Employing childminders in nurseries.

[imperialqueen]

To any nursery owners. Would you be able to/consider using childminders to cover your own staff if they have to self isolate/go off sick? Even just on a temporary basis. Days here and there if you need cover. I know there are agencies you can use but wondered if this would be more cost effective. As a childminder myself I am a qualified early years worker and have a pvg (think in England it is called a CRB). I realise you might have to do your own CRB/PVG check.

Do you think I could contact some nurseries local to me and ask, maybe not this week but next? Let them get their heads round this 80% that the gov are going to give employees first.

My husband said the nurseries might think I am trying to profit from this crisis.

IME, Nurseries are currently more worried about having to lay off their own staff, than needing additional staff. Overwhelmingly families are being encouraged to keep their dc at home. Considerable numbers are closing altogether, and others will have a very small number of dc in.

I don’t know about nurseries but apparently one of the special needs schools near me needed extra staff to cover. I think they will have more dc able to attend (although maybe parents will keep their children home to keep them safe, I guess it depends on their needs and the whole family dynamics). So maybe worth phoning round other settings rather than nurseries?

Can you not child mind?

Why don't you keep childminding?

Nurseries are taking a lot less children so I imagine they have enough work for their current staff.
I do feel for you though- it is such a rubbish situation for many :(

Can you not childmind? Many keyworkers would prefer to put their child in a smaller setting than have to send to school. It also helps as schools don't provide wrap around care so that's a logistical problem for them that you would solve.
Perhaps advertise locally or ask local school... They might be able to pass you a family or two with FT need that are able to pay and for whom childminder setting is far better.

Thanks for replies. I am childminding in Scotland.

At the moment we are allowed to carry on childminding as normal (yes quite shocked at this). I do child mind a few teachers children and a doctors child. . All these children's other parents are not key workers. They are all actually working from home. I am surprised they are still sending the chikdren to me but they are and I think it is because I am still charging.

It doesn't feel right working with children who could and should be in their own homes. I also suspect that all but one of the families would leave me if I said they didn't have to pay me if they don't come.

I just want to get another job so as I can tell these families that I won't take any money from them if they want to leave for now. I can't afford to make this offer though until I have another job.

I have realised this morning that there will come a point where the gov will tell us we can only child mind key workers children and only if one parent is a key worker. When this happens there will be barely any childcare work out there.

Tomorrow I am going to apply to supermarkets and the nhs for jobs.

Thanks everyone for replying.

OP why would you feel more comfortable work g with children in schools or nurseries, or in a shop, rather than the children who come into your home.

I was thinking the same actually!

I wouldn't particularly feel more comfortable although there is alot to be said for not having different small children coming into your home in this climate of social distancing most have runny noses, dribble, mouth things (as all small children do). No matter how much others might think you can clean and sanitise everything it is very hard to constantly keep on top of it especially now that we will be home more than usual.

I also have four children of my own. Feel I am probably putting my own family more at risk by allowing other people into my home than by me working outside of the home.

Though the main reason I want to work with children outside of my own home is because I foresee me having no business and no money soon, as I see the rules around "only one parent needs to be a key worker " will become stricter so my existing mindees will have to stop coming to me. They all have one parent working from home.

I realise that the number of children in nurseries will also reduce then so don'[t expect to get a permanent job in a nursery but thought if on occasion a nursery ended up short of staff wouldn't it be easier for them if they could call in childcare workers who would be available. Thought it might be easier and cheaper for them than using an agency.

I understand the nurseries could call on the staff they have had to pay off but they possibly can't now that the new 80% gov funding is in place.

I am sure there will be many qualified childminders over the next few weeks who are without work. I know there are in England already.

Realise this is very long winded. Going to get my cv done and email it out.

Nurseries are not recruiting
They have the opposite worry of having too many staff