PDA

View Full Version : Wot, no coffee!!!



funemnx
07-05-2010, 01:34 PM
We go to a lovely toddler group on a Friday morning - have done for years. We're only a small group 6 - 8 of us (childminders and parents). Because there aren't many of us, we struggled to pay the rent for the hall we use. Surestart to the rescue! They offered to pay the rent 5 months ago yeah!! :clapping: Today they told us that we can no longer have hot drinks at our group because they have a non-negotiable policy that means nobody can have a hot drink in a surestart group.

Can you imagine the uproar? NO coffee!!!! How can we live with no coffee!! We have offered to take it in turns to drink our coffee behind the kichen serving hatch, while still in full view of our children, they said no :angry:

We've written a letter to tell them - we will not be requiring their funding from now on, we are going to sell cakes (we'll try not to eat them all :blush: ) and raise the money for the rent ourselves :thumbsup:

huggableshelly
07-05-2010, 01:36 PM
but thats the whole point of going to these toddler groups isnt it?

oh and ofcourse to play, interact and a change from the 4 walls!

Mookins
07-05-2010, 01:37 PM
what rot!!
i used to got to a surestart baby and toddler group and we had hot drinks there!yes we all stayed by the hatch with them...but that was defo a sure start groiup:mad:

i really hope that your cake selling helps funding for your group then you can have your own rules

x x x

funemnx
07-05-2010, 01:43 PM
Exactly, the children love it, we bring the older ones in the hols - they love it too. The children have completely free play. We put lots of toys out and they just get on with it. We have a coffee, catch up on the weeks gossip, eat cake.... :)

The surestart groups are great, I'm not against them, but they are there for the adults to interact with the children in a more planned way and we do those groups too. Our group is as much for the adults as it is for the children.

Oh, and did I mention cake? :laughing:

Pipsqueak
07-05-2010, 01:50 PM
I think there is a blanket policy about the hot drinks - HOWEVER, at one I go to the manager of the building said to me that if the group is not particuarly busy we are welcome to take hot drinks in in those travel mug thingys (with lids). Yet my local one really spits the dummy if you even take a ribena in with you.

funfunfun
07-05-2010, 02:16 PM
My local surestart , they dont allow hot drinks never have done !!!

Although im not fussed i dont drink tee , coffee etc :)

Heaven Scent
07-05-2010, 02:19 PM
Oh I just don't agree with these rules - I know that the childrens centres are about the children etc etc etc. But surely as we are expected to stand up or be down on our hands and knees playing with the LO's they need to ensure that we are properly hydrated etc and in the winter cold water from the water dispenser doesn't do it for me so I am not feeling my usual tickedy boo self by the end of the session and find I'm not able for the LO's when they act up etc.

I am also very much against this idea that we should all be on the floor playing with children all the time - I really believe that in doing this we are stunting their development and rendering them unable to think for themselves. I bet when we were all at home with our mothers they got on with their housework etc and left us to get on with being children - playing with our toys - often out of their sight and hearing and most of the time we were safe and sound.

- I'm not saying that we should allow other peoples children in our care to play out of our sight or hearing because I don't feel we have the right to do it as we are paid to care for them and that is what we should be doing - but on the other hand I feel we are also chosen so the children can grow up in a home from home and to be loved and cherrished and not smothered and stiffled.

PixiePetal
07-05-2010, 02:21 PM
Our CM group meets in the surestart centre. We can have hot drinks in the kitchen behind the hatch.

I take a can of diet coke as I don't drink tea/coffee :)

zillervalley
07-05-2010, 02:25 PM
we cant have hot drinkd at our cm network group as its held in a childrens centre,

zillervalley
07-05-2010, 02:26 PM
we cant have hot drinks at our cm network group as its held in a childrens centre,

wendywu
07-05-2010, 03:13 PM
We have to have them in the kitchen, looking through the hatch. Or standing in the corner ( dont ask :panic: Twinkle and i dont go to that one any more )

Just another stupid rule :panic:

miffy
07-05-2010, 03:14 PM
We were told no hot drinks when we started using our children's centre. Then we were allowed to have a coffee as long as we stayed in the kitchenette with it - we could see the children and we gave them their snack at the same time but it meant leaving the toy room so it was always rushed.

