thinking of becoming a childminder..................advice please!

[littleladylollipop]

I'm thinking of becoming a childminder next year. Im NNEB qualified, have loooooads of experience and great refs. Am going to set up as a mini nursery (ive been advised i can employ an assistant.)

Could anyone tell me about nubers (both head counts and figures)

Is it really stressful or is it brilliant? (or both!)

p.s will be in midlands!

Max of 6 under 8's - typically it is 6 under 8 of which 3 can be under 5 of which 1 can be under 1. Having an assistant does not increase number of under 8's permitted, but may change how many are permitted in under 5's/under 1's - but TOTAL under 8 can not exceed 6.

Except if the assistant is covering for another childminder

Didn't know that Katymac... learn something new every day

Midlands? That's my area!!! My advice would be not to do it!!!! LOL!!!
I calculate my average £ per hour each month when I do my accounts really lets me know if I'm charging enough. As a result I am one of the most expensive childminders around (but also the only one in my village). Don't sell yourself short. Check out www.childcarelink.gov.uk to find the going rate near you (here it's between £3 and £4 per hour per child). Remember for certain benefits that they discount 2/3 of your gross income ~and gov/tax office don't give you anything for nothing~ so whilst I might say discount half instead ~ calculate how many children and hours you will need to work to earn what you need. Remember this will not include planning/prep time. Way up the other adv and disadv too. You will then know whether it's worthwhile before you start OFSTED hoop jumping!!! Even with your experience you will still have to attend a training course~ I did and I'm a teacher!!!

So if I & DH are both registered the DH goes shopping you can have assistant to cover that........

nannynick - I work with an assistant who isn't a registered childminder and am registered to care for up to 7 under 8's.

littleladylollipop - it's stressful and brilliant all at the same time.

Research, planning, attenton to detail and getting up really early to prepare everything are my tips to reducing stress.

& I can have 9 under 5's with 2 assistants tho' I try not to

Assistants, rather than co-childminders?

National Standard 2.3 Where a childminder employs an assistant or works with another childminder, the same adult:child ratios apply for any additional children. The space available for children on the premises may also affect the numbers for which the provision can be registered.

So is Ofsted now interrupting the above as meaning that with either and assistant, or a co-childminder, the number of children can be increased above 6 under 8's - so in theory, each person can care for 6 under 8's.

You know where to see my cert Nick - go have a look (get my postcode from my website)

Def says minder/assistant

Yes, mine just says works with 'an assistant'.
An inspector phoned me up to discuss how many children I wanted to be registered for whilst working with my assistant.
I also have a 5yr old ds who is normally at school but who would also be an extra if he were at home.

BTW littleladylollipop you NEVER EVER refer to yourself as a mininursery - seriously OFSTED WILL close you down - I got in so much trouble earlier in the year when the paper referred to me as a nursery - even though I had documented evidence that I had always called myself childminding - do be careful

I call myself 'nursery childminding' because that's what I mainly do - provide care for nursery age children ie 0-5's working in an environment and to a routine that I feel is is more similar to that of a nursery than to a family home.

Eg I employ an assistant, don't do school runs and have a dedicated play room.
I don't think it's the word nursery that's the problem but rather the potential deliberate misleading of the public if a childminder themselves (not the daft newspaper) deliberately misses out the word childminding.

lll - I would call myself a childminder with a 'mini-nursery type' environment, or something like that.