Providing food

[spicemonster]

I'm trying to find a CM for my DS and I've just seen a very nice lady but she said she doesn't provide any food except for snacks and water. Is this normal? It seems a bit of a faff to have to take stuff in for him but I've never used a CM before so not sure if this is standard practice.

Does she provide no food, or is it just that you have to pay for meals? Also, how old is your ds?

I provide food (and don't charge extra), but only for children over 1 year old.

I do know of one cm who does not provide food so all mindees come each day with a packed lunch. Not sure about dinner though.

It is up to the CM. I provide food but then again my rate is that little bit higher.

I'm a childminder and provide all food including breakfast lunch, tea if required and snacks. I think it's much easier for parents to know their child isd being fed, than have to remember to pack up a few meals which could be forgotten!
I also pay for all trips and outings. I choose to take them, so I feel it's unfair to ask the parents to pay extra.

I know I'm in the minority in my village though, and some c/m charge extra for all meals, adding as much as £3 a day onto the fee's.

Sally x

She doesn't provide it - I will have to take it. My DS is 14 months. He'll be there all day so it will be all meals I have to provide. She's no cheaper than anyone else. It's not the cost really, it's the faff of getting us both ready and having to make his dinners and lunches.

My CM doesn;t provide meals. It is a bit of a faff but I'm happy otherwise so I don't worry.

oh and if he doesn;t like what I've sent along she will usually give him something else. And he often scoffs any spare food lying around, but he is a bit of a dustbin

I provide all, used to charge for evening meal but don't now. However, most childminders in my area who I network with don't provide food.

I provide all food and drink, I feel a young child is better with a cooked meal at lunchtime, and many LO's dont like sandwiches.

Most CM's here provide.

but just think of it as a practice for packed lunches for school.

I provide everything also, as it is one less thing for parents to worry about. I also prefer the children to eat the same as it solves problems with crisps, sweets etc which I do not provide, ever!

:Lots of c/m's are stopping providing food as they are having to become registered with the local environmental health agency as a provider of food. It hasn't reached us yet!

My CM doesn't provide any food. Actually I asked her if she would make sure DDs water cup was topped up when it was hot last week and she said I would have to pack 2!

She will reheat things though - so I make big batches of frozen homecooked food and just throw it into her lunchbox in the fridge the night before. The CMs own children eat mostly processed food - burgers/sausages/chips - so I am happy that she is eating what I would choose to give her.

I provide fruit and healthy snacks, milk and water; parents bring packed lunches.

Actually that's a very good point mylittlepudding - if I provide his food, I know what he's eating. I don't want him to have a load of processed stuff as I wouldn't give that to him at home. I will see if she will heat stuff up - I'm sure she would.

blimey - I didn't know that alibubbles - what a pita! No wonder they don't want to provide it. She has already got a whole file of certificates. It's no easy option, CMing is it?

Yes, the environmental health agency thing is making me consider if I should provide food or not. At present we do not HAVE to be on the register but no doubt soon it will be another thing we do need to do.

Mine would provide food (for over 1s) but we're veggie and so it's easier if I do it (and I know what DD's eating). CM does give DD some food though: some snacks or sometimes when the whole family sits down to eat. I just make loads and freeze it in little portions.

Mine does not provide and I find it a real faff to be honest ( though I did not know about the regulations)

Maybe its just me but I find it really hard to do the main meal thats isn't casserole based- as haven't had great success microwaving pasta and get nervous about re heated rice. As I mentioned in another post my poor ds had to get through full on beef stew in last weeks lovely weather!

One suggestion I heard from a childminder is for parents to bring it all at the beginning of the week. So you could have a great big cooking session at the weekend, take it on Mon, hope she'll store it in her freezer, and forget about it for the rest of the week.

The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 requires that Registered Childminders in England register as a food premises with their Local Authority Environmental Health Department.

Its my understanding that not providing meals does not exempt a childminder from following this legal requirement - probably because of the storage, handling and preparation of meals and baby milks provided by parents.

As its dealt with by your local council, there regional variations in the registration process. Initially there were a lot of problems as some councils didn't have a clue, treating us like large commercial kitchens. But in the 2 years since the legislation changed (It was Jan 2006) I think theres been a lot of improvement. Some councils just send a form out, others will make a visit. Some are probably still deciding what they should be doing. If your council has told you that you don't need to register yet, keep a note of who you spoke to and the date. If you know others in your area have successfully registered then contact your council too. NCMA said a while back that they wanted to hear from anyone who had problems such as being asked to make expensive or impractical changes. I assume they still do.

EYFS just says "Providers should be aware of their responsibilities under food hygiene legislation including registration with the relevant Local Authority Environmental Health Department." As this is a guidance item and not statutory I would expect that no-one should fail an Ofsted inspection by not having done this. Mentioning the above law and having a record of your contact with your E. Health Dept. might be helpful though.

Sorry forgot to include my answer there!

I charge separately for meals as I like to offer parents the choice of bringing their own or booking mine. Most like to book, so must be doing something right

I do breakfast at home because I have a naturally early riser, so I'm lucky there I guess.
tatty I find pasta reheats fine - currently in my freezer I also have toad in the hole, homemade pizza, shepherds pie, some decent quality veggie sausages, 4 cheese canneloni... I do big batches of roasted mixed vegetables which defrost and reheat really well and DD loves them in combination with any of the above, really. For nonfreezables that I've had for my dinner I just keep her some for the next day, and I make sure she gets some fish, etc, this way. Hope this is helpful and not patronising

Our CM only does snacks, water and juice. I will send a packed lunch and dinner - she will heat up a dinner, or boil pasta etc. it is a royal PITA but all the CMs here are the same as far as I know.

There is an article in the new Who Minds, but this is from the website:-

Food hygiene
Since January 2006 laws have meant that childminders must register as a food business.
In England, NCMA has been working with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Ofsted and other associated bodies to find a simple way for childminders to meet this requirement. However, it has taken much longer than expected for government departments to develop a system that covers the whole of England. NCMA is still pursuing this issue to ensure that happens.

In the interim, many early years departments and children's information services have worked with their local environmental health department (EHD) to introduce a suitable food registration process. In some areas Ofsted is carrying this out as part of inspections and registrations. You should contact your local authority to check what arrangements are in place in your area.
In Wales, NCMA has had discussions with the FSA and the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales, but the organisations are awaiting the outcomes in England as this is a cross-country issue.

New childminders are already offered a food hygiene course as part of a package NCMA delivers on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government but, again, childminders should check with their local authority with regard to local food registration requirements.

bradford mum - i am suprised that you pay for all outings - shouldnt parents pay for their child to go to farm/pool etc?

regards to food - i would assume it would be easier to cm to previde meals, rather than a mum have to cook /bring a meal each day

I am in the process of becoming a childminder, and although I haven't decided 100%, I think I am going to provide breakfast and lunch included, but charge extra for an evening meal. Mainly because I feel our eveing meal should be to sit down as a family, when all the children have gone home. But I don't know, I might change my mind.

I don't really want dd to have her evening meal with the CM but they have it at 5 pm and I don't think she will tolerate being the only one not eating. Is this unusually early? Dd dosn't usually eat until 6.

my kiddiwinks eat anything bewteen 4.30 and 5pm