Childminders

[mummybythecoast]

Hello I’m currently looking at childminders for my little one who’ll be 11 months when they start being cared for & I go back to work.

I’ve been reading the info on how to check out references, verify qualifications and Ofsted registration on childcare.co.uk but wanted to ask about others experience of doing this? Did the childminder offer up this information or did you ask for it? Did you ask to see evidence of things like DBS checks / liability insurance? How did you go through this with them?

One of the settings we are considering is a new childminder with someone who has 10 years nannying experience. They are newly Ofsted registered. I plan to speak with a parent of a baby they are already minding. The childminder also has a boy of her own (early secondary years) - who I imagine will be there before/after school & holidays. Would this give cause for concern / anything I should consider?

Any advice or tips would be so appreciated!

It would be a red flag for me if they had issue with showing you anything you requested (as long as reasonable)- all of the ones we looked at either offered the info up or were more than happy to provide it. It would only be an issue if they weren't properly registered I'd have thought.

As with nurseries etc what makes a 'good' childminder will vary for different people, our priority was finding one who took the children out and about and met with other mindees so there was a range of stuff and they met a range of children.

I'd ask:

Provisions for when the childminder is sick (some just won't be able to open others have arrangements with other childminders that they can have your child for the day within their ratio)

What you have to provide- packed lunch, nappies etc are sometimes provided sometimes you have to provide your own

How they structure the days ie do they do school runs? Do they meet other childminders and children at all?

What app they used to communicate info home like seesaw

Whether they work term time or all year round and whether if you need flexibility whether they can offer this- also check late pick up fees etc

Whether they accept tax free childcare and later on the free hours

Have a look round their setting to get a feel for it and see if they have outdoor space as well

Personally I wouldn't be concerned by their older child, although I'd wonder if some activities might be limited by them ie they probably wouldn't want to go to the park- but they might have another parent home or be able to be left alone.

Hi OP, my son started with a childminder at 15 months, and I remember the process of finding one all too well! I must have spoken to at least 20 before deciding on our current childminder, who is wonderful. I hope you can find the equivalent person for your little one!

In terms of qualifications etc, I asked childminders to send over their policies and documents for me to review (they have to have them all ready to view in order to maintain their Ofsted registration), and we also met up several times before DS started with her. I was happy with what was sent, as well as the Ofsted inspection reports. She in turn asked us for lots of information about DS, his development and routines, any challenges, photos of family/pets, favourite books etc. She suggested that we start to introduce certain things in advance of him starting to make the transition smoother (eg more independent drinking from a bottle, not just an open cup) which I really appreciated.

In terms of the childminder having her own son, this would not concern me at all personally, and from memory he will have been declared to Ofsted as a person present in the house (a qualified CM poster might be able to confirm this, apologies if I’m wrong) although if he’s under 16 he won’t have been DBS-checked. You could ask to meet him just to say hello/as part of viewing the setting. Same with any husband/partner she may have. I think it’s ok to want to meet people who will regularly be around your children.

In terms of other tips, I think it depends what you are looking for from a childminder. I wanted to know which groups she went to, examples of multi-age activities (ours has 3 children incl. DS of differing ages), how naps worked, any equipment I would be expected to provide, breastmilk storage protocol, how trips out and about worked practically with multiple kids (this makes me laugh looking back, but I’m glad I asked anyway), what books she had… You’re paying for a more bespoke service than a nursery and that has huge advantages in my view. There are also downsides, such as reduced flexibility. So asking about illness/holiday policy is sensible. If she can tell you her holidays up front, you are in a better position to book leave from work etc.

Best of luck to you!

@LabradorFiasco @Trafficblight thank you so much for your responses - so helpful.

If anyone else has any advice on choosing a childminder or helping a little one settle in I’d love to hear!

Gosh some of these questions I've never been asked in 13 years of childminding! 😄

Admittedly most of the ones I've listed were answered by the child minder before I'd have even thought of them :D

@GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat I hope you don’t mind me asking but as a childminder do you have prospective parents pop in to visit you to see the setting while you are minding the children? Or how do you manage this? One of the settings we are looking at have said they can’t do this for safety reasons. Completely understand the need for caution but I’m concerned that without seeing the children in situ that we wouldn’t get a sense of things?

Would be great to hear others experiences.

My initial meeting I do when I'm not working. Several reasons; if I'm busy with the children I can't concentrate on you and your child, you're a stranger coming in to my home, I'd like to have met you before I introduce you to the children, it's disruptive to their routine, I might not be able to offer you a space etc etc. One you've signed up and we do settling in sessions then these would be planned for a day that your child would attend so I can see everyone gets along.