I want to be a childminder but I've got some questions.

[Lauracrazygirl]

Hello!
For context a little about me,

• I am 6 months pregnant,
• currently a classroom assistant (1 year)
• before that nursery nurse (8 years)
• I have a BA in childhood practice
• NC & NHC early education & childcare
• I am still registered with SSSC
• 5 years as a volunteer family support work for a children's charity.
• I have first aid, food hygiene, moving and handling and various other certificates.

So my baby will be here in April and I would like to be a childminder. Firstly it's a lovely way to earn a living and money wise it actually makes more sense than going back to my job.

So here are my questions.

I can't drive (we have a car I just never learned) will that put potential parents off having me as their childminder?

Is it hard to find parents/customers when you are first starting off?

Should I price my hours lower than childminder's in my area? (The average is £4 per hour) to 'get customers through the door'.

I would very much like to cater to ASD children and will design my play/outdoor area with that in mind. Can I advertise myself as a "ASD friendly Childminder" is that a thing?

Any answers, comments or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Laura

You sound very qualified but I would say that a driving licence is a must. We had to change childminders a few years ago as our first one retired. Our new childminder could drive but preferred to walk despite being a fair distance from school - no weather was too bad!!!! My DS didn't mind but my DD grew to hate the walk to school in the winter & I reluctantly allowed her to change to the school breakfast club. Good luck - hope everything works out for you

Are you located fairly close to a number of schools?

I would say that driving is a huge advantage, when looking for a childminder I spoke to a lot of people, and all of them said their biggest fear with a childminder was that they wouldnt ever go anywhere or would be dragged about in a pram all day. Even though that's not necessarily the case without a car of course, I would say it would have put me off. In terms of pricing don't underprice yourself, I pay a few pounds more than youre suggesting an hour, but our CM is incredible, and with your experience dont mug yourself off. In terms of finding people, I put a message out on social media and had a lot of responses from CMS with spaces, so guessing that in some places there is a lot of competition, but a lot of them have been registered for years and years so they must be finding people.

I would say make sure it's what you really want to do, it is ideal in fitting around your own children etc, but it can be hard work and a lot of responsibility.

Thanks for the responses!

I had a feeling my lack of driver's licence was going to be an issue. I have done 10 hours of lessons but stopped due to morning sickness. I still want to learn how to drive but physically I feel unable to right now.

I am a 5 minute walk from one local school. A 15 minute walk from 2 other primary schools or a 5 minute bus ride. I also have a train station 10 minute walk from me that takes us into Glasgow central and east kilbride town centre which has a library/softplay/ice rink. Etc.

Being a childminder really appeals to me and I certainly would not keep the children in all day. Heck I wouldn't my child in all day. They should be out at least once a day to a local park or library.

What about caring for ASD children? I haven't seen many childminder who make a point of highlighting their willingness to take on ASD or down's children?

I would not worry too much about needing a driving licence, you may find there is a lot local groups you can attend so don’t need a car and able to walk to them. It may just affect the age bracket you care for if you need the children to be able to walk confidently and for some distance.

I can't drive (we have a car I just never learned) will that put potential parents off having me as their childminder?

Depends on your location and the likely location of your charges schools if they’re in school. I didn’t drive when I was one but I had a “captive audience” in being on an army base and the schools were on base too all within easy walking distance, plus a few large well maintained parks and a very child friendly library and several children’s groups to go to (sing & play, toddler gym that type of thing) on base too.

Is it hard to find parents/customers when you are first starting off?

Again depends on location and whether there’s demand where you are, you could ask other cm’s in your area they’d give you a good lay of the land. Be prepared to market yourself. Reputation is everything.

Should I price my hours lower than childminder's in my area? (The average is £4 per hour) to 'get customers through the door'.

I would say no. Firstly it doesn’t do to piss off other childminders by undercutting them, not least because if they’re “full” and you’re on good terms they may refer potential customers to you. Also because it’s pointless doing it if you’re not making money. What you’re paid isn’t pure profit/turnover remember you’ll have plenty of overheads too. Registration costs, public liability insurance, maintaining your certification in 1st aid, health & safety, food hygiene and early years training. Plus supplies - you have to have sufficient and varied toys & books and equipment to cover all ages, backgrounds and abilities, child-proofing items, extra cots for naps, baby and toddler plates etc, mats, wipes etc etc...it all adds up! Then there’s general wear and tear on your home.

Also as a parent a cm that’s too cheap would be a red flag to me, smacks of desperation, and inexperience. Value your ability and skills appropriately.

I would very much like to cater to ASD children and will design my play/outdoor area with that in mind. Can I advertise myself as a "ASD friendly Childminder" is that a thing? this is very tricky and from how you’ve worded that suggests to me you don’t actually have much knowledge or experience in this area, because even within one condition there can be great variety of ability and needs, inc equipment and layout needs. Think you need to research this much more.

