JCrakers
11-07-2012, 09:06 AM
Long sorry but need to vent :(
I don't know if this is supposed to be in this area or members area but at this moment in time I couldn't give a hoot.
Ive written about this over the last few months and after changing my mind over it have decided to go for it. I have a 3yr old who was entitled to free hours since Easter. Mum wants to keep her here as I offer everything. The family have been with me since I started minding in 2007. Mum doesn't want to put her in a nursery and I'm going to struggle with a preschool drop off.
In my initial meeting in January it was mentioned that I would have to do a business plan which was a complete waste of time. It was aimed at nurseries/preschools so I decided I wasn't doing it. Mum said she would lose her 15hrs but that didn't matter. Now she has decided its silly to lose out on the money so I decided to do the stupid business plan and I put my head down and got it done. It was a generic plan for all which made me cross. I filled a third of it in and was told it was good.
Then my initial question was 'Will it be anymore paperwork?' I was told no.
So yesterday I had a visit from an Improvement advisor who went through my paperwork and policies
I have little tweaks here and there:
On the form I initially give to parents I have to add a box to ask them if they have PR. (parental responsibility)
I have to add a bit about SEN in my policies
I have to extend my Safeguarding policy and add telephone numbers and contact details
I have to add the mobile phone stuff which I was going to do anyway
All pretty straight forward and I did these last night.
Then she went on to the heavy stuff....:panic:
My RA's are written down room for room so Ofsted can see what I have done to make the house safe and what i do. I also have written risk assessments for places I go like the library, parks etc but this wasnt good enough. She asked if I did daily RA's to which I replied I do but not written down. I do them in my head throughout the day obviously. So she wanted me to make a laminated sheet with daily assesments on so when I get up in a morning I can take the sheet round the house and tick off with a board pen each thing as I check it....:rolleyes:
Then she looked at my LJ's and said they were very good and very full, good linking to 6 areas and good next steps. Good observations and linking, but I have to add -
1. A space for parents to write comments (which is what the diaries are used for but it seems I have to ask the parents if I can copy comments they make in the diary and add it to LJ)
2. I have to share the LJ's with the children, keeping them available for the children to access and then add comments of what they said when shared
3. Written planning for each child (something I don't do as I don't have time)
4. I have to give parents ideas and info of what they can do with their children at the weekend and then parents can add this to the LJ
5. About me sheets sent home at regular intervals for parents to fill in so I can plan around their interests of what they have done at home
6. A plan of action showing where I intend to improve over the year. A monthly plan of what I intend to buy, what I need to buy and how it will benefit the children
And quite a bit more that I cant remember, she's putting it into an email later.
So from my initial meeting of 'no more paperwork' I seemed to be swamped with extra stuff and instead of concentrating on the 3 mindees I've got this morning Iv'e got a banging headache and all i can think about is
'How the hell am I going to manage all of this as well as working 50hrs a week looking after 15 children, 2 of my own, housework, cooking, kids homework'
I'm so overwhelemed I could cry
I went into this job because I love children and I'm beginning to hate it. I could quite easily give in today. This is ridiculous... absolutely and utterly.
I get £3.50 per child. I get no sick or holiday pay, no pension, most of the time I'm so lonely because I dont see an adult all day. I do everything for these children, I work my fingers to the bone. Sometimes i'm so tired I'm lying in bed at 6.30pm. I go to toddler group and talk to parents who think I babysit and just play all day. Then I hear people moaning about the price of childcare and it makes me wonder why do I do this?
I think I'm going to have to break the news (again) to Mum this evening that I just cant manage this. Not only do I feel like a complete failure but im going to lose my 3yr old to a nursery because I cant keep on top of the paperwork. :(
I don't know if this is supposed to be in this area or members area but at this moment in time I couldn't give a hoot.
Ive written about this over the last few months and after changing my mind over it have decided to go for it. I have a 3yr old who was entitled to free hours since Easter. Mum wants to keep her here as I offer everything. The family have been with me since I started minding in 2007. Mum doesn't want to put her in a nursery and I'm going to struggle with a preschool drop off.
In my initial meeting in January it was mentioned that I would have to do a business plan which was a complete waste of time. It was aimed at nurseries/preschools so I decided I wasn't doing it. Mum said she would lose her 15hrs but that didn't matter. Now she has decided its silly to lose out on the money so I decided to do the stupid business plan and I put my head down and got it done. It was a generic plan for all which made me cross. I filled a third of it in and was told it was good.
Then my initial question was 'Will it be anymore paperwork?' I was told no.
So yesterday I had a visit from an Improvement advisor who went through my paperwork and policies
I have little tweaks here and there:
On the form I initially give to parents I have to add a box to ask them if they have PR. (parental responsibility)
I have to add a bit about SEN in my policies
I have to extend my Safeguarding policy and add telephone numbers and contact details
I have to add the mobile phone stuff which I was going to do anyway
All pretty straight forward and I did these last night.
Then she went on to the heavy stuff....:panic:
My RA's are written down room for room so Ofsted can see what I have done to make the house safe and what i do. I also have written risk assessments for places I go like the library, parks etc but this wasnt good enough. She asked if I did daily RA's to which I replied I do but not written down. I do them in my head throughout the day obviously. So she wanted me to make a laminated sheet with daily assesments on so when I get up in a morning I can take the sheet round the house and tick off with a board pen each thing as I check it....:rolleyes:
Then she looked at my LJ's and said they were very good and very full, good linking to 6 areas and good next steps. Good observations and linking, but I have to add -
1. A space for parents to write comments (which is what the diaries are used for but it seems I have to ask the parents if I can copy comments they make in the diary and add it to LJ)
2. I have to share the LJ's with the children, keeping them available for the children to access and then add comments of what they said when shared
3. Written planning for each child (something I don't do as I don't have time)
4. I have to give parents ideas and info of what they can do with their children at the weekend and then parents can add this to the LJ
5. About me sheets sent home at regular intervals for parents to fill in so I can plan around their interests of what they have done at home
6. A plan of action showing where I intend to improve over the year. A monthly plan of what I intend to buy, what I need to buy and how it will benefit the children
And quite a bit more that I cant remember, she's putting it into an email later.
So from my initial meeting of 'no more paperwork' I seemed to be swamped with extra stuff and instead of concentrating on the 3 mindees I've got this morning Iv'e got a banging headache and all i can think about is
'How the hell am I going to manage all of this as well as working 50hrs a week looking after 15 children, 2 of my own, housework, cooking, kids homework'
I'm so overwhelemed I could cry
I went into this job because I love children and I'm beginning to hate it. I could quite easily give in today. This is ridiculous... absolutely and utterly.
I get £3.50 per child. I get no sick or holiday pay, no pension, most of the time I'm so lonely because I dont see an adult all day. I do everything for these children, I work my fingers to the bone. Sometimes i'm so tired I'm lying in bed at 6.30pm. I go to toddler group and talk to parents who think I babysit and just play all day. Then I hear people moaning about the price of childcare and it makes me wonder why do I do this?
I think I'm going to have to break the news (again) to Mum this evening that I just cant manage this. Not only do I feel like a complete failure but im going to lose my 3yr old to a nursery because I cant keep on top of the paperwork. :(