Anyone started childminding recently? Could you estimate your start up costs for me please?

[IBlameThePMT]

I have just started looking into childminding and have realised that there are quite a few things that will need paying for in order to qualify in the first place, and then of course to actually get started (First aid course, CRB checks, childminding register etc etc.) Could anyone hazard a guess at how much it cost them to get going...? It possibly varies depending on how much peoples local council subsidise stuff but any thoughts welcome. TIA

have you spoken to your LA? Mine was completely granted

hth

Yes I have SSM, it sounds like we get the ICP bit funded but nothing else.

I did it ages ago - but a co-minder did it last autumn

All she paid was her Dr fee

i didnt have to pya my fee, my icp was funded, my crb was fnded and my first adi was funded, my council funded it

Ah everything was funded for me, t was actually classed as a £350 grant, from memory, and that included icp, training, ofsted, drs, and some inital toys i think. Which LA are you under, maybe somebody has experience of them?

the start up grant ended in our area Sept 2008

I don't know what on earth new starters do now

In Worcestershire so just got one years N.C.M.A subscription, thats all.

I had to start from scratch as children older so fireguards, stairgates, car seats, toys, safety equipment and all other hoops you have to jump through, including 4 CRB checks... so I would say in excess fo £500 pounds easily.

I have a good business now though and make a good profit so worth it.

remember to keep ALL your receipts though to claim against paying tax, you have to be ruthless and very organised about this because if you end up paying tax you wont make a good income.

I'm about to start minding and so far my costs are:
Training (Chip & First Aid) - free
Doctors signature on my health declaration - £17 (I know some get it for free but some have to pay more than what I have)
CRB - free
Ofsted fee - £30
First Aid kit - £23
Fire blanket - free
Insurance - free
That's it for now.

I got ICP, NCMA membership for a year free, first aid free from LA.

I had to have my internal doors changed (they were glass) shelving installed, display boards put up, part of the garden fenced off and a couple of other buildery bits. This cost approx 1 1/2K.

I then had to get flooring, tables, chairs, high chairs x2, safety gates x4, fire extinguishers x2, storage boxes / units / free standing shelving, travel cots x2 and all the associated bedding, flannells loads, nappy bin, changing mats, various car seats (have 9 at last count as well as booster seats)lockable steel filing cabinet, mounds of stationery, advertising costs the list goes on and on.

Also ordered a years worth of paint, glue, brushes, paper, craft stuff, display board backing paper etc the cost of that alone was £600.

All in all my initial set up cost was approx £4K. But I knew when I started what I wanted to present as and quite frankly my place does look like a nursery, I filled up within a few weeks and needed an assistant. This job is now my and DH main income, we rely on it now so although we do spend a large amount compared to a lot of minders it is proportionate for turnover IYSWIM.

Most CM's have a fantastic business with minimal outlay, I think what I did at the start was extreme for a minder but I wanted to provide something different and it has worked for me.

Just remembered I had to get a new car too - 7 seater - within 6 mnths or so, so I suppose it cost quite a bit in the end

Wow, such different replies! Just shows there is no 'average' set up cost then! I have small-ish DCs myself and have held onto stuff so hopefully won't need too much in the way of high chairs, stair gates, toys etc. Its more the admin side of it I wondered about I guess. Eg A health certificate thing round here (Bristol) costs about £75 I have been told!

Mind you compared to what you have spent atworknotworking I can't complain about that really can I!

Thanks for all the replies everyone, very interesting.

I have registered under Ofsted and CSSIW (Wales). I didn't pay for anything in England and had a grant for £300ish, which had to include one year NCMA membership and all their contracts, register, handbooks etc - there was about £200ish left which bought a double buggy. In wales, I paid £15 for the health declaration but there is also a start-up grant.

I have just started the training. We were told the grant is £200 which includes membership for a year. We were also told the registration fee is going up this year and will be going up every year as the government want it at around £100 per year!!!

atwork I'm really interested to see what your set-up looks like. I'm a nanny currently as is partner, but we are hoping to childmind when DC1 comes along in a year or so, and want to do a really professional business like you.

Do you have a website at all? If you don't want to post it on Mumsnet, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

Thanks

And sorry for hijack!

Did you know that you can 'buy back' the toys and equipment that you already have for business use? You write a receipt to yourself (I put through 2/3rds of their original cost) and you can then offset these expenses against any tax & NI you'd pay on your earnings. Also, any toys you buy for your DC that you also use for minding then if you keep the receipts then you can offset those too.

Sorry know thats not what you were asking, but worth knowing...

Anyway... I started up last August - big costs were... £140 for the initial courses, £350 for double buggy... got stairgates etc, (although would have got them for DS anyway, but now a 'business expense')... I had to get safety film to cover our glass doors and bannisters which was £100ish. Made changes to make our garden more baby-safe - laid turf, changed fences etc...

So it all kind of depends on what your house and garden are like already and how much you have to change and how much your Local Authority will fund. HTHs.

oo for got about safeproofing, i had to safety fim two doors cost about 8 pounds, stair gats, had to box in some pipes, and make sure my stackble chairs didnt topple over

starberries Sorry just noticed your requesty thing, I do have a webby, but I dont put images on it, I have name related kid stuff all over the place.

I can try to send you some pickies to your email addy if you like. My addy is stickyfingers at talk talk dot net