Does your playgroup ask you to do rota duty?

[tvaerialmagpiebin]

I am interested in hearing what other playgroups do. Ours ask you to do rota duty each term, staying all session.

Would anyone tell me what if anything they have to do for their playgroup?

Thanks

Is this a pre-school?

Assuming it is, ours tried to instigate this last year but abandoned the idea. Half the mothers worked so couldn't do it. Ones who employed nannies wanted the nanny to do things at home (walk dog, laundry, food preparation) rather than come into pre-school. A fair number had other younger children so couldn't do it. We worked out that out of 40 potential mothers only about 3 were actually available to do it.

Yes, it's a community-run playgroup and preschool (separate sessions for the rising 3s and rising 4s). We already have to do the duties, but it is hell on earth trying to sort it, and I just wondered what other people did.

We run an informal rota, which parents are asked to sign up to. Its success varies from year to year, but provides invaluable support for our staff as the parent help usually does snack time. We try to sell it as a positive contribution to their child's education - we are a charity afterall! Most when they do it, actually enjoy the experience and are much better at understanding what their child gets up to at pre0school and also makes friends with the other parents.

Our pre-school is a registered charity, small village in the hall job, dd left July 09 and ds will start after Christmas.
They have a parent rota for snack, once a term parents are asked to provide snack and to stay for the session, allot can't stay for one reason or another but that's fine, they just take the snack in at drop off.
The pre-school know which parents are not able/willing and schedule them for the days they have volunteer help in the kitchen to prepare snack and clean up after as if the paid staff had to do it then the children would not get as much of their time.
It can be a pain and if you are not careful expensive but it seems to work well for our pre-school.

same as roadkillbunny here - loads of parents don't do it though (even those who could easily do so), which is such a shame.

DD only started a few weeks ago but I got my session in early as DH is off work to look after baby DS.

It was absolutely fantastic! It's made me certain we've made the right choice of preschool. As well as seeing how it's run (which I haven't really been able to do at her other private daycare nursery) I was able to play with DD and all the other kids. I had a great time and I asked if I can do more sessions than the requested once a term - they were really grateful - as a charity obviously they need all the help they can get!

That is all really interesting. Thanks.
Apparently our duty mum counts towards the staff-child ratio. Hmm, I wonder if that is agreed by Ofsted, as the volunteers are not CRB-checked. Our children bring their own snacks so there are only drinks provided. I do feel like we are being taken advantage of, a bit.
Lots to think over.

Our parent volunteers do NOT count to staff child ratio, the can NOT be left in sole charge of children, they can NOT take any child other then there own to the loo, even if they where that childs childminder. Parent volunteers are NOT routinely CRB checked, some have CRBs for other things but as they are not for the pre-school they don't count. Ofsted would have a fit if a not CRB checked parent helper was counted in ratios or allowed sole care of children (not sure it is relevant but our pre-school is rated outstanding so I know there practices are ofsted approved IYSWIM)
Once you get to school it all changes, parent helpers (who come in to read with children mainly) must be CRB checked by the school before they can come in and help and even then are not allowed sole care of children or to do toileting, our school is also rated outstanding.

When my olders DCs were at playgroup there was a ratio and parents where encouraged to sign up. Some did, some were at work and some just never bothered so it ended up with the same people doing more than their fair share. I guess that's pretty typical, it also changed from year to year depending on the make up of the parents.

The parent shouldn't count for the ratio and doesn't neeed to be CRN checked as it isn't regular and isn't for a long period of time.

IME it only works if there are enough committed parents with no younger siblings and no job i.e. its very difficult to do.

At our pre-school you are allowed to take younger siblings in with you (under your care alone) but they are not allowed in the kitchen unless strapped in a buggy (so that only works until they are about 6 months). The pre-school schedule to rota so parents with siblings are not on duty when they don't have the kitchen volunteer (who is not a parent, just a lovely lady who comes in unpaid 3 of the 4 days pre-school is open to prepare, serve and clean up after snack, she is a Gem and the pre-school would struggle greatly without her).
I used to love my days as did ds who was 18 months when dd left, I look forward greatly to ds starting after Christmas and being in the pre-school again especial as I only have this academic year to do it as plan to be studying this time next year.

oh, also we aren't allowed to supervise outdoor play (we can go outside but there must be a proper staff member too)

and we aren't allowed to do anything toilet-related - nappies, taking kids to the loo etc.

We have to do rota duty, its in teh contract. there are new baby and health exceptions made.
have to do up to as many sessions in a half term as child does in a week. so DS does 3 sessions a week I or someone I arrange have to do 3 sessions a half term.
There is system to link up unwilling to do duty parents with willing to do duty in exchange for "small financial thank you" parents . Some parents chose to use that system routinely, others try to get themselves into preschool and join in with their childs early education.

One puts one preferred rota dates on a blank rota part way through each half term for the next half term and notes any days one CAN NOT do at all. Rota sec then has to sort it all out into a working rota. Its published at end of term so one has a week or more to sort out swops/ cover if a session your down for has become awkward.

Rota parents do a lot of washing up, prep snack ( and pop down to the shop to chose fruit etc.) Join in with playing. help set up and Pack away equipment. As teh hall is shared with umpteen other users ( inc school) everything has to be back in the cupboard at end of the morning. Rota parents do not do any toileting and are not CRB checked. Mums, Dads, granparents, nannies and aunties do rota duty.

Thanks again everyone.

Another group I have heard of will give £5 to a mum who can do duty at the last minute - seems like a moneyspinner to me.

It seems groups can no longer fine people who don't turn up for duty, but ask for a "voluntary contribution", which seems a bit wet, or, if 3 duties are missed with no explanation, the child's place can be withdrawn.

Do your rota secs / administrators get paid?

rota sec is an unpaid committee post.

Our nursery keeps fees down with a range of things - we get asked to volunteer for certain things (e.g. if they need the garden to be improved, they want someone with web skills to help them build a website, they want parents to help do their laundry etc, they ask for contributions of snacks for the children, sometimes they ask for books or props related to a particular theme they are doing in the nursery etc.). The result is lower fees than other nurseries. As there are a range of ways you can help usually everyone can plausibly do something. However, I have noticed that some tasks seem to be done but the same few people all the time. Like everything I suppose there will always be some 'freeloaders' who don't pull their weight and others who do more than their share.