Quite honestly you need to get experience as a “regular” childminder first, because you don’t yet know how you’re going to find actually doing it. Working in childcare in other settings is NOT the same. It’s quite another ball game doing it solo.

Also it can easily take 6 months to a year to reach the point where you're ready to start taking on charges. Unlikely to happen within a few months.

I don't drive and it's never been a problem for me - if anything most parents seem to prefer their children getting out and about on foot rather than being in the car.
Although other childminders I know can drive most do it rarely as it's a pain getting small children in and out of seats, needing a huge car with lots of baby seats, finding spaces to park. Nicer to walk.

Our childminder doesn't drive and that's a big plus for us. She lives opposite the school she drops off and picks up from though. She goes to local groups and to the park, and our DD (2.5) is very confident walking and will hold onto the pram or pushchair. She also gets together with other local childminders and they do different activities together.
What was important to us, was finding someone who clearly loves children and who we felt comfortable with. Her house is a very homely environment and she is just a lovely person.

If you have a new baby of your own, you might find taking on ASD children a bit more stressful than you would otherwise.

I suspect quite a few parents will be more likely to be put off by you having your own baby to care for, than by you not driving.

Neither would have been a deal breaker for me, but I would consider both to be on my 'cons' rather than 'pros' list, whilst taking into consideration everything about you, and about whoever your 'competition' are.
The not driving depends so much on where you live, in comparison to where you were going each day - be that school runs or other places you might get out and about to with pre-schoolers.

Assuming you are in England in order to become a childminder you need to become Ofsted registered. You have experienced of working with children but there are actually quite a few hoops to jump through to get registered.

You need to:

• complete the childminding CHIP course run by your local authority.
• Obtain a DBS check.
• Any other adult living in your home must also obtain a DBS check.
• You need a statement from your GP to confirm you are medically able to childmind.
• You need to compete a 12 hour paediatric first aid course for childminders (even if you already have another first aid qualification).
• you need to compete a Safeguarding course.
• You need to obtain childminding insurance.
• Ofsted visit your home to check it is suitable.
• You need to register with Environmental Health.
• You need to register with HMRC as self employed.

All that takes quite a bit of time to do. You'd best get the basics sorted before becoming too set on what else you can or can't offer.

Driving may not be a problem if you have lots of local facilities within walking distance. Some parents will be put off by you having a young baby of your own.

Is your baby you are expecting your first child? If so you may also want to get to grips with being a parent and caring for your own baby before committing to care for other children too.

OP may not need to do a childminding course if she is already qualified and confident with the EYFS.
Similarly if she has done a 12 hour paediatric first aid course in the last 3 years she won't need to do another one.

You have a good level of qualifications and seem quite well-suited to the role. As you are close to school I wouldn't worry about driving, although if you can pass the test in the fullness of time it would be a bonus.

If you are really serious about this, my suggestion would be to get any training out of the way before you have your baby, as everything becomes a lot more difficult afterwards! Childminding induction courses are often on Saturday and may be free/cheap if they are run by your LA.

Enjoy some maternity leave, find your feet as a parent for 4-6 months while you do your pre-registration tasks then perhaps begin by taking on 1 or 2 younger school-age children for after school care only. That would ease you into it and also fit quite well with the routine for a small baby e.g. you could walk to school with the pram to collect them, then could feed them their tea at the same time as your baby (when they are 6m+). Then when your baby is over 1 year you could get a double buggy and take on another baby or toddler.

My goodness so many responses! Thank you very much, I really appreciate how detailed and thoughtful all of your responses have been. 💐

Some of you have made the point that although I have experience with children in other environments (nursery, schools etc) childminding is a totally different setting and I should give myself a lot of time to adjust being a childminder before I consider creating a ASD focus service. I think that is a very valid observation and I will certainly take that on board. 👍

I still want to learn how to drive not just for childminding but for myself (I wish I learned it earlier in life) but it is so expensive.
Maybe I should take the approach of setting up my childminding business first and see what my customer base is like? If being dependent on public transport turns too many parents away then I'll just need to bite the bullet and get my drivers licence sorted.

For those asking, Yes this is my first baby and of course I plan to enjoy being with baby! In terms of childminding I don't see myself taking any more than two full time children. So that would be 3 children (including mine).

I have another question about how childminders decide on their prices.

In terms of prices, Two Local nurseries (within 5 miles of me) fees are...

N1 - 0-2 years - £40 - full day - 8am - 6pm
N2 - 0-2 years - £47 - full day - 8am - 6pm

Should I match those prices of charge some where in the middle?

Many thanks for the detailed answers, I have read through all of them, they have given me deal of perspective. 😊

Match your prices to local childminders, not nurseries.

I think you need to adapt to life as a new mum first
..

I wouldn't put my child with a childminder that has just had a baby...

