Charlottex
06-11-2014, 02:23 PM
Hi everyone:)
i'm currently in my last year at Sixthform studying child care level 3 and health and social care level 3.
i have a little boy who is now 9 months old and i'm moving out start of next year and hoping to start making my house ready to be able to be a registered childminder.
what are the first things you need to do to become a childminder? i've searched around on google, but i don't know where to start at all, so advice would be much appreciated
Thank You x
Hi everyone:)
i'm currently in my last year at Sixthform studying child care level 3 and health and social care level 3.
i have a little boy who is now 9 months old and i'm moving out start of next year and hoping to start making my house ready to be able to be a registered childminder.
what are the first things you need to do to become a childminder? i've searched around on google, but i don't know where to start at all, so advice would be much appreciated
Thank You x
Hi Charlotte
Your first port of call is your LA. They should have briefing sessions which lead onto the Introduction to Childminding course or online equivalent.
Some info here.
http://www.childmindinghelp.co.uk/forum/starting-childminding-pre-registration-visits/117176-registering-childminder-updated-06-2014-a.html
bunyip
11-11-2014, 11:42 AM
Also worth checking out and thinking through the practicalities.
You don't say if you'll be renting or owning your own home. If you're renting, you will need the landlord's permission to do childminding, as it counts as running a business from the premises. A lot of landlords will refuse, or will insist on additional charges, terms and conditions even if they do allow it. Even if you own your own place, you may need to find another home insurance policy, etc.
Think about how the work will fit around your family life. No offence intended, but a lot of people miscalculate just what childminding entails. There's more to it than simply having an extra child or 2 around whilst you get on with raising your own child. I think most CMs started out cos they wanted to work from home whilst looking after their own children (or grandchildren, in my case) and I think a lot of us have forgotten that over time. It can call for difficult decisions. Your own child will have the fun of other children around, but there can be problems too: having to share toys, their home, their mum's time and attention, etc.
You can only have one under-1 year old at a time, and that includes your own baby. So, if you are registered quickly (ha ha - as if Ofsted knew the meaning of the word :p ) you're going to have to consider the mix of children who can be cared for alongside your own.
Have a good think about the days/hours/times you want to work and how much you're prepared to compromise on that to meet the needs of working families. When I was getting ready to start, I had dozens of people say "it'll be good to have another CM in the village" - so I mistakenly believed I'd have dozens of enquiries and be able to pick and choose my hours. It didn't turn out like that - and I've still never had a single full-time client. The kind of work you're offered will depend on what's around and how you make yourself know. Fr'instance, I get asked for a lot of school-runs for many different schools, as some schools around here just aren't served by enough CMs. Or there may be a big hospital near you, so you'd have a ready supply of nurses, etc. desperate for childcare, but probably wanting non-standard hours or arrangements which are compatible with their shift-work.
Good luck with it. :thumbsup: