Preschool or childminder in this scenario?

[WobbleHead]

Looking for experiences of parents whose kids were happy with a childminder up to starting primary school.

We’re moving to a new town this autumn ready to apply to primary schools there for my DS, who would start September 2026.

The nursery where we’ve paid a deposit to secure a place for DS in the new town has today sent out an email from the nursery owner saying they’ve just fired the entire nursery management staff and some caring staff because of fraud and unsafe practices being discovered in the last 6 months. Ofsted did an emergency inspection and found all was well now, but it’s still pretty hair raising that all this was allowed to happen. Over the last two years the number of children at the nursery has shrunk because of parents taking their kids out of this place. We had no idea of all of this until the email today, as when we looked around it seemed fine and online reviews are all positive.

It feels like a massive risk to place our DS there now. I’m trying to look for other options. Locations of other nurseries in the town are an awkward drive away from where we would be living. It looks like there could be local childminders with spaces though.

DS will be nearly 4 when we move and will be in this childcare for nearly a year. Do you think he would be bored in a childminder context with just a few other kids to play with? Do childminders tend to only look after younger toddlers? He’s used to a busy nursery environment with lots of friends and stuff happening.

Should I keep going and try to find a nursery if that’s what he’s used to?

I felt both my son's were bored by the age of 3 with a childminder (they were with her 2 days a week from 10 months) with only one or two younger kids. I felt they were both wanting a bit more social and sensory stimulation even though they did short days with her and she always took them out locally to parks, pet shops, feed the ducks that sort of thing. She didn't however do anything crafty or anything to get their brains working. I started them both at nursery at age 3; one of them was really overwhelmed with nursery and never really liked it right up until school. The other one loved nursery for a couple of weeks and then it was lockdown, however they both picked up a bazillion germs as they'd kind of been sheltered up until that point.

You might struggle to find a childminder willing to take on a short term 4 year old.

I'm a childminder. I've kept many children until school, they all go on to school fully equipped and happy, and we have lots of 1:1 time when the babies are asleep. I'm not sure if I'd take on a four year old though, if they're not used to it, it might be a different story.

Super interesting - good to hear these perspectives

Two of my children went to nursery from 12 months until school, and two stayed with a fabulous childminder until school.

I wish I’d known our childminder when my first two were little! They’d have gone to the childminder instead of nursery.

There are good childminders and bad though. Our childminder takes the kids to NT properties, builds dens with them in the nature reserve, goes to playgroups, plans activities around special days like Chinese new year / St George’s day, takes a bajillion photos each day so we can see what they’ve been doing, bakes with the bigger ones while babies nap, goes out hunting for the animal statues they put around the local city sometimes etc etc. Other childminders are not so active or enthusiastic about playing with the kids!

A good relationship with a good childminder will also set you up for easier after school and holiday childcare, whereas nursery stops when the start school.

In your shoes I would look round the nursery again, and also meet any local childminders who have space. Judge them on what they offer, not on whether they’re a nursery or a childminder!

I would use a mix of.childminder and preschool/school nursery/state maintained nursery if available in your area. The childminder can do wrap around care and the preschool/nursery can provide the social.interaction. And the child can get used to school hours etc

I am a childminder with lots of after schoolers, they all love it and don’t want to leave when their parents arrive. They play in the garden and do lots of crafts. However I wouldn’t take on a child who is not used to being in a childminder setting as I want all children to follow the rules of the house - without me having to constantly be telling them. When they have grown up with me and move to school they know the rules and listen to me very well. A kid who hasn’t grown up with me, would not be aware of these rules and may not listen as well and these all are essential for things to go smoothly when there are a lot of kids and only one adult.

I'm a childminder. I find that, in the year before they start school, a lot of children need more. I actually encourage parents to try to get them in a nursery or preschool setting for a while as it offers more- if I have a 4 year old and 2 babies then they do struggle - and gets them used to a school setting. I've had some go part time,and I've dropped them off and picked them up so they have a mixture of both,and it also means they can stay with me when they start school and I can take them to and from school

My DD enjoyed nursery but post COVID I had to go back to the office one day a week and for logistical reasons had to put her with a childminder near my office for that one day.

She hated it, missed the buzz and activity of nursery and was really bored. The childminder actually didn't said it wasn't right for her either. If your older child is used to and enjoys a busy nursery environment then based on my experience I think he will struggle to go to a childminder at this stage.