I've got over 20 years experience and had specialised training in ASD but I would not take on more than one child with ASD at a time and I'd need to know their needs and level of support before taking others. The last lo with ASD operated at an 18 month level but was aged 4 he needed a lot of ond to one. Most children dont come to us with s label of ASD it becomes evident as they grow.
Never undercut others knowingly the last thing you need is bad feeling

Nurseries aren't providing the same level of care a childminder is. Their ratios are higher. It's a completely different setup.

Go by other childminders.

Re driving like you I didn't learn or rather didn't pass my test until after I had dd which I really regretted, the freedom driving gave me was immeasurable especially with a little one, I've not had a car for several years as I was on meds I couldn't drive on and I really miss it.

I was a very nervous driver and it took me a while to find an instructor that could really cope with that. Personally I don't think all instructors are equal and I think those good with nervous and older learners should be easier to find

I can't drive (we have a car I just never learned) will that put potential parents off having me as their childminder
It depends. Is there a lot to do in walking distance of your home? If you live in a tiny village or on the outskirts of a big town, it might be more of a problem than living in the centre of a town. I use my car probably 3 days a week. I walk on the school run, but generally drive to activities, if I walk I find too much of the day is taken up getting to and from places.

Is it hard to find parents/customers when you are first starting off? I think it is maybe easier if you have built up a network of other new mums who are going back to work at a similar time to you. You tell them your plans,they already trust you, so it kind of works out. This is how I started. Friends children, whilst maybe not the most professional way, it got me started.

Should I price my hours lower than childminder's in my area? (The average is £4 per hour) to 'get customers through the door
I wouldn’t. I imagine you would start to regret the lost income on days you are working really hard. Don’t underestimate how hard this job can be. By the time you knock of expenses, £4 per hour x 3 children, who might not all be doing the same hours, might not quite be minimum wage per day.

I would very much like to cater to ASD children and will design my play/outdoor area with that in mind. Can I advertise myself as a "ASD friendly Childminder" is that a thing?
I don’t know any cms who advertise themselves like this. But consider that depending on the children’s needs, they may struggle to be one of 3, and if you had 3 dc who all had additional needs, how thinly you would be stretched. (I looked after a child I suspect had ASD and his needs were just too much for me to deal with. He physically hurt the other dc (including the babies) and Me to the point, the other dc were considering giving me notice. It was horrendous and I wouldn’t have wanted my baby to have to deal with it - which is why I gave notice).

I have been asked to look after autistic children from our primary school, before and after/holiday cover and have had to say no. Whist I have every sympathy with their parents struggling to find care, I wouldn’t be able to give their child the 1:1 they need when I have other dc here that need my attention. But every setting is different and for some, this may work for them.

Also, with regard to price, it depends what you are offering. Many parents using the nursery won’t be using the full hours, but paying for them anyway.
Some famili3s use a cm for this reason, so you base their fees around the hours they want. Think carefully before taking on shift workers for this reason. I charge a higher hourly rate if they want less hours per day, as they are blocking a whole days place.
Also, are you providing food, they pay extra for food, bring their own? Providing nappies etc? Charging extra for classes or everything included? Do they get any half price holiday entitlement during the year? All this is important in the comparison. Some parents are bothered about the cost. Some are happy to pay a premium for a better service, it depends on the family.

Also, if you are offering care for a special needs child.
You would normally only have one...
This will be hard work with a very small baby

My childminder doesn't drive and it doesn't bother me - I'm probably happier as i dont then have to worry about them driving my child (just showing a clean drivers licence doesn't mean you are good driver)

My childminder also had a baby about 6 weeks older than my DC when they started with her and they have almost grown up like siblings which is nice

Minding ASD children comes with its own challenges - you may not be able to take on as many other children as they will require more one to one care And may not cope with the constant changes of children

Price wise Childminder's in my area are £35-40 per day - please look at signing up to the tax free childcare account it's a massive help to parents

That’s a good point about driving. I am not sure that I would have wanted someone who was still a novice/new driver to be driving my child around with all the distractions that entails! No offence, as it I found it took me a good year of daily driving to feel really confident on the road. Even the government recognises this with the existence of P plates. Plus would the ‘business use’ insurance be more expensive for new drivers?

It is still worth passing your test for your own convenience, but it definitely seems as if your childminding business would function ok without it.

I think there are 3 things that would worry people in my circle about your current proposal.

1. The driving issue - if you were in my area you wouldn't need a car, so lack of a license wouldn't put us off at all, however if you intended to pass and use your car I would not be happy with a new driver driving my child around.
2. Your own baby - I would never use a CM who was looking after their own small child at the same time (different when they're older) as they'll need (and understandably get) far too much of your attention. I would expect my child to be bottom of your attention list and would not accept that.
3. ASD friendly - whilst it wouldn't bother me personally, I have friends who would avoid using you for their own (NT) child as it would come across as similar to 2 above - those children are likely to need more 121 attention, may have behavioural difficulties etc and there would be a fear again that their child would come last as it were.