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View Full Version : Do you think Schools should allow individual childminders



TheBTeam
14-07-2009, 09:15 PM
to send out their literature to every school child as a handout given to each child by the class teacher.

I have been allowed to put up an advert on the school noticeboard and fill out a school network sheet to let the school know i am a childminder, but wondered whether you think we should be able to get the school to allow us to give them an advertising sheet to hand out to each child.

My son and daughter came out of school with a leaflet advertising another local childminder, and i was a bit put out!

Do you think this is right or should i be thinking that i should do this too, although i first thought that as this lady is advertising constantly pretty much everywhere that moves, maybe that smacks of desperation!

Maybe that is uncharitable? I am a gemini and completely confused by how i feel about this.

Pipsqueak
14-07-2009, 09:18 PM
My sons school allows me to do this - but generally I team up with the other minders at the school and send out an A5 sheet with all our numbers on and a little bit of bumpf about ourselves.

We can also advertise on the notice boards around the school, and have a link on the schools website:thumbsup:

Deb
14-07-2009, 10:10 PM
I did, I printed a load of A4 sheets with my name and number and those of other minders in the area and the loaded their machine with them and printed on the other side some school letter about something or other - holidays I think it was.

balloon
15-07-2009, 06:58 AM
My son and daughter came out of school with a leaflet advertising another local childminder, and i was a bit put out!

Do you think this is right or should i be thinking that i should do this too, although i first thought that as this lady is advertising constantly pretty much everywhere that moves, maybe that smacks of desperation!

Maybe that is uncharitable? I am a gemini and completely confused by how i feel about this.

I think it's a darned good idea! I can understand you feeling a bit 'put out' but if you'd thought to do it first she'd probably feel the same way, lol! I'm not sure I'd do the same thing though, at least not right away as that *could* look a bit desperate, lol! ;) (just my thoughts) How about handing out fliers in the playground at pick up time, same effect, different way of doing it so not copying her idea.

It sounds as if she's got a good business head and is thinking outside the box for advertising ideas. Hopefully there's enough work for both of you. :)

The Juggler
15-07-2009, 07:03 AM
My sons school allows me to do this - but generally I team up with the other minders at the school and send out an A5 sheet with all our numbers on and a little bit of bumpf about ourselves.

We can also advertise on the notice boards around the school, and have a link on the schools website:thumbsup:



that's a good idea. not sure I agree with it being individual ones. children/parents could end up with lots of paper ads in their bags if everyone cottoned on and then the school would stop it which would mean they had favoured some over the others.

If you're a good minder, then office staff will know you and recommend you anyway.

loocyloo
15-07-2009, 07:07 AM
our school won't let us!

it won't even let the local childminding group send fliers out, as it says some local minders don't belong !

all we can do, is put a poster on the notice board!

rickysmiths
15-07-2009, 07:12 AM
I think it is an awful idea because it gives the message that the school approves of this childminder. I would be livid if my local school allowed this kind of individual advertising.
They hold our information sheets in the office and remind parents that they are there through the newsletter. The school is then impartial which is how it should be.

Chatterbox Childcare
15-07-2009, 07:25 AM
Schools have to build links as we do with the community.

I advertise through the schools as a contact as I am the Area Representative and I give out local childminders details if calls come in. We do this through the newsletters and put advertisements on the school notice board.

Are you annoyed that she has done it, the school allowed it or you didn't think of it? (sorry if that sounds crass)

Mouse
15-07-2009, 08:17 AM
Our schools & nursery won't allow it as they say they can't be seen to be endorsing individual childminders or promoting private businesses, but they are forever handing out leaflets for the local private nurseries & holiday clubs!

At the moment we're struggling to even get them to agree to hand out letters about our chilminding group in general.

I had a letter given to me the other day about a playgroup breakfast club. They'll have the children for an hour, give them breakfast & walk them to school or nursery - all for £2! That's hard to compete with, especially when they won't let us advertise :rolleyes:

Rubybubbles
15-07-2009, 09:01 AM
I think it is an awful idea because it gives the message that the school approves of this childminder. I would be livid if my local school allowed this kind of individual advertising.
They hold our information sheets in the office and remind parents that they are there through the newsletter. The school is then impartial which is how it should be.

this is how I feel about it:D

jeanybeany
15-07-2009, 09:55 AM
Our local school allows childminders to advertise on the noticeboard and in the newsletter. This is good of them I think, however I do think they should only do it for local childminders. Recently I have seen childminders advertising that come from other areas and are able to do lots of schools due to them starting and finishing at different times. I think that's unfair for the other childminders that are not in a position to do this. On the other hand though the majority of parents I have had all prefer their childminder to be only a few minutes from the school!

I find it difficult to compete with the before/after school club rates and therefore in 3 years of minding nearly I still have spaces. The schoolies I have got I have got through already knowing them! I just cannot see the point in filling the spaces if all I can charge is £1.50 in the morning and £3.50 in the evening like the school. It's not worth my while and you just cannot compete, the only other good thing is they prefer to have full timers, so alot of my school aged children are odd days which school will not cater for. I always advertise it though but when they find out my rates they never get back to me and it's only £3.00 per hour.

Sorry gone on a bit :D

TheBTeam
15-07-2009, 10:08 AM
I have never asked specifically to be allowed to handout flyers through them and to be honest i wouldn't want to appear that desperate, but what has made me slightly cross is that they are reluctant to even hold a childminders details on their records (school childminder network sheets).

They will only actively promote their own before/after school club, cant be seen to favour etc, and yet suddenly twice now they have handed out leaflets for this other childminder, and the bizarre thing is none of the existing childminders know who she is, she does not network with any one that we can find from the local area, groups and there are two or three, and also it is quite a community where you always know of the childminders even the ones that work only on their own and do not mix and yet for some time now she has been advertising absolutely everywhere!

I will not be copying, my reputation in itself has always been enough and advertising on the ************* etc, I am interested to find out who she is tho!

Tatjana
15-07-2009, 10:54 AM
I don't understand references to seeming 'desperate' it's advertising your business, I don't see any other companies' adverts as desperate so why would they be so from a childminder?!

xx

Pipsqueak
15-07-2009, 11:04 AM
School runs their own b4 and after school club - can't compete with their prices either AND their is a Montessori nursery with their own b4/after school club within school premises.
The head is a progressive one and would allow us to advertise individually if we wanted too but to save on costs and the amount of paper being handed out we decided on a group flyer.
Two other b4 and after places advertise through the school so there is no favouritsm and the head sees it as giving parents the choice.

Love our headmaster (and he is pretty fit as well - although he did have an Austin Powers thing going on the other day with the suit he wore for the Y6 prom! lol)

manjay
15-07-2009, 12:16 PM
I don't understand references to seeming 'desperate' it's advertising your business, I don't see any other companies' adverts as desperate so why would they be so from a childminder?!

xx

I am with you on this one! To me it is just another way to advertise. I don't really do any advertising but if I needed to I know the headmistress of our school would do this for me. I don't see it is any different to any other form of advertisement. Maybe it depends on what links you have with the school. I have volunteered in ours for years and have a lovely reference in my file from the head saying she would happily let me look after her children. I know for a fact that if anyone asks the early years teacher for a childminder they will give my name. They do this because they know me well and are obviously happy to recommend me. I understand that this may not work in larger communities.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
15-07-2009, 04:22 PM
Our school will not allow you to do anything like that cannot even put a poster up on the noticeboard as they don't like it. :(

Ripeberry
15-07-2009, 04:38 PM
I feel like a 'Little Britain sketch' I'm the only childminder in the village and for the school ;)
But most people around here have large extended famillies so they don't seem to need childminders :rolleyes: But there are quite a lot of new houses being built and homes for sale, so maybe new people will come into the area.

TheBTeam
15-07-2009, 08:44 PM
I think part of my struggling with it comes from my own insecurities, in that I am not very brave or forthright in selling or advertising myself, i would be far to embarrassed to do it, but am very well known at the school. I was on HSA in a couple of roles, have childminded a number of the school children, and the deputy heads twins.

The lady who has advertised is an unknown, so whilst this seems odd to me, i feel that for her being an unknown makes it easier to do, i wouldn't because i am so well known, so i would feel personally embarrassed to advertise in this way as i wouldn't want it to seem that i was in desperate need of children, iyswim, It isn't so much that she seems desperate more about how i perceive it would look if i did it.

Rubybubbles
15-07-2009, 08:51 PM
I think part of my struggling with it comes from my own insecurities, in that I am not very brave or forthright in selling or advertising myself, i would be far to embarrassed to do it, but am very well known at the school. I was on HSA in a couple of roles, have childminded a number of the school children, and the deputy heads twins.

The lady who has advertised is an unknown, so whilst this seems odd to me, i feel that for her being an unknown makes it easier to do, i wouldn't because i am so well known, so i would feel personally embarrassed to advertise in this way as i wouldn't want it to seem that i was in desperate need of children, iyswim, It isn't so much that she seems desperate more about how i perceive it would look if i did it.

why don;t ou ohone her as a childminder and get to know her:D she may be new and need some support and a friendly face:idea:

TheBTeam
15-07-2009, 08:59 PM
why don;t ou ohone her as a childminder and get to know her:D she may be new and need some support and a friendly face:idea:

I might do that, i never thought of that! thank you!

uf353432
15-07-2009, 10:54 PM
I feel like a 'Little Britain sketch' I'm the only childminder in the village and for the school ;)
But most people around here have large extended famillies so they don't seem to need childminders :rolleyes: But there are quite a lot of new houses being built and homes for sale, so maybe new people will come into the area.

pmsl - I am also the only childminder in the village!

When I was newly registered I did send a leaflet out with the schools newsletter to every parent advertising my services. Why did the school do it? because I asked it was as simple as that. I also have a poster in the preschool noticeboard and the receptionist has my business cards. The preschool manager recommends me to anyone who asks and now that I have several children on my books, my parents take over if anyone asks them.

I don't see it as desperation at all - I took an opportunity to tell my target customer base who I was, what I did and how they could contact me. All bar one of my mindees came from this leaflet drop so I have no regrets at all.

huggableshelly
16-07-2009, 06:38 AM
I'm sure my local school would allow it, my name goes on their termly newsletter as a contact for childcare so parents can either call the school or me to gain information. both the school and me have all of the cm's contact details to hand out and are aware of who has what places to offer rather than sending a parent into a loop of gaining lots of no's when they call us all.

Only thing is right now we are constantly gaining calls for new reception children and we have dropped from 7 to 4 childminders who are all full.

grr most of mine are over 8 and I could fill unver 8 places but already walk with 7 kiddies and cant imagine walking with more let alone fitting them all into my house.

The good thing is there is an after school club starting in sept so maybe some of the over 8's will prefer to go there. (wishful thinking huh)