after school club kids (kinda) headhunted

[newandlearning]

hi all..

I will explain what I mean.. the afterschool club at my kids school shut down in july .. so me and the other cm's in the area are all nicely busy with after school kids.. I've had more enquiries in the past 2 months than in 3 years.. however..

today in my son's book bag we got a advertisement flyer from another afterschool club located at another school.. saying if there are enough families at our school wanting their service.. they will happily come and pick up the kids wanting the afterschool club care and take them to their club..

now it doesn't seem fair that our school doesn't give names out about cm's as they can be seen to be favouring one over another.. and we can't put flyers anywhere advertising our services.. yet this afterschool club from another school can stick flyers in every child's bookbag..

where is the love in that? where is the fair play?

I know some of the afterschool kids I have actually would have taken the afterschool club care if it was available and I can't charge such a cheap rate like that of the club...

I suppose I'm a lil worried.. I thought I was now filling up and could find myself nearer empty again...

how would the rest of you lovely cm's feel if this happened to you? I kinda think 'what will be will be' ... I dunno.. has this ever happened in your school/area?
:) :( :panic: :)

[miffy]

A cm friend of mine was so fed up of her school promoting the after school and holiday clubs but refusing to do the same for cms that she complained to the head and threatened to notify that Ofsted that the school were not working in partnership with cms. The school had outstanding at it's last inspection and was due another one so it seemed to do the trick and now cm's are also listed in the school prospectus, e-mailed all newsletters etc, etc.

Perhaps you could do the same?

Miffy xx

[caz3007]

This happened to us. The after school club closed down and the 3 or so CM at our school with 500 children did fairly well. Roll on a couple of months and another after school club opened and the women collecting the children every day were approaching parents and there were flyers in the book bags, so now all the after schoolies have disappeared. I wonder if the school would allow me as a CM to advertise in the same way

[Ripeberry]

I've got a 'similar' thing going on around here. The kids at our local after school club have been dropping quite a bit, so the club only opens on a Mon, Wed and Thur.

The Wed and Thurs are busy 15-18kids, but for some strange reason, no-one seems to need that much care on a Mon or Tues.

One mum at the school kicked up such a fuss that the club opens for only...........ONE child! But then another parent needed care on a Tuesday, but because the parents don't kick up a fuss they decided to not open.

I had the said child as an 'emergency', but the parents don't want to sign a contract as such as they want to "Help the club be a success", which in a way it has to as it shares premises with the pre-school that is running well.

So, I just tell people that I can take one or two children on a Tues and just wait for the 'emergency' care :rolleyes:

[The Juggler]

i would def. speak to the head. CM's services are equally part of the extended schools service as after school clubs. You should say that if they don't offer CM's equality then you will speak to the governors about it.:angry:

[QualityCare]

At our local schools they are not allowed to give out childminders numbers confidentiality and all that but if we leave cards in the office they will give those out. A couple of schools l have done pick ups from allow childminders to put posters on the P.T.A noticeboard.

[mum26]

It's the same round here. The afterschool club suddenly closed after the summer holidays last year, giving the parents no notice whatsoever. Childminders were immediately called upon to help the parents who were left in the lurch. However, a few months later the nursery in the same road as me opened a before/after school club and holiday club serving only my local primary school. The headmistress sent out a letter personally endorsing the new facility and encouraging all parents to go along to an open day. When asked to promote childminding in the same way, the school said they were unable to because they could not be sure that a childminder who they promoted one week would still be working as a childminder the next week and there was no way of verifying! Surely a parent looking for childcare can ask to see the childminder's certificate when they visit! I did discuss with my network co-ordinator and she contacted our local Early Years Department who endorsed this stance - talk about being met with a brick wall! The only compromise the school would make was to put our childminding co-ordinator's phone number on the notice board outside the school - however, I am not sure that many people actually take any notice of this.

Although the school have said that they would give out childminder's details if they were permitted to do so, it feels like our local authority wants school children to be mainly group based.

[JCrakers]

The school that I pick up from has two after school clubs. Both of them are nurseries that have extended to after school services. One of them has just started a club at the school itself by using the hall to look after the children.

The school has a huge banner on its gates to promote this. This is the same after school club that does a morning drop off from the nursery to a couple of the local schools.
The other day there were 7-8 school children sat on a bench outside the school I drop off at, at 9am with the leader obviously waiting for the minibus they use to pick them up and drop them off at another school

So they would have all been 15mins late for school :rolleyes:

Im full with before/after school children so its not affecting me at the moment but when I need more children I will be expecting to leaflet the school and if Im not allowed I will be complaining

[Twinkle-Toes]

My kids school has an on site before and after school. Most of the new parents presentation centred around it, it's constantly advertised AND i've just found out that the numerous random non uniform days, cake sales etc are in aid of the ****** club!!

So saw i'm raging is a slight understatement. I'm funding my own competition!!

I didn't realise there was anything i could do?? Plus, I doubt i dare said anything :(

[marnieb]

Same here - local school has one and picks up from ds's school as well. They're always sooo busy :( .

I tried to get fair 'visibility' if you like for cm's - I was sick of all the e-mails advertising the club I approached the school and said it wasn't fair. They agreed and started up a cm list at the school for any one to have, but as far as I know not one of us from the list has had a call enquiring.........

And any leads I do get about before/after school usually end with an e-mail saying 'thanks, but I've managed to get x into the after school club'...... :angry:

[Tealady]

Gosh I think we are lucky then.

Our school has a thriving breakfast and after school club. They have just had to move from a terrapin to the main Hall to accomodate. The school happily let Childminders put up posters and things and will take your details and give them to parents who ask for Childminders that drop off and collect from the school.

The two (was three) other childminders I know from there are often busy with before and afterschool care. I could be as well but I have to drive to school and only have a small car.

Parents should be made aware of what options there are and be able to choose from themselves.

[samb]

My dd goes to a small village infant school so less than 100 pupils in total. There is no before/after school club. The school has a children's centre on site and so they have a list of our vacancies and because of this the school say they do not need to "advertise" us as the children's centre does. Thing is the centre is for under 5s so it is a different market but the head doesn't seem to agree as parents could contact them. Yes they could but they don't!:rolleyes: