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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 - Why don't people respect Childminder's?

28 replies

LoveMyGirls · 29/05/2007 21:32

Why?

I have my own business, i'm a business woman i deserve a bit of respect, I'm currently being treated as someone who would otherwise be at home, so it doesn't matter if people mess me about because i'd be here with my kids anyway - No i wouldn't I'd have to work because I have to earn a living, my dp is not on enough to afford for me to be a sahm and i don't get help with childcare costs from wftc.

Why is this such an unrecognised job?
It's hard, it's not like looking after your own children, it's much more responsibility, paperwork, planning etc etc

Will this ever change?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

bonkerz · 29/05/2007 21:35

not sure it will TBH unless we start charging alot more!! I offer more activities than the nursery i worked at, i offer better cooked food than the nursery and i offer a better standard of care than the nursery i worked at BUT agree it is not recognised by others...although my parents of my 2 full timers definaely know they are on to a good thing!

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 29/05/2007 21:40

Charging alot more sounds appealing but not going to happen - ever, people already moan about the cost of childcare, I can understand it from their point of view especially those who don't get help with it. What annoys me is the way people don't expect you to charge if they don't want the care for a week/ few hours a day etc like because they suddenly don't need me i suddenly don't have my own children/ bills to pay for.

The way they can't even be bothered to phone me, it's always me chasing them to find out arrangements, if i don't i'm left hanging not having a clue in which case i turn others away who need the space and are happy to pay for it etc etc

OP posts:

Katymac · 29/05/2007 21:41

If you use a good childminer - often you will expect her to be better

I sent out questionaires recently and got a poor result

I got 40% replys - half said I was fab, half said I needed to try harder
The other 60% didn't bother (despite being chased for them)

We are trained, often supported, independant and hard working - but for everyone of us that is good there is an equal number (IMO) who are only doing this because their children are young & they want to stay at home - and do it with little effort to "run a business"

Original poster

LoveMyGirls · 29/05/2007 21:54

I can't believe over half didnt bother to respond and that some said you needed to try harder - though i guess at least it gives you some goals etc not that you are unambitious, you take this more seriously than most childminders i know.

I plan to do this for a long time to come and still consider myself new and inexperienced (been open just over a year now) the things that make me think about if i can do this forever is the fact we don't get respect/ get messed about and the money isn't reliable.

OP posts:

Katymac · 29/05/2007 21:56

Can't deny the unreliability of the money (esp atm)

Lots of good C/Mers do NVQ's then go into training

kittypants · 29/05/2007 21:59

i love my childminder and think it must be hard work.i worked in a preschool that was hard enough but on your own,in your own home-i think you should demand respect.id love to do it but dont know if i could!

rookiemum · 29/05/2007 22:22

Ok this is a CM thread so I hope I am not intruding.

I respect my CM more than just about anybody else in my life. Why , because she looks after rookietoddler wonderfully and genuinely cares for him, he loves her to bits and seems happy to go there. I would never mess her around, I hate being late and always stick to arrangements, probably because its the way I am, but also because I wouldn't want to give her any reason to give us notice.

She charges slightly over the odds for the area, and sticks to her guns - doesn't work every other Friday which is fairly inconvenient for me, but as she is so fab I am prepared to work round it.

NKF · 29/05/2007 22:24

Hardly anyone who looks after/works with children gets any respect. Not mothers, not childminders, not teachers. The only exceptions might be a paediatrician or a child psychotherapist. Everyone else nada.

cornsilk · 29/05/2007 22:35

I have nothing but admiration for my cm - I know that I couldn't do it!

Earthymama · 29/05/2007 22:40

I agree NKF, it's because it is viewed as an extension of women's traditional domestic role as is any caring profession.
Just carry on doing what you do because you want to be the best you can and you will OK!

jandeb · 03/06/2007 21:47

Hi, just registared as a childminder, and have noticed the lack of respect out there.
I think the word childminder is out of date and should be changed to get rid of the attitude towards us.

Katymac · 03/06/2007 21:49

Professional Childcare Practioner

This was rejected by NCMA as a possible alternative

MadamePlatypus · 03/06/2007 21:52

If its any consolation, I hadn't really occurred to me to use a childminder until I started using MN, but now it would be my first choice of childcare.

