Does anyone run/manage a very small nursery?(for rotas/staffing)

[Katymac]

As I now have one

I have dual registration Childminder & Childcare on Domestic Premises and tbh I'm not quite sure how to go about it

Hi Katymac if it helps I found a really good site online that had a manager package, it was a site a bit like noble minder, but some parts of it were free the staff rota system was fab, worked out ratios according to which mindees you have at any given time. I would definately use it if I ever get myself sorted out. Congrats on your new reg btw.

www.instantnurserymanager.co.uk

It says that you can download the staff rota for free, havn't tried to so don't actually know if it is free there usually tends to be a catch with free things I find.

I know what you mean - free normally isn't

I'll have a look later - as I am off to a CAF later this morning & that is all the stress I can cope with on 1 day

Thanks for the suggestion

Hmm it doesn't look tremendously 'free'
Oh I have a good programme for staffing I just don't actually understand the 'rules' iyswim

Agree I think its going to be a bit fiddly, with dual reg. Basically from what I looked at you can be either one or the other at any given time. Obv CM is as per usual, but the CM on DomP is going to be a bit odd till you get used to it, kind of same rules as nursery WRT ratios and 2 people at all times first aider on/off site etc.

I would look to see which days will work as which reg then do rotas for individual days, as I doubt a pre- made scheduler would work with the different staff combos on this one.

How do you deal with mixed age ranges? - My under 2's seem obvious as whether CM or CDP it's 1:3

But for 2-3's it's 1:4 - so if I only have 2 of them? & for 3-5's it's 1:8 I may only have 4 of them.....Is that 1 person or 2?

& I can flick between them during each day - which seems bizarre

My main problem is I can't be CDP when I have assistants collecting from school as that is illegal - so 2 afterschools have to be CM as I have existing clients

Bloody hell

Sounds well complex but common sense would dictate that if you had 2 in the 1:4 and 2 in 1:8 then you would have 1 staff member for all, however personally I think if you had more than 4 of either combinaion I would split up and have 2 staff, this is what generally happens in the very few nurseries I have been in, whether its the ofsted approved way I have no idea.

I think working out break evens is going to be a nightmare. WRT assistants picking up I have no idea, this is something I'm struggling with ATM too.

Hopeful Bump for knowledgeable personages.

As a childminder I can have assistants collect from school

As CDP I can't

It seems bizarre

Breakevens don't even go there - it is completely incalculable

Can I help with your probs?

Thanks sent you an email, but I know you are busy, were at CAF etc.

Sent it to WC addy, bit but youv'e probably had the same issue's at some point or other, just wondered how you dealt with it as my heads in the shed ATM.

When? I thought I was up-to-date with my replies

I think you have to adhere to the lowest ratio so if you have 6 x 3 year olds and 1 x 2 year old I think you would need two staff members in order to adhere to 1:4