Friendly and Unfriendly Childminders

[helengreen13]

Im just sounding off really. Over the last year or so there are 6 or so childminders who have set up in the village where I live. What I cant understand is, apart from one, they are not very friendly, very competitive and put other childminders down as much as they can. Advertising cards have been removed and it all seems so silly. Everyone on here is so nice, helpful and friendly. I want to have a meeting with all local childminders to suggest we all meet up and stop this behaviour but not sure how to go about it. Any ideas. I want to get the message across that although we are in competition with each other, every setting is different and prospective mindees will go to who suits their child best.

Helen x

[christine e]

Do you have a development officer who could help. Where I live it is the role of the DO to help set up support groups

Cx

[francinejayne]

It's a tough one isn't it, because if you confront them about it they may take offence?! I don't understand why people are like this, I am so lucky, when I started the process of registering the existing childminders welcomed me into their group and have been lovely, though some of my friends who live in a different area have been in the same situation as you.

Maybe you could organise a meeting to kick off a new group aimed at supporting each other, working with each other, etc, rather than saying lets stop the behaviour? Then if that doesn't work maybe you just have to tell them straight?

Good luck!

[venus89]

My theory is that there are 2 types of childminder. You get ones (like us :thumbsup: ) who, yes, do it for the money but also for the love of the job, for enjoyment of spending time with children, taking them places, being part of their lives....

Then you get the ones who are in it for the money and because it's - they think it's an easy ride and they often seem to do the bare minimum (and in my experience often don't last too long). These seem to be the more unfriendly ones who are more competitive. I think - and I may be shouted down here - that those of us who really enjoy the job recognise more that the others that each childminder suits different families and each family suits different childminders.....

Not that that helps you much :blush:

When I joined I felt the same thing. I set up a CMing group and after three years it's still not properly up and running, nobody's interested, they just want to do things on their own and aren't keen on getting together. Fair enough. Luckily we don't seem to have the competition problems you have, not that I've noticed, we all offer different things - I just do early years, another has lots of children and a couple of assistants, it's more like a small preschool, one has a huge garden but lives in the middle of nowhere and so on.....

Anyway, I really just wanted to say good luck and don't get involved and hopefully they'll leave you out of it. Some people are so silly.

[Jods]

I have found this also x

On here evreyone seems to be fab, and two childminders local to me have been fantatsic, so helpful and friendly (one even offered to pre-inspect my home for me, bless her x)

and then there are the ones (mostly who drop off at my setting) who to say the least have been like 'Ice maidens', I know its the competition, but I like to think to myself that they are worried as I am going to be brilliant at it lol!!!!

But I know where to go for support, and who to help in return, as Karma is a wonderful thing x

[miffy]

Do you have a development officer who could help. Where I live it is the role of the DO to help set up support groups

Cx

Or if not, can your local children's centre help - our group has the use of a room and toys there once a fortnight and another group goes in on the weeks we don't. Sometimes we have joint sessions for special occasions or training so it works quite well.

It's also neutral territory so other cm's might be encouraged to join in. Hope you manage to get something sorted.

Miffy xx