This week we were allowed drinks in those insulated mugs in the same room as the children because the cc staff were having a meeting in the room where the kitchenette is.

Will have to see what the rule is next time we go :rolleyes:

I think those insulated mugs are as dangerous as ordinary cups - they keep the liquid so hot and they will spill if the hole is not closed.

Miffy xx

tinkerbelle
07-05-2010, 03:44 PM
sure start pay for our local toddler group and tried banning hot drinks which went down a storm NOT it created such a stink that they backed down and bought those cups with the lids and allowed hot drinks to be made again

sillysausage
07-05-2010, 04:50 PM
Seems to be a common rule in surestart centres around the country. What gets me is that we are not allowed to have hot drinks but the surestart staff have to walk through our playroom with their hot drinks to get back to their offices!!:angry: Our centre is a contact point for families and children in foster care. All the contact rooms have tea and coffee making facilities in them. So we professional people who risk assess everything (mentally and written) can't have hot drinks, but parents, who for whatever reason have been deemed unsafe to look after their own kids are:angry: :angry:
They seem to think that we are as thick as bricks and don't appreciate the risks of hot drinks. Common sense out of the window!

margimum
07-05-2010, 06:28 PM
I agree with Celeste about playing with the children ALL the time. They need to have space to socialise with other children and learn to be independant. I'm sure parents would not be happy if we made lo's totally depend on us for play ideas and they had to continue this all weekend!
The centre I attend seem to think that because cm's sit at a table whilst lo's play happily together that we are lazy. Hot drinks have recently been banned but this may be because children's centres are now to be Ofsted inspected!!

sarah707
07-05-2010, 06:45 PM
We have never been allowed hot drinks at ours!

It's a new build so I suppose we went in knowing rather than having the rules changed on us.

The first thing I do when we get back is put the kettle on :D

FizzysFriends
07-05-2010, 07:02 PM
I go to 3 different Sure Start childrens centres and you can have hot drinks in all of them, they prefer you stay in the part of the room that has lino as thats the rules for the children too so there aren't spills on the carpet.

ORKSIE
07-05-2010, 07:03 PM
No coffee:eek: I cannot manage without my coffee. Luckily all of the groups i go to are still serving coffee:thumbsup:

nannymcflea
07-05-2010, 07:10 PM
There was a no hot drinks policy at the nursery...until I worked there...now we take it in turns to stand in the kitchen area(corner of the main room with a low door) and have a tea/coffee. By 10.30 it's much needed.:D

Parents have been drinking coffee/tea at home since year dot why would a parent/childminder not be able to be sensible at a toddler group is beyond me.

watgem
08-05-2010, 01:31 PM
Our drop-in is run from the children's centre and we have never been allowed hot drinks, it caused a fuss at first but we have been going 2 years now and to be honest we are too busy with the children and cleaning toys etc to stop for a drink! What really put it into perspective though is my friend is a nurse and she has seen some horriffic scalds on little ones from a hot drink, I think 2 hours without coffee but with happy and safe children is probably manageable :)

green puppy
08-05-2010, 01:38 PM
I quite often don't have a hot drink at our groups, if we do it's usually when the children are all sat having snack. No risk then of spilt drinks, I too have seen some accidents, once a child ran into his carer and the hot coffee spilled down onto his arm! To be honest it wouldn't bother me not being able to have one.

Mouse
08-05-2010, 01:44 PM
At our children's centre we are allowed hot drinks, but in insuated beakers. I personally feel they are worse as they give you a false sense of security. I've often seen other minders leave their drinks on the floor, on low shelves etc. They wouldn't do it with an open cup of coffee, but seem to stop thinking of the safety aspect when their drink is in a lidded beaker.

Like someone else said, these beakers keep the drinks hotter for longer & pose more of a danger if a child did get hold of them.

Most of us seem to have stopped having a hot drink now anyway as the beakers all leak & we end up spilling it down us!

LOOPYLISA
08-05-2010, 03:15 PM
I went for interview at a playgroup, they asked me if i would like a coffee (i was staying for the morning ) the owner bought me a coffee and put in on the low windowsil directly behind where the children were playing :eek:

I kept hold of it, so dangerous :panic: