Why can’t they just play? Is all the admin really necessary?

[MrsP2C]

The more I prepare to become a CM, the more daunted I become about the amount of admin involved & do wonder why can’t pre-schoolers just be allowed to play? Do we need targets, planning & observations for a 2 year old? Surely any decent parent/childcare provider will incorporate a wide range of activities in day-to-day life and those precious few years before the demands of school should just be about having fun within a safe & loving environment.

When I had to go back to work after DS1, I opted for a CM precisely because I wanted to replicate our own home environment & had no interest in the paperwork or whether he was meeting the EYFS targets! My youngest now attends our local (outstanding) pre-school & they regularly send home pages of detailed observations –given he’s only there 5 hours a week and I do wonder how they find the time to actually look after the children :(

Perhaps I'm being naive & it's ust not possible to be regulated (which I wholeheartedly support) without the accompanying red-tape but, can you do this job without spending hours compiling reports, observations, planning & risk assessments?! I accept if you do the bare minimum you’re unlikely to get a high Ofsted grading but if the parents and I are happy with the level of care I provide then I can live with a satisfactory grading. At the risk of outing myself as completely work-shy :o, what's the 'bare minimum' I'm looking at?

[md0u0131]

This is my understanding of it being relatively new to it all.....

The children in my care do spend all day playing and we always follow their interests. My role is one as a facilitator, I prepare stuff that follows their interests and guide them to extend their play (and therefore learning). We do very few sit down structured activies to be honest.

As for the paperwork, I don't do any for the sake of doing it, everything I do is for a reason... daily diaries to inform parents, learning journals as it shows how far children have come (I also think these will be fab for kids to look back at in the future), SEF for me to show me how far I've come, how to get better. The rest: policies, registers, recrd forms, accident books etc are about providing a professional service and help to protect the children if you ahve the correct procedures in place.

[JCrakers]

The best thing to do (as I have 6 EY children) is to keep it simple. I don't do anything lengthy and keep it to a bare minimum. I got a Good rating and only missed out on an Outstanding because of otherthings, nothing do do with my paperwork. She mentioned now good it was.

I know what you mean about them just being allowed to play. All my mindees do this and I dont let the paperwork interfere with this. I think some people just do too much because I find it manageable and Ive got 6 Learning Journeys to keep on top of.

:D

[Pipsqueak]

The more I prepare to become a CM, the more daunted I become about the amount of admin involved & do wonder why can’t pre-schoolers just be allowed to play? Do we need targets, planning & observations for a 2 year old? Surely any decent parent/childcare provider will incorporate a wide range of activities in day-to-day life and those precious few years before the demands of school should just be about having fun within a safe & loving environment.

When I had to go back to work after DS1, I opted for a CM precisely because I wanted to replicate our own home environment & had no interest in the paperwork or whether he was meeting the EYFS targets! My youngest now attends our local (outstanding) pre-school & they regularly send home pages of detailed observations –given he’s only there 5 hours a week and I do wonder how they find the time to actually look after the children :(

Perhaps I'm being naive & it's ust not possible to be regulated (which I wholeheartedly support) without the accompanying red-tape but, can you do this job without spending hours compiling reports, observations, planning & risk assessments?! I accept if you do the bare minimum you’re unlikely to get a high Ofsted grading but if the parents and I are happy with the level of care I provide then I can live with a satisfactory grading. At the risk of outing myself as completely work-shy :o, what's the 'bare minimum' I'm looking at?

Don't get caught up in the 'hype'. it is possible to 'let the children play all day' with minimum paperwork. My mindees have more or less been in the paddling pool ALL morning and I have chilled out dipping my feet in, playing when invited and basically turning myself a gross shade of red. I will have pulled some lovely little obs from it all, will pull together a bit of (retrospective) planning from it - link it all to EYFS (at some point)....
et voila!

and tomorrow - providing the weather is good we'll do it ALL again

[Helen79]

I accept if you do the bare minimum you’re unlikely to get a high Ofsted grading but if the parents and I are happy with the level of care I provide then I can live with a satisfactory grading. At the risk of outing myself as completely work-shy , what's the 'bare minimum' I'm looking at?

I do the bare minimum and got good on my last inspection. Reasons for not getting outstanding weren't paperwork related.
Other than everyday stuff like registers/injury forms the only paperwork I do is update learning journals weekly which is mostly photos with a few comments linked to the stages. I don't do written planning or themes although I probably should do.

I review my policies and risk assessments yearly, more often if I need to change anything in them.

[candlequeen]

16 months ago when I started childminding, I was determined to aim for an Outstanding. However, I am still waiting for my first inspection, and am totally disillusioned by the fact that I did a load of paperwork and attended loads of courses that nobody has ever taken any interest in, and is now out of date and needs changing. In my first few months of chidminding I felt just like you, overwhelmed with the volume of paperwork at a time when I was still struggling to fill places and settle in new kids. It made me wonder if it was all worth it.

I am now full with lovely kids whose parents want nothing more than a loving caring safe home environment. I have contracts, child record forms, attendance registers and complete a daily diary for parents, with photos every week, which they love. I have risk assessments, policies and keep my own diary where I note down what we do each day. Apart from that I do no more paperwork other than my accounts. I love my job and I really don't care what Ofsted grade me at, as long as the kids and parents are happy and doing well.

Also, interesting what you say about the pre-school. My daughter has been attending a fantastic playgroup for nearly a year. They got a Good rating from Ofsted this year. They haven't ever given me a single bit of feedback, written or verbal, on my daughter's progress, which I don't mind a bit as she is obviously happy there and they do so much and have so much fun.

[sarah707]

Of course it's not all about paperwork... who on earth told you that?

The children here spend their days playing and having fun. :clapping:

I get out things I know they will enjoy... I enhance their learning... I write bits and bobs up through the day... we sing songs and dance... they get messy and run around outside... I write up a few notes if something jumps out at me or I want to share it with parents... they go home tired and happy... I do a little bit of paperwork and print a few pictures (if they haven't helped me do that already).

I do not do any paperwork which does not contribute to the children's health, wellbeing etc. Yes I keep an eye on Development Matters - of course I do! I want to make sure the children are developing and learning appropriately.

Once you have systems in place constantly review them - ask yourself what you are doing and why - check they are relevant to the children in your care - change them if they are causing you too much work - see what you can note down while the children are happily playing around your feet.

Enjoy your childminding... :D

[bandlady]

Hi can only agree with all other replies - this job is not all about paperwork it is more about caring and looking after children and mostly having fun.

When you first start out the paperwork it is a bit overwhelming but you will find your own balance between what paperwork is essential and what is not. Yes you do need certain paperwork in place to be professional but you do not need to do lots of paperwork just for the sake of it. Once you have found the balance keep it simple. I find taking plenty of photos throughout the week showing different activities the children are doing is my base to obs, progress reports and learning journals - one folder for each child and the simplest of forms to fill in, tick list sometimes jotting a few words down if needed. Most of the forms I found on this site and amended to fit my setting.

My one piece of advice would be to show Ofsted how you implement the EYFS in your setting and that you understand the principles of how it helps and guides a child's development. Having confidence in what you do is far more important than having a piece of paperwork that can show what you do.

Yes I got outstanding at my last inspection but it was not down to my paperwork is was more to do with my love and commitment to my job.

Denise