Friday Staff Room

[Shoshe]

.........watches the tumbleweed blow around!.........

Nobody in?

well went for Interview yesterday, and lets just say I now know what sort of Nursery I DONT want to manage!

I politely declined there offer, especially at £11.oo per hour!

Afternoon.

Shoshe was it that bad!!

briefly yes!

And the pay was pitiful considering they have inadequate and I have OS!

Oh.....there isn't a challenge to pull it up by it's boot straps & make it good?

hello

fairly easy day for me after a stressed out week! only have my lovely 4 year old mindee and she and DS play so well together! at the moment they are playing with the special needs figures () discussing which ones should be killed and which ones not () - along the lines of "Kill the old ones, but not the babies!".

oh, boy! back to the drawing board regarding life being precious and how we should be inclusive in our approach to life ........

Katy it would need more than boot straps, resources would be a good start, but the owners do not want to spend any money on it, they have a wonderful garden but it was empty!

A challenge i would like, but I would be battling the owners all the way, and for not much pay.

sounds like a nightmare, shoshe

my first thoughts were also that it could be a challenge. sounds more like a nightmare. makes me feel sorry for the children that go there.

and it makes me so angry that childcare is undervalued so much. just ridiculous.

Just visited my Mum and Dad. He is in a mentally infirm unit and I observed () them all this morning and decided it is just like running a nursery, only with heavier kids, who board. The staff are trying to explain a game of velcro darts and people are wondering off, fighting each other for darts, arguing over who got the best score, trying to change the rules, etc. Just like children ..... (I think it's because they don't get enough outdoor play)

I and the children I care for enjoyed a rather tiring day at Legoland (it opened for the 2009 season today). Will become our regular Friday outing I expect, the children like watching the shows and the Duplo playground. New 4D show this year - Bob The Builder - which was actually surprised me in that it was quite good... even 1 year old happily watched it.

Shoshe, nursery wages are always quite low even for mangers. So the amount they were offering does not surprise me. Owners probably making a nice profit - as they are spending so little on the actual facilities. If you have to work in a nursery, find a nice one they do exist - or run your own.

Evening all! I've hardly had a chance to get in all week as have been run off my feet! Today has been really hard work with three not well and very tired under 2 year olds! I'm exhausted!
And tomorrow I have to go on an EYFS all day course that I have finally managed to get a place on! Oh the joy! At least I'm going with two other minders I know to keep me company!

Shoshe - the nursery sounds awful. And doesn't sound like it will ever get any better with owners like that!

Nick - jealous of your day at legoland! sounds lovely.

Nick - I was wondering how you think I would manage with my 2 little ones - 10 and 14 months? along with 5year old @ legoland? - we are thinking of getting a pass - so can go for a few hours at a time, so the littlies don't get too fed up in the buggy!

You need to go with someone... I tend to meet a Childminder (or two) at Legoland and we all go around together. Some rides everyone can go on - Duplo Train, Fairy Tale Brook but others require one adult with one child - Dino Safari. Thus having other Ofsted Registered adults (who the children already know well) around help's a lot.
Taking two under 2's will be a bit much, as they really need 1:1 on rides. For example Fairy Tale Brook is do-able with an older child in the front, adult plus baby in the back (baby must be able to sit). For babies to ride Duplo train, one adult one baby go in a carriage. Older children (aged 2+) can sit in a carriage without adult assistance.
So in your situation, it's possible with 2 adults, but not one.

shoshe would be very interested to know which one that is so I can avoid it like the plague!!!