How long will it take to get some children!!!!!!!!!!!

[guest2]

Hi

I have been registered since November 2010 I have a website, have displayed posters everywhere, made links to with local school and childrens centre, advertised with FIS and Yell.com

I am in the process of joining my local network and I was wondering how long it took some of you to get children signed up for places, do you think I am in for a very very extremely long wait!

Is there anything else people could suggest that would help me to get noticed and hopefully get some children signed up.

PS I also have magnetic vehicle signs for when I am out and about.

Looking forward to your comments and hopefully I'll be busy soon.

;)

[Mouse]

I really struggled to get work when I first started as people in my area just didn't need childminders. I was one of only 2 in our area & we both struggled.

My first child eventually came from a few miles away, but mum travelled through my part of town to get to work. She'd been looking for a cm near where she lived, but couldn't find anyone, so looked further out. I was ideal as she literally went past the end of my street on the way to & from work.

Do you have any big employers near you who might have employees that pass near where you live, but don't necessarily live near you? You could approach firms and ask them to take some of your leaflets.

What about other cm's in your area? Are you friendly with them? A lot of work does come by word of mouth, so you need to make yourself known to them.

[curlycathy]

Someone else has just posted on here that she packed all of her stuff away cos wasnt getting any enquiries - and promptly got an enquiry!

It will happen, sometimes it takes time. Like Mouse says - make yourself known to other minders. I'm about to finish minding but I can honestly say that all of my mindees came through word of mouth.

Good luck and make the most of this time to have all your policies and procedures and paperwork in place!xx

[guest2]

I am going along to the childminding groups that have started up again after the christmas break so hopefully will get to know people and I have a network meeting coming up too.

[Tinglesnark]

Someone else has just posted on here that she packed all of her stuff away cos wasnt getting any enquiries - and promptly got an enquiry!

It will happen, sometimes it takes time. Like Mouse says - make yourself known to other minders. I'm about to finish minding but I can honestly say that all of my mindees came through word of mouth.

Good luck and make the most of this time to have all your policies and procedures and paperwork in place!xx

That was meeeee :D
I have been registered for quite some time now and have had a few start and go a bit wrong and end quickly...
I packed my whole house up over the pat few weeks and have nothing cm related out apart from toys.
I have trawled childcare.co.uk each week. any enquiry i have ever had apart from my current holiday mindee who was recommended to me by a friend.
Make sure that you register and become a gold member so that you can message parent in your locality.

Oh it is so hard and you will want to give up and you will feel sad and despondent BUT dont totally give up hope because if you throw enough mud, some of it must stick, right?

x

[Sally West]

It took me 5 months :panic: I was about to give it all up and go back out to work! A year later and i've still only got two mindee's :mad:

[Tinglesnark]

It took me 5 months :panic: I was about to give it all up and go back out to work! A year later and i've still only got two mindee's :mad:

id give a lot to have 2 mindees so you are lucky :)

[caz3007]

Its been very quiet here for the last year or so, but in the last month, I have had 5 enquiries, signed up two, passed one on to another childminder and another I had to turn down. I was getting worried as some of my after schoolies were leaving soon due to going to High School and was worried about money, but all sorted now. Not full, but as full as I want to be at this stage

[Tazlinacat]

That was me too.

I registered in July and other than a 3 day temporary contract and one enquiry i didn't start having any mindees until my friends 10 month old daughter, she started just 8 hours a week in October, and that has now gone up to 16hrs. I've got a 19 month old starting 2 days a week, and a 6 month old 2 days next month ( the 6 month old nicely fitted around the 10 month old). I've had numerous enquiries this month, all through childcare.co.uk, where i have contacted them first. With a 2yr old also due to start once mum gets her childcare grant though.

So you will get there, enquiries seem to be like buses. The best thing i have found is my website, parents get their first impression of me from there and i have made sure that comes up on local google searches and childcare.co.uk is fab.

Best of luck :)

[francinejayne]

As others have said, register on childcare.co.uk (discount on here somewhere) and then contact anyone looking for childcare within your area, I sent parents a quick message introducing myself and sending them a link to my website - I got 3 families through there!

[Jacko81]

Defo link up with other local childminders, i am quite a new childminder and i have found that if one of the childminder's in my network cant meet the needs of a parent, we will pass the info onto the others, which works a treat. Also i created a facebook page which i got all my friends to join and invited their friends to join and it allowed me to be noticed by people i would never have come across before. I have one mindee through the powers of facebook and my other too are word of mouth through the local networks. Good luck and han on in, they are like buses..............:)

[linda2girls]

It took me a while. I found the best thing to do talk to other childminders and let them know you have spaces. My first mindee came through another childminder who was full. I started in September and now I'm full.

Linda.

[guest2]

Defo link up with other local childminders, i am quite a new childminder and i have found that if one of the childminder's in my network cant meet the needs of a parent, we will pass the info onto the others, which works a treat. Also i created a facebook page which i got all my friends to join and invited their friends to join and it allowed me to be noticed by people i would never have come across before. I have one mindee through the powers of facebook and my other too are word of mouth through the local networks. Good luck and han on in, they are like buses..............:)

Is your facebook page under your name or do you have a business name I would like to see what you have put together 0on your facebook page before I take that leap as a few people I have spoken to recently have negative things to say about being on facebook

[Rjowens101]

Goodluck, it can be hard at the start. I find one month I'm worried I am going to end up with no work and then the next I'm having to turn them away! Sounds like you are doing all the right things, linking up with local childminders is good as often I'd love to be able to refer enquiries on to other childminders I know have spaces.

[Ebony's Stars]

Hi,
Don't give up!! It's so hard to get to this point!!

I had no children for two months and now I've got a whole flood. I went to the local CM group and they passed people on to me. I also registered with the local children centres and I look after 5 children on two different mornings while their mums do courses- these children are paid for by the children centres. Our children centres are looking for more minders.

I registered with all the local nanny agencies and temped until my charges were ready to start.

Good luck! xx

[anneeastham]

I have been registered since nov, with not even an enquiry:panic:. I am thinking of calling it a day, but since I live quite close to an industrial estate I think I shall print out some posters and go round the officers. Worth a try nothing to lose at the moment :thumbsup:

[kel1983]

I became registered in August 2010. I found the first family advertising on Childcare.co.uk and they started in November 2010. then I was contacted by a lady who found me on the local childminder list at the beginning of november and then I found my third famiy the week running up to christmas. They were also advertising on Childcare.co.uk. They are only part timers so far but still work.

There seems to be a lot of waiting around for the right family to come along. Definately worth paying for membership on Childcare.co.uk though as you can contact families that are needing care.

[jane5]

There seems to be more parents on childcare.co.uk since christmas, I have had enquiries from 4 sets of parents and 2 sets are coming on Friday for a visit:thumbsup:

[SamBaker]

I was like you last year, I registered in July 10. I done exactly the same as you, advertised every where, magnetic signs, the lot. I am now full with a waiting list, people will get to know you and word will get around just takes a little while.

Good luck xx

[DAWN44]

Hi,

I registered in November, still waiting for some children. Have had a couple of phone calls , but not suitable.
Lady was meant to come round today but cancelled.

However there are some childminders at the school my son goes to. They said they are full and have took my number to refer people to me.

Fingers crossed.
I gave up job at playgroup to do this and am feeling a bit disappointed.

Not greedy, even a part time mindee will do initially. x