similar mind now I know about the secure attachment and its importance in development and self esteem I'm glad I made different choices. Your children will never feel a greater bond for the person who looks after them in childcare they know who their parents are and the professional practitioner will support them in a loving caring way to know who their family is not seek to replace or undermine them. Its so important that the guidance makes provision in nurseries to have a key worker to try to build a close bond however many nurseries don't achieve this and use it mainly for paperwork. A good setting should always have the key worker available to meet your child daily and to hand them back to you unfortunately staff shortages and illness etc can make this impossible.

So far so good with my DS keyworker jannier, very available and consistent and he is happy to go to her each morning. But what I like is that she is not the only adult in his daily environment.

Brighteyes27 - many cms will use groups as the child's time to separate and explore without close contact because for the rest of the 9 or 10 hours a day they are very close to the carer so watching and supervising from a distance allows the children some freedom I would be more concerned by a childminder insisting that all 3 children stuck to them like glue spending 5 mins at each activity in turn and not being independent. AT nursery they will be cruising the room for large amounts of time mixing with maybe 10 to 20 children freely and observed from a distance with support given at particular tables and activities and free play in between.
As long as the cm steps in if support is needed or if a disagreement does not get resolved (not at the first sign of one as children need the chance to resolve issues on their own to find their voice etc.).
Its the cm's, grandparents and parents who are not watching that cause the problem but distance coffee and talking do not mean you are not watching.

JessieMcJessie - cm's often have more than one adult I work closely with many of my LA's cm's and they mainly work with others or network daily this allows the benefits of a larger setting and the close bond that a child needs.
I'm glad your nursery is adopting the system as intended I know when I go into nurseries its more common that the key worker is not in the room not just at drop off and collection but also when the parents are not on premises. I've been in some with a bell system all staff return to room before doors are opened for visitors, some write up daily diaries with days activities and food at 10 am, and 20 identical learning journeys but as most would only see one they don't know every child did the same perfect picture, ate the same slept the same etc. Similarly there are bad cm's and very good of both my point is the type of setting does not mean you are getting a better quality just because it is one or the other its individual to each setting.

@JessieMcJessie I wish! This is zone 6 sw London. Technically Surrey. The problem is, that every single nursery is owned by the bright horizons group with the exception of one ( and those attached to schools but only start from 3 years old). So they can charge what they like as there's no alternative.

CheesecakeAddict That is exactly what we warned would happen a few years ago, and it's getting worse.

Childminders and independent nurseries are going out of business. Soon, the options will be restricted to school-based nurseries, big nursery chains and the odd rare-as-hens-teeth childminder.

And they'll be able to charge what they like.

There was a recent article in Nursery World about how foreign nursery chains, such as Bright Horizons, are viewing the British nursery market as a sound investment.
www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news/1160060/overseas-investors-turn-uk-nurseries-into-hot-property

Both my children attended nursery the eldest is very confident and sociable. I also attended a small first time mum group with him as I worked part time and a few of us stayed in touch for quite a while. I attributed much of his confidence and sociabilenes to nursery. When comparing him with children who hadn’t mixed due to always being with their mums or grandparents. Although the DC who had spent a lot of tine with grandparents were often too confident and adult like which often distanced them from other children when starting school.
My younger DD also attended nursery but being a second child very close in age I often felt like I was dragging her along to socialise with DS’s little friends and mums. She is much less confident.

Jannier i accept nurseries are no guarantee either. But my theory stands that while nursery workers have ended up in court over their treatment of children. The reason they got into court is because they were caught probably by other staff. Its still more difficult to catch a child minder.

It’s more likely that nursery staff will keep quiet. That was shown by the Vanessa George case, when other staff said they were uncomfortable but didn’t speak up.
You see it with posters on here and on other boards who would rather give notice in disgust than report. The worst case scenario is that they all join in with victimising a child.

Abuse is very rare in childcare settings, but Jannier is right. A childminder is no more likely than a nursery to be untrustworthy “behind closed doors”. In fact, not many childminders do stay shut up inside: they’re out and about in full view of a public that’s very ready to report to Ofsted.

I’d also point out that, particularly with the big chains, they will take out an injunction to prevent reports detrimental to their business. They will also change name and get a new, clean Ofsted registration.

@CheesecakeAddict can I ask is your £90 per day based on the full time rate? My DS goes to a BH nursery (may be different area but it is Zone 6 and classed as Surrey). The full time daily rate will be £70 per day from 1st April. Just wondering if we are paying less than average?

My child minder is open 24 hours a day. She is available to look after kids whose parents work night shifts. She has only ever had to look after one such child.

I know a childminder who is shocking. She has her own child who is always unwell so she often cancels, has no structure and lets her children watch tv for up to 3 hours a day. My children attend a nursery and they love it. So much more reliable and much more structured.

Ubercornsdiscoball - how do you know what happens in her home? Have you visited and seen this? If so why have you not reported them?
Its not unusual to get malicious complaints by neighbours who don't like parents dropping off or children playing in the garden so if you are just hearing gossip encourage the witness to report it as any setting that is doing wrong needs reporting. If you have seen it yourself you need to report it but why on earth did you sit there for 3 hours watching her without doing something sooner?
How do you know how much she cancels or were you the client? In which case give us details of how much is too much, I've just dealt with one case where a cm was given notice for being unreliable after4 years no cancellations and then her mother dies meaning she had a funeral and only gave 1 weeks notice. So I do like to see how reasonable a claim is.
Obviously as I said before there are good and bad of every setting but if you choose a cm who has good relationships with the children long term and repeat customers as well as going out and being available for LA and parents to visit unannounced it a lot harder to put on an act whilst when you have locked doors and staff who are apprentices often desperate to be kept on after doing their qualification for the income of £3.80 an hour its less likely they will speak up (many 17 year olds would be too scared anyway). I would be looking at the age of staff and how long they have been there.