advice needes please

[Elkie Mawdsley]

Hello everyone.

I javw just completed and passed the CYPOP5 course with Pacey, and going through the motions of the ofsted registration process.

I want to make sure that I give this career my all - and I am starting to feel a bit panicky about a few things and looking for some advice.

1) - where do I begin with planning activities for different age ranges?

2) - how do I ensure the activities planned are in line with eyfs?

3) - who do people generally use as an emergency cover until parents arrive, does it have to be an alternative childminder?

I just had a quick look at the pre reg visit book and it has me all worried now.

Thank you :)

[hectors house]

Congratulations on finishing and passing your course - concentrate on advertising your spaces now and maybe meeting up with some other local childminders who can pass any vacancies your way and give you some advice. Our new childminding network is going to operate a buddy scheme to newly qualified childminders or childminders new to the area to offer support and advice - maybe worth finding out if something similar exists in your area.

Don't worry too much about planning until you have got some mindees - then you can plan around their interests according to their age.

I do have a couple of emergency childminders as back ups but that is all well in good if a) they have space b) you can get hold of them c) you have time to wait for them to arrive

I have written into my emergency plan that in a true emergency eg: a close family member has had a serious accident and is intensive care or a child in my care has had a serious accident and needs to go to hospital then I will leave the mindees with my mum (who isn't registered but did have a police check for her job before she retired), or any neighbour who I would have trusted with my own children. I just couldn't live with knowing that I sat around waiting for parents to arrive for an hour or more while one of my family was maybe dying and I wasn't there with them.