Would you say this isn’t typical of an outstanding childminder?

[FairyPaint]

DD started at a nursery aged 20 months and did 2 taster sessions where she was really unsettled and they requested I collected her early (she did a total of 4 hours). We agreed to leave it and maybe try when she is older, around 2.

An outstanding rated childminder said she had space and so DD started there one day a week, aged 21 months. Again she was very unsettled but now 6 months on she is far more settled but does cry briefly on drop off/pick up.

Nursery have contacted me to ask if we’d like to try again now she is 2. The nursery is far more convenient to me (childminder is an hours round trip).

I do like the childminder but in the 6 months DD has been going they’ve only been outside a handful of times, never done any crafting etc, is that normal? Nursery post pictures everyday of what they do with their little ones

WWYD?

What does the childminder say they are doing each day? Not all messy play is about crafts to come home.

What do they do during the day then?

In my experience, nurseries pose children with craft materials for a couple of seconds each to get a photo - and you are only at the child minders one day a week.

Impossible to say

Is your dc only there one day a week? Maybe crafting is scheduled for some of the other days??

An hours round trip is a real inconvenience. I'd try the nursery again. Although one day per week might be too infrequent for her to settle properly

Aren’t early years settings supposed to keep photo diaries to track progress.Or maybe that is just for older kids. I have a book from when mine started at 24 months will lots of artwork, handwriting attempts and photos of what they were up to.

One day a week is too infrequent to settle anywhere.

An hour's round trip is a long way to travel to drop a little one at childcare (although I suspect that depends a little on where you live - there are 4 Nurseries within 500m of my house).

I wouldn't be fretting at lack of "craft" with a child under 2

However, I would expect a childminder to be out and about every day. For me that was one of several advantages of a CMer over a Nursery - the school runs, the trips to the park, popping into a shop, going to a library, going to feed the ducks etc.

I'd try nursery again, for the convenience if nothing else, although I agree that two days a week (or two half days) might help her settle better.

What does the childminder say the children have been doing all day? What's in the photos? We get virtually no 'crafts' home from our nursery at that age (unless you count the paint/glue/flour/etc. on their clothes!), but they do plenty of mark-making and messy play. I'd also want them outside playing in the garden/park every day the weather is even half decent, plus regular trips out and about in the community.

Agree about the one day a week being hard to settle. Most childcare establishments ask for a minimum of two days

Is there anyway you can up the hours?

I don't send home weekly crafts home for under 2s at all, it's not a worthwhile learning experience, its mostly for the adults.

We do go out every day even if it's the garden but with one day a week it's a good chance they won't be going on all the 'big' outings. I like to mix it up.

I’d give the nursery a go for convenience as much as anything else.

No that requirement was removed as it meant too much time spent heads in cameras or sticking and staff spending more focus on that then children

@PurplePansy05 @skkyelark @jannier we have an app where CM posts 1-3 photos each day and each week DD is doing the same things (sits in a little tent/pushes cars/sat with a book) which she possibly does do. CM has a large room full of toys (they don’t change/layout doesn’t change) but the variety is excellent. There’s no mark making as never seen crayons/paper out. CM does have a reasonable sized garden with a wooden playhouse and I did ask once would they be going outside today and she said ‘maybe but it depends on the youngest minded as it’s tricky because she isn’t walking yet’.
@UsingChangeofName we live fairly rural but CM has lots of woodland nearby and she advertises she does trips out etc but she’s never said once about any trips on any of the days.
I do wonder if upping to two days at the nursery which will definitely be more convenient for me, better for DD as she will (hopefully) settle, regardless of the messy play/outings?

I know a childminder that does, for example - library on Monday, park on Tuesday, baking on Wednesday, home on Thursday, softplay on Friday - so if a child only attends one day a week then it's going to be the same routine every time.

Mark making includes sand, water painting, gloop, magnetic drawing boards, salt pads, calligraphy papers, chalk, mud, watching glue drip it doesn't have to be a mark on paper.

Our 'outstanding childminder' was extremely good at convincing a visiting inspector as to how great she was but overall from day to day the experience was just okay. I much preferred nursery - more activities, interacting with different children, a range of staff.

We used a “good” (Ofsted rating) childminder in London. She worked with her daughter as an assistant and days were spent in the house and garden. Lots of pottering and playing, some singing, lots of garden play (out there every day unless raining). We didn’t get many pictures or stuff home but equally I’d prefer her to be focused on the children. This was the right setting for DC1 at that age, all very relaxed and low key, and he only left as we moved house.

We now use an “outstanding” childminder and the difference is marked. We get learning journals to look through a couple of times a year. Regular photos on the WhatsApp group. Crafts come home every month. There’s often a topic or theme, eg Chinese food for Chinese New Year, or a week of activities based around a story. They go out most days in addition to any school runs - she does playgroups twice a week and other outings on an ad hoc basis (local small soft play, playgrounds).

I think with childminders, much of it is about the relationship - if you like her, trust her, and feel it’s the right setting for your DC at this point, great. But with our first childminder, I did have in the back of my mind that we’d probably be looking for more stimulation for DC1 as he moved towards 2-3. There’s nothing wrong with acknowledging your DC’s needs have changed, especially if another setting is more convenient as well.

I take Ofsted with a pinch of salt but I'm surprised you've had seen any crafts or outings in the time she's been there.

Our childminder if Ofsted "Good" but I think she's amazing! She has a sort of Forest School ethos so lots of bug hunts (with clip boards to mark what they find), Forest walks, park trips and toddler groups.

She does themed weeks and they plant seeds to watch them grow, have had caterpillars and released the butterflies and had frogspawn to look at the life cycle of the frog. DS is about to move on to school but has been incredibly happy with his childminder.

I met lots of childminders and visited lots of nurseries. I'm not sure what is available in your area but it might be worth visiting a few other settings and just seeing what's out there? I visited an Outstanding nursery and didn't love it, it wasn't awful or anything but I preferred our current childminder overall.

I went to visit an "outstanding" childminder once and she only had one child she was looking after and there was no routine. I have no idea how she made that grade. I asked her what kind of activities she does with the kids and she replied "oh, yes, we do do some activities." I wasn't convinced lol. The whole place just had toys everywhere and I'm pretty sure she'd just leave them to play with the toys.

So yes, an outstanding childminder could be crap outside of inspection time.

We go to a "good" rated childminder now and she's amazing. So many activities, a set routine, 5 other girls a similar age to my DD who attend, and treats my little one like she's part of the family.