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View Full Version : I have just signed up to Noble Minder and it is........



barbarella68
01-03-2010, 02:27 PM
absolutely brilliant.:clapping:
Everything I need all in one little package.
Lisa was really helpful explaining a few problems I had,and away I went. All I need now is my son to stay off the computer so I can play with my little toy.:laughing:

Hebs
01-03-2010, 02:40 PM
I'm joining too, I have been pming lisa with my questions and I have decided to try it out

Glad you like it x

sweets
01-03-2010, 02:44 PM
ok glad its working out for you, BUT i think that if you have all your paperwork up to date then its easy to maintain it! only takes a little time each week while the children are playing or sleeping. is it really worth paying £9.95 a month when you have to enter the details onto your computer anyway!

not being funny but just interested is why you feel the need for it?

barbarella68
01-03-2010, 03:41 PM
Beacuse I am willing to try anything out that helps me do my work more efficiently and I think this does it. I have been childminding a long time and have seen lots of changes over the years, all paperwork related.Some of us like paperwork and are good at it which you obviously are but some of us aren't and need a little help and it certainly takes me longer than a little time a day.
And yes it is worth paying £9.95 for it.If you don't want to use it that is up to you but I am going to try it out.

FussyElmo
01-03-2010, 03:55 PM
Well I have looked at it and deliberated (im mean dont want to spend money if I dont have too)

What would you say was the best thing about it?

estrelas
01-03-2010, 04:24 PM
ok glad its working out for you, BUT i think that if you have all your paperwork up to date then its easy to maintain it! only takes a little time each week while the children are playing or sleeping. is it really worth paying £9.95 a month when you have to enter the details onto your computer anyway!

not being funny but just interested is why you feel the need for it?

This is what i'm thinking

I just registered as you get a 14 day free trial and to be honest other than working out the tax i'm not sure it would be worth it.
Maybe for really new childminders who are just starting out? Maybe i'm wrong so i'm gonna go and have another look, but for 9.95 a month i'm not sure its that useful to me

I already have planning set up in an easy way etc

I may also go and read the other noble threads as i may have missed something

sweets
01-03-2010, 04:37 PM
Beacuse I am willing to try anything out that helps me do my work more efficiently and I think this does it. I have been childminding a long time and have seen lots of changes over the years, all paperwork related.Some of us like paperwork and are good at it which you obviously are but some of us aren't and need a little help and it certainly takes me longer than a little time a day.
And yes it is worth paying £9.95 for it.If you don't want to use it that is up to you but I am going to try it out.

sorry didnt mean to offend you i was just curious! im not good at paperwork and it has taken me a long time with a lot of help to get mine in some sort or order! i dont like doing it but do it little and often, 10 mins here and there. and i still think that paying nearly £120 a year is too much for it.

Hebs
01-03-2010, 04:40 PM
paying nearly £120 a year is too much for it.

dont forget this becomes an expense which will help keep your tax bill down :thumbsup:

if like me when your earning enough to be charged tax i'd rather spend the money on my setting wether it be toys or nobleminder to help me run my setting better than handing it over to the tax man :D

estrelas
01-03-2010, 04:44 PM
i've looked through it again and it does look good!
I'm just not sure it would suit me, but i have a week to decide i suppose

estrelas
01-03-2010, 04:45 PM
dont forget this becomes an expense which will help keep your tax bill down :thumbsup:

if like me when your earning enough to be charged tax i'd rather spend the money on my setting wether it be toys or nobleminder to help me run my setting better than handing it over to the tax man :D

hmmm could spend 120 on loads of stuff

If the package is good enough shouldn't matter how much to be honest tho

Hebs
01-03-2010, 04:47 PM
i've looked through it again and it does look good!
I'm just not sure it would suit me, but i have a week to decide i suppose

2 weeks :thumbsup:

as its a 14 day trail :D

estrelas
01-03-2010, 04:49 PM
2 weeks :thumbsup:

as its a 14 day trail :D

:laughing: :blush:

barbarella68
01-03-2010, 07:12 PM
You didn't upset me sweets honestly. Did I come across as upset? Sorry about that. I was just trying to explain that to me it does everything for you,and if like me the paperwork side is getting you down then it is a good idea.:)

Lady Haha
01-03-2010, 08:13 PM
I just signed up and hit a problem straight away!!! In the mindees profile bit, you have to put in the contracted hours in one box, which is fine if you have a mindee who is with you full time, but not for me!!! I have schoolies, who are after school and hols, so straight away thats two different sets of hours! Also, I have three on flexible contract so they can pick any three after school sessions a week and another one who is a midwife and uses me all over the place!!!!

I like the look of the site apart from this, but surely as childminders, it is one of our selling points that we are flexible so there should be a way to put in hours weekly instead!

If I'm getting this wrong, let me know! Hebs, you have schoolies don't you, can you see anywhere we can put different hours in?

Hebs
01-03-2010, 08:30 PM
not yet just been looking today

noble76
01-03-2010, 09:08 PM
I just signed up and hit a problem straight away!!! In the mindees profile bit, you have to put in the contracted hours in one box, which is fine if you have a mindee who is with you full time, but not for me!!! I have schoolies, who are after school and hols, so straight away thats two different sets of hours! Also, I have three on flexible contract so they can pick any three after school sessions a week and another one who is a midwife and uses me all over the place!!!!

I like the look of the site apart from this, but surely as childminders, it is one of our selling points that we are flexible so there should be a way to put in hours weekly instead!

If I'm getting this wrong, let me know! Hebs, you have schoolies don't you, can you see anywhere we can put different hours in?

Hi Janis

I am able to help with this I hope that is ok.

The contracted hours is for the organiser and the Who's here today? It does not have anything to do with calculating your income. However the development team have actually got on their list for this week a solution to allow minders to enter 2 lots of start and finish under contracted hours per day for before and after schoolers. So watch out for that.

To calculate the income for your school children just enter their total daily hours in the Day/Hours/Meals section above.

The package will calculate the standard contracted rate for the days and hours you have entered until you add an alternative rate period such as a holiday, retainer, holiday club etc. The package can handle any number of different rates relating to each child or your setting as a whole.

In terms of a more flexible contract it can also handle this. To help you get this set up it would be useful to be able to chat this through your exact requirements for this child. You can submit a support request through the package or PM on here and I will help you.

Hope that gives some clarity for you.

Thanks for looking at the package.

Lisa :)

noble76
01-03-2010, 09:25 PM
Hi

For those who have taken the plunge and signed up for your free trial, thank you for looking.

Getting used to something new can take a little while, please take advantage of us here. Send any questions you may have, this will enable you to get the best out of your trial period.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Lady Haha
01-03-2010, 09:48 PM
I have to say I am impressed with the customer service!!! I went and cancelled the trial period because I thought all the book keeping part would be based on the contracted hours at the start and so no use to me! It's a bit late now, but I will join again tomorrow and send you a message about my more flexible contract!

Thanks for your reply!


QUOTE=noble76;653260]Hi Janis

I am able to help with this I hope that is ok.

The contracted hours is for the organiser and the Who's here today? It does not have anything to do with calculating your income. However the development team have actually got on their list for this week a solution to allow minders to enter 2 lots of start and finish under contracted hours per day for before and after schoolers. So watch out for that.

To calculate the income for your school children just enter their total daily hours in the Day/Hours/Meals section above.

The package will calculate the standard contracted rate for the days and hours you have entered until you add an alternative rate period such as a holiday, retainer, holiday club etc. The package can handle any number of different rates relating to each child or your setting as a whole.

In terms of a more flexible contract it can also handle this. To help you get this set up it would be useful to be able to chat this through your exact requirements for this child. You can submit a support request through the package or PM on here and I will help you.

Hope that gives some clarity for you.

Thanks for looking at the package.

Lisa :)[/QUOTE]

noble76
01-03-2010, 10:11 PM
Pleasure, please do get in touch if we can be of any further help.

:)

Lady Haha
02-03-2010, 11:57 AM
Well, I've just rejoined and hitting the same problems as last time. I can't change the hours from week to week. I put in the hours for one flexi mindee for this week and it put those hours in as being her hours every week for the next ten years basically. Next week she might be coming more days - or less. It also calculated an invoice based on her doing these hours every week, with food expenses on the book keeping part for her having those exact meals every week. I also put in that on one day this week she is with me til 9pm and so after 6pm the unsocial hours rate applies. I filled in a bit about unsocial hours and what the rate for that is, but it doesn't give me anywhere to put when the unsocial hours are. When I came to putting in the fees for this mindee, I put my after school session fee, but as there was no where to say when the unsocial hours rate comes in, I just put that rate in the addtional rates box and ended up with an invoice my parent would have a siezure if she saw!!!!

The site is absolutely fantastic if you have a full timer under school age who doesn't attend preschool and never uses other rates, but it's no good to me! Sorry! If there is a way of changing the rates etc, it would take so long!

I will stick with using my attendance register to see what I am charging and claiming for food and my calculator, cash book and accounts book for working out my income and expenses! It takes me 15 mins tops to do all that weekly and I know for sure that the figures are accurate!

Shame though cos the planning, obs, activities things would be really handy if the calendar indicated when the mindee was really here!

I don't mean to sound like I'm putting the site down, I just feel it would need ALOT of work to make it useful to me.

LisaMcNally09
02-03-2010, 05:07 PM
Another question:

Is there anyway to sign up with direct debit?? I use a passbook bank account so dont have a bank card I can use like that??

Lisa

noble76
02-03-2010, 06:06 PM
Well, I've just rejoined and hitting the same problems as last time. I can't change the hours from week to week. I put in the hours for one flexi mindee for this week and it put those hours in as being her hours every week for the next ten years basically. Next week she might be coming more days - or less. It also calculated an invoice based on her doing these hours every week, with food expenses on the book keeping part for her having those exact meals every week. I also put in that on one day this week she is with me til 9pm and so after 6pm the unsocial hours rate applies. I filled in a bit about unsocial hours and what the rate for that is, but it doesn't give me anywhere to put when the unsocial hours are. When I came to putting in the fees for this mindee, I put my after school session fee, but as there was no where to say when the unsocial hours rate comes in, I just put that rate in the addtional rates box and ended up with an invoice my parent would have a siezure if she saw!!!!

The site is absolutely fantastic if you have a full timer under school age who doesn't attend preschool and never uses other rates, but it's no good to me! Sorry! If there is a way of changing the rates etc, it would take so long!

I will stick with using my attendance register to see what I am charging and claiming for food and my calculator, cash book and accounts book for working out my income and expenses! It takes me 15 mins tops to do all that weekly and I know for sure that the figures are accurate!

Shame though cos the planning, obs, activities things would be really handy if the calendar indicated when the mindee was really here!

I don't mean to sound like I'm putting the site down, I just feel it would need ALOT of work to make it useful to me.

Hi Janis

We replied to your email this morning asking when would be a suitable time to call to help you with this we are still awaiting your reply.

If you could PM this as we offer support until 8.30pm tonight?

Thanks

louisepretty
07-04-2010, 08:17 PM
I've just signed up too! I did the 14 day trial and paid for my 1st month today. I've got 12 children on the EYFS and I'm just looking for a way to make recording observations and linking them to planning a bit easier!

I've entered today's observations and planned next steps for my mindees for next week. In theory by the end of Friday I should have next weeks plan done!

I haven't started on all the other bits it does yet so I'll just slowly transfer over my risk assessments and policies. I like the fact that it puts things in your diary so you'll never forget anything as you have to tick a box to say you've done something.

A quick question for those of you already using it - when you enter an observation what are you putting in the box that comes up once you have selected the area of learning and aspect. I have spoke to Nobleminder about it and due to confidentiality she couldn't tell me what anybody else was entering. My thought was to put the appropriate Development Matter in there from the EYFS guidance as I have them all in Excel so I could copy and paste but they seem to think that Ofsted prefer us to use our own words. My inspector in November wanted to know where all my children were on the Development Matters so I need to record it somewhere in case I get the same inspector next time!

Hope that makes sense :laughing:

Playmate
26-05-2010, 03:44 PM
Have been looking at noble minder and reading all your posts, just wonderered if any one wants to share or update how they are getting along with the package after the initial trial period. Hubby is scepticle (as is his way :rolleyes: ) but I'm keen to look at anything that makes our 60hr week with no breaks easier :D

Pauline
26-05-2010, 03:48 PM
Have been looking at noble minder and reading all your posts, just wonderered if any one wants to share or update how they are getting along with the package after the initial trial period. Hubby is scepticle (as is his way :rolleyes: ) but I'm keen to look at anything that makes our 60hr week with no breaks easier :D

Thanks Sally! This is a questions I have been meaning to ask for the last few weeks and kept forgetting, thanks bringing it up :thumbsup:

Playmate
26-05-2010, 04:17 PM
Thanks Sally! This is a questions I have been meaning to ask for the last few weeks and kept forgetting, thanks bringing it up :thumbsup:

Its a pleasure Pauline, just hope someone shares their experience :D