Setting up as a childminder - would these things put you off using me?

[Ladybird909]

My daughter started school last September and I'm thinking of setting up as a childminder before and after school only with drop off and pick up from her school.

Currently my partner and I split the school runs pretty much 50/50 and we would want to carry on doing that. How would you feel about your child going to a childminder where this happened? Would it matter? (For reference I am female and he is male.)

When the children are in our home, I would always be here apart from perhaps the odd occasion and we would both go through the training and get dbs checks.

The other thing is that we have a dog. It's a smallish and very friendly dog and I would always make sure it wasn't left unsupervised with the children. But it does unfortunately bark very loudly when someone comes to the door. Again, would this put you off using a childminder?

That could just mean required first aid course in order to be her assistant.

He would still require a DBS and would be working with her! It would still be his job.

I doubt it would be the husband’s ‘job’. He might do the required statutory training and get clearance but two of them minding a few children for a couple of hours? How would that make money?

I’d also definitely want holiday care

Where does it say OP will only have a few children? Where I am a Childminder can Be registered for up to 6 children at a time on their own. An assistant allows them to care for more than that. Not sure how many exactly but I know it’s at least 2 more. That’s 8 children for probably 3-5 hours each if doing wraparound care. Deduct OPs own child so 7 mindees. £5 an hour per child X5 hours =£175 a day. He may also have part time work during school hours or evenings/weekends.

“He would still require a DBS and would be working with her! It would still be his job.”

Anyone working with kids unsupervised needs a DBS and I really don’t get why people think it means anything. All a DBS confirms is you’ve not been caught and convicted. It doesn’t measure how trustworthy you are.

Not sure what point you're making. The same stands for the OP. How would any of that mean it isnt his job?

It wouldn't necessarily put me off, but I would certainly visit and expect to meet with your partner and probably be over critical of the dog! They're not instant black marks though, I'd still consider you.

I'd probably want to understand the set up more. Does your DH actually have another job (home based?) and is he just helping out when you are stretched? I would not be keen on that if his attention could be diverted elsewhere. If he is a full time child minder too, that would be OK. I wouldn't be keen on a barking dog though.

“Not sure what point you're making. The same stands for the OP. How would any of that mean it isnt his job?”

OP says she wants to register ass a childminder. It would frankly be ridiculous for her husband to go through the same intensive procedure and be subject to regular reviews, never mind the paper work and insurance to do the school run and... (I leave that open-ended as the OP has been incredibly vague on his actual role and again, I get the feeling she thinks it’s like looking after her own kids and their friends who come over after school, so she may on occasion pop out and her DH would “cover”)

Best if you just google - no point in me repeating what’s already outlined about how one registers to be a childminder.

I wouldn’t be happy with the dog. The husband wouldn’t bother me if he was a childminder as well, my friend and her husband work together as childminders and they have a thriving business. I’m sure he must have another job though, I can’t personally see out of school care term time only being viable enough to create an income for 2 people.

The dog may put me off. However, saying that, my children are now cared for by somebody with a small yappy dog and the experience has made my smallest much more comfortable around dogs in general. That was handled very sensitively though: she has multiple ways to separate the dog/children (baby gates/cage/fenced area within the garden) and follows the children's lead. My youngest is five. I would want to personally supervise a toddler.

Partner - no problem as long as I’d met him and he’d had appropriate checks and training. Dog... I always said this wouldn’t put me off, but I have recently been visiting childminders and two of them had dogs - and when it came to it I did find it offputting. I think if everything else was right about someone the dog would not be a dealbreaker, but if I found someone equally suitable without a dog that would be my preference. As PPs have said - you’ll get some people who are fine with it all and some who aren’t - depends who is in your area and what they’re looking for.

OP says she wants to register ass a childminder. It would frankly be ridiculous for her husband to go through the same intensive procedure and be subject to regular reviews, never mind the paper work and insurance to do the school run and.

Again, not sure what point you think you’re making. Idea he is registered as her assistant that is still his job! Fgs.

no point in me repeating what’s already outlined about how one registers to be a childminder.

I’m familiar with the process

As long as your husband was formally registered as a childminder or your assistant I'd be fine with that. The only reservation I'd have related to this is that my DD is 10 months old and settling in with the childminder has been a fairly painful process. It would be unsettling for a young child to suddenly find that the carer they are used to has disappeared and they're being looked after by your husband instead. So I'd say that with preschool children your husband would need to spend plenty of time with them so that they were as comfortable with him as they are with you.

I would only be happy about the dog if the room where the children play is out of bounds for the dog.

Notall, I’m not sure why you’re confused as I’m responding to what you wrote “Your husband being there as a second childminder ”
OP never said he’s registering as one. If you’re familiar with the process, then you know being a childminder and being an assistant to a childminder are not the same job.

I'm looking into childminding and want to know if you can offer sessions like a nursery. I want to offer like a 9-12 or 8-12 then 1-4 allowing me to potentially have more children. Also looking into cochildminding with my mum who was once a child minder. Any advice would be helpful and appreciated.

You can offer sessions but I think that would limit your customer base. You have to remember, most people use childminders as they are working. It would be very hard for them to have to collect for an hour mid day. That being said, there are people who would just want a few hours morning or afternoon to use in conjunction with another setting. I think it would limit the amount of business you would receive though from personal experience

Lolly that would be a very niche market - there must be some people who’d want a half day but surely very few.

Most people I know find nursery school sessions very inconvenient. What happens is they have to either drop off the child in the morning and have a childminder collect them at 12 and keep them til they finish work or they have to drop to the childminder before the nursery drop off too. Nursery sessions are really quite useless in terms of childcare. Because they aren’t childcare. They are for education. Which you wouldn’t be providing so what benefit would there be to anyone using you for those useless hours? If you want to be a childminder then you are doing it to provide childcare for people who work! You’re going to have to be a bit more flexible with your working hours if you expect to get any children to look after.

ZibbidooZibbidooZibbidoo " Nursery sessions are really quite useless in terms of childcare. Because they aren’t childcare. They are for education. Which you wouldn’t be providing so what benefit would there be to anyone using you for those useless hours?"

Whilst I agree with the gist of your thread actually the educational content of child-minding, nursery, preschool are exactly the same just delivered in a different environment. Which is why all these settings are allowed to take funding and child-minders attend training on phonics, numeracy etc. which in my borough is run by the same early teaching teams and to the same content as to nurseries just in the evenings. We are inspected against the same early years goals and by the same inspectors. Many of us have degrees and an increasing number have early year teaching status.

Dog would be a big no for me with pre school kids and I wouldn't be worried about the husband as long as he was dbs checked and I knew about it in advance

Ah! I’m not in England. CMers where I am dont have to provide any education or undergo training on phonics or numeracy etc. It’s not like nursery school at all. Thankfully.