Childminder needed in E5/N16 from February --- Panic

[pixiepolar]

Hi there,
my Partner and I have recently split and I will be moving to London early next year. Now I have the task of finding a flat, a job and ... it seems the most difficult task ... childcare for my 14 months old son.
I have put his name down in about 8 nurseries now, and will be starting to call around childminders from the list the learning trist send me. So far there are only 3 who say they have availabilities in the area I'm looking N16, bordering E5.
Is there any other place I can look, or are all childminders in the learning trust documents?
I need a full time place and I don't have much hope that one of the three will have exactly what I need.
I know I shouldn't panic yet, but it's all a bit much right now.
please help
cheers
Claudia

A list of childminders is usually supplied by the local council. Learning Trust is part of that (for Hackney area) I think, but not sure. Also try neighbouring local authorities, as although you may have further to take your son, you may find someone with suitable vacancies.

ChildcareLink.gov.uk - Link goes to Central London area. ChildcareLink will not list all childminders - but you can find phone numbers for each local authority there, so you can call them and ask for vacancies lists.

pixie, I am also looking for care for a slightly younger baby from Feb/March next year, a little north of your new area in Tottenham. I sent out about 6 or 7 emails to people on the Childcare Information List, got 3 back from people who said they can offer places. I've decided one just lives too far from us, and am seeing the other two this week. I met one yesterday and have pretty much decided I would be happy to take my son there to look after. So, what I'm saying is, don't give up. Three possibilities sounds like a start.

Where will you be working and how will you be taking your child to nursery/minder? - that may be worth thinking about in terms of your search area. For example, the nearest other local authority to you apart from Hackney is my own - Haringey. If you could find a minder in N15 who lives relatively near Seven Sisters tube, it might just make up for the extra travelling time.

You could ask for a list covering a wider area and use streetmap.co.uk to work out just how far away minders would be.

Good luck.

I'm a nanny and will be looking for part time work in that area from Feb when I go back to univeristy. If you can't find a childminder to cover all the hours you need and are thinking of a nanny for the extra let me know