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jadavi
23-08-2011, 11:45 AM
Hi again,

Do you ever allow older mindees (ie 8 yo) to play with other kids?
Do you ever do play days where his friend comes to visit? or arrange park play where you are based too?

It seems unfair on a young kid to have to spend his holidays in someone else's house and not be able to play with his mates espec if its fulltime...

just looking ahead to holiday times with school age kids....

cheers
jac

Greengrass74
23-08-2011, 11:56 AM
We absolutely allow mindees friends to come and play, we have 1 8yo girl whose friends Nanny lives next door to us and she always comes round and play when she visits her Nan.

I totally agree with what you say that "It seems unfair on a young kid to have to spend his holidays in someone else's house and not be able to play with his mates" they need their friends around

jadavi
23-08-2011, 12:03 PM
Thanks Dave, that's a relief to know.
The trouble is all the families who are waiting for me to start live in the next town along which is 10 miles away so I'd have to actually bring a friend with me in the car when I pick them up which is a different ball game isn't it? I'd also have to be unofficially child minding them at my house.....

presumably not allowed?

jac

JCrakers
23-08-2011, 12:16 PM
Ive never actually come across this yet. Ive never thought about having a mindees friend over...my mindees all come from the same school so friends anyway

Surely if a mindees friend came over to your house you would be minding them so would have to have relevant emergency paperwork and they would be a mindee but unpaid?

Although my dd has friends round and I dont have paperwork for them so I suppose its the same thing isnt it...
No idea...Im no help am I :laughing:

Becky

cuddlybunny38
23-08-2011, 12:22 PM
Also if you was being paid to care for your mindee and you also then had his friend to play so would then not be being paid for the friend, the mindees mum may query it as she would be paying and the other childs family would not, what we use to do is arrange to meet up with others when out and about so the children can all play but you are not then in charge of the friend, when my children were younger it worked as mindees, my children were all friends with the friends xx

Tinglesnark
23-08-2011, 12:22 PM
I wouldnt i am afraid. I work hard for the pittance i earn and im not about to offer free childcare to someone that i dont know :thumbsup:
If i knew the parents and children and the mum was bringing the children around to see all of us then that would be different.

cas2805
23-08-2011, 12:27 PM
I am happy for my 5 year old mindees friend to come over, this is as long as I am still within my numbers, so can only come on certain days. The great thing is that she sometime goes to their houses too (with her parents permission) so no school run for me and I still get paid :)

Greengrass74
23-08-2011, 12:36 PM
I wouldnt i am afraid. I work hard for the pittance i earn and im not about to offer free childcare to someone that i dont know :thumbsup:
If i knew the parents and children and the mum was bringing the children around to see all of us then that would be different.

I don't think its about offering free childcare, it's about accomodating childrens needs, and sometimes it is nice for them to play with their friends after all we base ourselves on offering a "home from home" environment.

Tinglesnark
23-08-2011, 12:42 PM
I don't think its about offering free childcare, it's about accomodating childrens needs, and sometimes it is nice for them to play with their friends after all we base ourselves on offering a "home from home" environment.

i suppose it would be different if everyone lived in the same street as we would ALL know them. Having said that i do not have my full numbers so it would cause insurance dilemmas too.

I still stand by my original choice :thumbsup: I wouldnt be looking after anyone elses children (for naturally you would be caring for them, feeding them etc) that were not on my books, family or friends :thumbsup:

Twinkles
23-08-2011, 12:43 PM
I have done on occasion. Didn't have any paperwork for the 'friend' other than emergency contact and verbal advice about allergies etc.

I used to sometimes allow one of my after schoolies to invite a friend back after school for tea ( providing it didn't take me over numbers ).

I used to feel a bit sad that they couldn't have play dates like any other child especially if the parents worked full time.

Mouse
23-08-2011, 12:52 PM
I don't often look after older children, but if I did I wouldn't have their friends over to play. I get paid to have children here & wouldn't offer free childcare to their friends. If the child went to a holiday club they wouldn't be able to invite their friends over unless parents booked them in to the same club.

I understand what is being said about offering 'home from home' childcare, but don't think having children over to play is necessary. I wouldn't let them stop in bed till lunch time & spend the rest of the day playing computer games, but that is what a lot of them would do at home - doesn't mean I have to offer the facility :laughing:

Unfortunately there are limitations on children when they are sent to childcare and they can't have everything they would do at home. I'd also have to consider the implications of having an unminded child here - maximum numbers for insurance, what would happen in an emergency, would it have an impact on the care of the younger children.

What I would do (and have done in the past) is arrange a get together with another childminder who looks after their friends, or we'll take over a room and the outdoor area at the children's centre for the morning & get all the older children together. And what I always suggest to parents is that they don't send their child to a childminder who has no other older children. Send them somewhere where they will have similar aged children to play with.

Tinglesnark
23-08-2011, 01:12 PM
I don't often look after older children, but if I did I wouldn't have their friends over to play. I get paid to have children here & wouldn't offer free childcare to their friends. If the child went to a holiday club they wouldn't be able to invite their friends over unless parents booked them in to the same club.

I understand what is being said about offering 'home from home' childcare, but don't think having children over to play is necessary. I wouldn't let them stop in bed till lunch time & spend the rest of the day playing computer games, but that is what a lot of them would do at home - doesn't mean I have to offer the facility :laughing:

Unfortunately there are limitations on children when they are sent to childcare and they can't have everything they would do at home. I'd also have to consider the implications of having an unminded child here - maximum numbers for insurance, what would happen in an emergency, would it have an impact on the care of the younger children.

What I would do (and have done in the past) is arrange a get together with another childminder who looks after their friends, or we'll take over a room and the outdoor area at the children's centre for the morning & get all the older children together. And what I always suggest to parents is that they don't send their child to a childminder who has no other older children. Send them somewhere where they will have similar aged children to play with.

:thumbsup: I agree with Mouse :thumbsup:

The Juggler
23-08-2011, 01:15 PM
i do if I have spaces and otherwise that child might be the only one in their age group. also only if I know the other child well. :thumbsup:

appleblossom
23-08-2011, 01:40 PM
I do this if I have space within my numbers. I don't look on it as free childcare as the friend's Mum is likely to be at home so could come to collect them if necessary. I wouldn't do it if the friend's parents were at work at the time.

I looked after a 7 year old until spring this year. We would sometimes bring her friend back here with us after school. They played and had tea together then when mindee's Mum collected her she dropped the friend back home.

PixiePetal
23-08-2011, 01:43 PM
I don't have that age now but I wouldn't have their friends over. I provide plenty of entertainment and would arrange to meet them with their parent at a park etc if it worked out for me to do so