Accreditation

[Pipsqueak]

Bit of a discussion going on with some other (rather old school) minders.

So this question is for those of you who are accredited - if you are do you have to register your premises as a business and pay business rates (waste etc)

[angeldelight]

I have never been told that

Angel xx

[Pipsqueak]

I didn't think so but these other ladies seem to think you have to shell out loads because you are in essence running a nursery. Just wanted to check with my family of experts:)

[angeldelight]

Where did they get their information from

I am curious now because I have never been told this and its never even been mentioned by anyone

Why do they think its the same as a nursery I wonder ?

Angel xx

[Pipsqueak]

Like I say they are rather old school (but lovely lovely ladies) who have been minding for over 20 years, but they are rather stuck in their ways and views. What they have been told 10 years ago is still relevant and real to them and until an actual official person of Ofsted tells them otherwise no one (not even our CDO) can convince them otherwise. so I am not sure how current their information may be!:rolleyes: When I asked they said that they applied to for nursery funding and got it but first they had to register as a business etc, they were rather vague on dates....

I do hope that this isn't the case as our NCMA CDO it trying to get funding to form a network to enable accreditation


(these are ladies who when I asked when they would like to take their turn at doing an activity at drop in they declined stating that their insurance doesn't cover them to provide activities to other children and that their insurance stipulates that the children in their care are their responsibility and they cannot possibly do an activity and safely care for the children. Bear in mind we are in a childrens center, there are two of them working together and they have 3 children with them, so far everyone else has managed and they haven't declined to take part in activities led by other minders;) )

[angeldelight]

I am sure it would be the same in all areas

We have never been told about this here and if thats the case we would have been informed at the start

When I became accrediated if I had been told I would have to register as a business I would never have bothered

Dont know why I bothered anyway - but thats a whole different story haha

Angel xx

[Pipsqueak]

ok explain why please Angel, about wishing you hadn't bothered..... I want to know all the pros and cons for you lot before I even start to consider this

[angeldelight]

Just reading your bit about the activties

OMG some people...... why do they actually go to the centre then ? Are they allowed to have a cup of coffee - say if they drop it are they insured haha

Think you could tell them a thing or two Vik

Angel xx

[Andrea08]

mmmm im interested too please but all ive been told is to join the accredite network and have a separate bank account to show "the grant" moneys,,

im happy the way i am almost 6yrs as a childminder and already the job has changed ,,,

[angeldelight]

ok explain why please Angel, about wishing you hadn't bothered..... I want to know all the pros and cons for you lot before I even start to consider this

It was a lot of hard work - you have to have them inspect you - so more stress plus your inspection by ofsted

I can not speak for anyone else but for myself I feel that all the extra work was a lot of hassle for nothing when I do most of it anyway

So for me my little ones go to the local nursery and I still get paid for the time they are there

So why did I bother really ?

There is a lot of paper work to cover

Plus some parents have never even heard of it - and they really dont believe you when you explain !!

For some reason parents still dont seem to think that childminders offer the same educational needs even if you are accredited
Because this is paid for by the goverment parents seem to think that a nursery will offer more

Well thats my experience of it anyway

Angel xx

[Mags]

Im accredited too Angel....and i couldn't have put it better myself......that's exactly the way i feel and think about accreditation....personally though if i had a small child i would probably chose a nursery (on the grounds of education) over a childminder...not 100% sure why....i just think that the staff would be better qualified thats all.,

[Chatterbox Childcare]

This is totally new to me and I am accredited

Last year our local brought in permission to work at home as a business which we had to pay a fee for but this has now been reversed as far as I know but it wasn't linked to government funding

[rickysmiths]

I dont think being Accredited has anything to do with planning permission and it doesnt change you suddenly into an insititution!!!!!! You are still working as a childminder in your HOME within the agreed numbers.

The fact of the matter is that the government have shot themselves in the foot over nursery funding. By making it compulsory for all childmindeers to comply with EYFS they are making us follow what was the old 3-5 Foundation Stage.

It used to be up to us and if we followed it, if we did, we had a higher level of inspection. Now we have to do it, we are delivering the same as the day nurseries, pre schools and they have got to let us access the 3-5yrs funding. The trouble is that the system would crash if they let us all in, so they are rolling it out in a few places at a time.

Interestingly, Herts is one of these areas and since last year they have already lowered the criteria for application from Registered Good to Satifactory ! They can't have had very many applications then!!?

[Mollymop]

I am not accredited, but I doubt I ever will do it.
In my area most children aged 3 -5, go to pre-school, so even if I became accredited I think I would be very lucky to ever use it to help the parents.

[sarah707]

I asked about this after my inspection because it was something the inspector suggested I did.

I was told in no uncertain terms that children of that age were better off in nursery where they could socialise with lots of others and Cheshire weren't offering accreditation to childminders because of that :eek:

To say I was shocked was an understatement but I didn't follow it up.

[angeldelight]

I asked about this after my inspection because it was something the inspector suggested I did.

I was told in no uncertain terms that children of that age were better off in nursery where they could socialise with lots of others and Cheshire weren't offering accreditation to childminders because of that :eek:

To say I was shocked was an understatement but I didn't follow it up.

I am afraid that is the way most see it to be honest

Angel xx