How do you do it?

[mummyb201303]

Hi I'm a qualified teaching assistant but struggling to get work atm so am working as a midday supervisor in a local school but it's only 5hrs a week. So trying to think of a way to bump up my wage.

And I was thinking of offering a drop off and pick up service to and from school - as my daughter is only 6yrs old.

How would I go about this? Would it be viable?

I've got an up to date DBS and a childcare level 3 diploma and I've done a childminding course

Any help would be gratefully received x

Would it pay you in the long run, i imagine your insurance would need tweeked so your premium could take a hike. might be more beneficial to register as a childminder and offer both services.

I'd love to offer the full service but I don't have the room at my house

I would jump at the pick up/drop off service as im having problems finding someone in my area to do this so i think there will be a market. I would start by looking into the insurance first..seems it would the most expensive area but maybe not. Good luck, hope it works out for you

You may or may not be required to register with Ofsted as a childcare provider.

Would you use a vehicle?

What ages would you serve?

Would you be caring for children in their own homes?

Would you be caring for them in your home?

Would you be providing care for more than 2 hours in any one day?

Would you be providing food of any kind?

At a practical level.....

How much money do you need to make from this?

Will your current employer allow you to do this while continuing to work at your part time job in school?

My school job is only an hour a day - 5hrs per week (lunchtime)

I'm not sure who to ask if I'm honest. I couldn't have children in my home as it is too small. And no where to keep separate.

Yes I'd use my car

Where would you have the children then? You’ve posted in childminders section and spoken about a childminding course. Childminding is childcare in your home....

If in the child’s home then it’s a nanny and you become an employee. Who would collect your child whilst you’re working for someone else?

Would you actually be providing "childcare" or just picking children up, driving them somewhere and dropping them off, like a taxi service?

Parents would need to drop off their children between 7-830am. You'd need somewhere to let them play, perhaps feed them breakfast. After school care could be till 6pm also.
Car insurance won't go up much, it's business use.
Ofsted have requirements you would need to meet. PACEY is a good place to start, they can supply you with liability insurance and contracts.
Ofsted £35 a yr, pacey was around 85. But iv been out of the game several yrs

@SheChoseDown

With respect, I don’t think you’ve read the thread thoroughly enough. The OP says she won’t be providing care at her own premises, so it isn’t childminding, and there is no question of when the parents will be dropping off and picking up, etc.

@mummyb201303

Ok, so you I’ve understood that you won’t provide care on your own premises, but it’s not entirely clear what service you are proposing. The details will be critical as to whether you need to register and whether or not your idea is financially viable, or even legal.

Will you be caring for children in their own home?

Or are you thinking of a purely pick up/drop off service between home/school and vice versa?

Perhaps I'm not reading it correctly, I apologise.
Though I can't see how a collection /drop off service would work. If parents are at home to have their kids collected for the school run they'd surely save the money and do it themselves?
The point of wrap around care and to make it worthwhile for both parties is to do it for a few hours at a time?

@SheChoseDown

Don’t worry. I’m equally at a loss to figure out what the OP is proposing or how it could work.

She won’t use her own premises, so has three options.

1. Provide care in the client’s home before/after school. This is nannying. It can be registered or unregistered. If registered, it incurs some costs and Ofsted interference. If not, it will cost families more to use her, so less likely to attract business. Crucially she’s limited to working for two families. This will severely limit earning potential.

1. Provide care at school. This will require the school's permission and some form of Ofsted registration. Despite successive governments pushing this idea, schools are generally reluctant. I can’t see a school being interested, as she’s only going to have one car-load of children. Even if they are interested, they will likely insist on terms, conditions and charges that mean one car-load simply won’t pay.

1. A purely door-to-door transport service. This, quite simply, isn’t childcare. It’s taxiing, and she’d be in a whole different ball game of regulations, insurance, etc.

Sorry, posted too soon...

Door to door 'taxiing' isn’t going to suit many families. Where’s the benefit to parents? It might save them 15 minutes, and do they really want their children driven around, left unattended while other children are picked up, etc?

The OP will also need to check her employment contract and probably seek permission from the school/LA where she works. They could well refuse, as there are possible conflicts of interest that could arise. Get this wrong and she could be fired.

If she gets the matter of registration wrong, she could be prosecuted. A conviction in relation to the care of children would also mean losing her PT job, and she'd be refused any work with children in future too.

It’s one of those nice little ideas that turns out to be a minefield once you consider the nitty gritty of it.

I can't offer care in my house as it is too small and I have separate room for the children to be.

I had thought of hiring somewhere close to school so we could walk there. Plus I could offer care before school and the wrap around care after school.

Tbh was just an idea. I'd have to do some research into it and see if it was financially doable.

My job is only 5hrs a week and not sure how likely it'll be to get some teaching assistant experience in as well. My problem is I can't live off 5hrs a week. So was trying to think of ways I can keep my school job and also still work with children.

As I say I was just kicking some ideas around. And thought I'd ask people that would know more than me

Thanks

*i haven't got a separate room

You don’t need a separate room I don’t and I’m still graded outstanding.

That would be childcare on non-domestic premises so a different type of registration with ofsted. I can imagine for one minute that would be financially viable.

If I were you I'd get in touch with local nurseries, schools, child minders and see if there are any jobs available. Especially as it could only be temporary as you're a qualified TA

To rent a premises, pay for heating, toys, tables etc. Get it up to a decent standard suitable for children inside, safe and appealing etc.
How much money would you realistically make? Get a job where they pay you hourly and chill 😊👍

Are you intending to be a childminder or are you thinking more along the lines of becoming a pre/after school nanny in the child's own home?

Why would you need a separate room childminding is home based many use a living room and have small homes.

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat

I agree, it sounds like childcare on non-domestic premises. Do you happen to know what the adult-child ratios are for that type of care? And could one person do it alone?

I’m doubting whether the OP could make it pay. Or she’d at least need to do it on quite a large scale, with several employed staff, before she began to cover her costs. I’m guessing it would take several months or more of running at a loss before she built up enough business to break into a profit situation.

It’s like trying to get blood out of a stone...

Good luck OP no idea what you’re trying to do but all the best with it!

If you’re renting somewhere else then you’re opening a nursery, albeit one with reduced hours.

Whatever it is, it isn’t a nursery.

A nursery mainly or wholly provides day care for children of preschool age. The OP isn’t proposing that at all.

This is wraparound care for school children, before/after school. It’s not clear whether she intends to offer holiday care too. She’s apparently intending to include a door-to-door pick up and drop off from/to their homes.

On the face of it, it appears to be a before/after school facility, which would probably need to come under Ofsted registration as 'childcare on non-domestic premises'. I’m not at all sure where she stands on the transport aspect.

It will need to be quite a big operation with several staff and lots of up-front expenses which will take a considerable time to recover. If she has enough clients to make it pay, the door-to-door service will be high-cost and need a lot of organising.