Tommy · 03/06/2007 21:53

I think the word childminder gives the impression that you are "just" "minding the children" - i.e. making sure they are OK but not really doing anything more than that

I know you don't do that and I have every respect for all of you cos I think you do a great job. I had a conversation with my MIL this weekend about SIL's childminder - MIL thinks the CM " must make loads of money - she looks after 4 children". I did try to point out that SIL is paying someone else to look after her most precious things but MIL didn;t see, to see it like that. I think she thinks CM should do it as a favour or something and just get expenses or soemthing!

fransmom · 03/06/2007 21:54

i agree that cm's don't get enough respect. people don't relaise the kind of work that goes into it unless they realy think about it.

Katymac · 03/06/2007 21:58

Scary

meeting the planners with final plans on Thursday

trying to get a business angel to put up an extra £30K

do you know I am starting to think it might actually happen

fransmom · 03/06/2007 22:11

good for you

for katy mac

mymatemax · 03/06/2007 23:38

We would be poorer in so many ways if it weren't for our fantastic Childminder.
We chose to use a CM because we wanted our dc to be in a loving caring environment when not with us.
After our first CM retired I thought I was going to have to give up work & then we found our current CM.
She is amazing, loving, caring, patient & I'm ashamed to admit underpaid.
Our youngest has sn & she welcomed him without question. I often get excited phone calls from her when he has done something for the first time.
I have so much respect for cm's, just wish I ahd the skills needed to do such a worthwhile job.

Katymac · 04/06/2007 08:28

Mum2Luke · 04/06/2007 13:47

I think Professional Childcare Practitioner is a good name, 'childminder' is very out of date as we are alot more than babysitting. Ofsted expects us now to do observations and assessments for no more pay.

I have NVQ Level 3 Early Years and do hours of extra training in my own time when I do not feel like going out after having been up since 6.30am.

My husband has flatly refused to let me put posters etc as he says its his home, not a nursery. Does anyone else have this with their husbands/partners? I cannot afford to go out to work as we have 3 children (16,13 and 5 yrs) and we would struggle without my small wage, we do not get any help with childcare and have no relatives to help either.

OFSTEDoutstanding · 04/06/2007 13:56

My dh don't have the problem with the posters as I have confined them to one pinboard in the hall with reg cert, OFSTED poster and a couple of others. He does however get throughly P*ed off with all the toys everywhere when the mindees go home. Not a problem when they are age appropriate to ds but its the bouncy chairs and baby stuff that gets him annoyed

Mum2Luke · 04/06/2007 14:07

We have only got a small hall with no space to put a pinboard, the only place is the dining room. The only 2 things he has allowed is the OFSTED reg cert and NVQ Level 3 cert and they are behind the bloody door!

I would love a playroom to put the toys in but we'd have to build a conservatory and take some of the small garden away.
OFSTED has taken all the pleasure out of this job, I used to enjoy it but I do not enjoy doing planning and obs etc as I think they are wasted on some parents, they just do not care. If you send paintings home, they just ask the child 'what is it?' in a sarcastic way and probably put it in the bin, thats the sort of parents I deal with. They don't like paying when I am available to work but take their child on holiday, they moaned when I couldn't have him due to him injuring himself when at his Grandparents' and I bet they'll try to pay half-fees for that week, nursery charged full and I have the same standards.

fransmom · 04/06/2007 21:43

mum2luke thats disgusting. i love the pics that dd gets from cm's - she's doem some paintings there that are still on display - she's done some new ones so will have to change them. th eold ones will go into an art folder - not the bin.

it makes you wonder how the child feels when they see their work in the bin

rantinghousewife · 04/06/2007 21:51

Well, I would have a cm over a nursery any day. When I worked my cm was an absolute saviour and although ds is a teenager now, she still asks after him every time I see her, and if I get the job I'm after, dd will go to a cm too. Think cm's are under-rated, most of the ones I know do a fantastic job and are worth every penny and then some.

KaySamuels · 04/06/2007 22:42

I have to say I do think that sadly in my area cms are seen as cheap childcare, and the childminders with the lower rates get the most work, with parents going to whoever chrges the least.

Some parents do not want formal reports, lesson plans, a huge wad of policies to read through, etc. They want their children looked after in a similar manner to how they would look after them if they were at home. Toys, and paints and someone to wipe their tears if they cry.

Parents do not realise how many hours cms need for paperwork/policies/training/ofsted. I love cm'ing but Ofsted do suck the joy out of it!

I have to say NFK's comment is spot on. Caring professions are not respected at all sadly.

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