childminding group run by childrens centers

[ja8estar]

Just wanted to know if anyone goes to childminding groups at childrens centers
and how your groups are run
do you have to sign an agreement form
does your group ask you to do a risk assessment every time you go
do you have tea/coffee
tea and coffee have been removed and we have been told this for health and safety which I totally understand but lots of others are really unhappy and stopped coming
do you find you are overloaded with information or not enough
Im just curious to know as I have hear that lots of groups have closed
:)

[debh]

We go to 2 groups at the childrens center, the first one they just literally open the old nursery for us, which is a nice big area and let us use the resourses for arts and crafts but we are the only ones who go and often don't see any staff so starting to think why do we bother, def no hot drinks. The other childrens center are abit more welcomingsand there are hot drinks but it is so busy there is no time to relax and have a group. Because there is no staff in groups to support us and we have to leave room looking as if nobody has been using it it all has become abit stressful.

[Ripeberry]

I go to a childminding group at a Surestart center. We are still allowed to have tea and coffee, but we have some high shelves and window ledges where we can leave the tea.
If we only had tables then maybe not. They do seem to want us to sit on the floor as they don't provide chairs, but I can understand that as otherwise you end up sitting away from the mindees.
They will provide a chair if you need it though. They also provide the food for snacks which is a bonus :)

[singlewiththree]

Ours is run by the childrens centre in that they fund our room, we have had to have a huge policy book and everyone sign it, visitors book, signing in and out, toys organised into the 6 area of learning and planned. We can have tea and coffee if we drink it in the hallway where we take it in turns and keep the door open.

[christine e]

I go to a children's centre childminding group. No hot drinks (fine by me as I am not a tea/coffee drinker lol), a key worker involves us with the planning and we do have access to their EYFS teacher which is useful, they provide snacks - don't have to sign anything other than in and out

Cx

[miffy]

Our childminding group is given use of a room and resources at the children's centre once a fortnight (another cm group has the room on the other week and occasionally we all get together to share the sessions).

The staff usually set the room up for us, we've been able to borrow resources like the story sacks and have had some training set up for us by staff. The EYFS teacher did come into group often but has now left and although we've been introduced to the new one that is all we've seen of her.

They were not keen on us having tea or coffee but we've managed to reach a compromise on that so we can have a hot drink now. We have to provide all drinks and snacks ourselves.

Miffy xx

[ajc]

Hi, I go to two differerent centres quite close to each other and they couldnt be more different. We sign in and out at both that where the similarity ends. At the "favourite cc" we are provided with tea/coffee and child snacks (which are lovely) for a £1, lovely key workers who treat us as equals and are always around, a great set up room and always asked what we would like to do art/craft & toy wise. The other centre make us feel like they are doing us a favour and if it wasnt for the fact that we would lose our morning if we didnt use it we wouldnt go. Cant believe they are all so different! xxx

[loocyloo]

we have a new childrens centre,just by school. it opened over the summer.

we have a childminders group every other week. the local DO comes every half term and does an activity, the other weeks its up to us what we do.

the childrens centre provide snack and all resources, unless its something specific and they don't have it. they have brought in resources from other centres if requested.

i am nominally responsible for the group, as the local leading (acreditated)childminder, although another leading childminder also attends. i won't always get there for the start of the session or i have to leave before the end ( as i have a LO that day who would prefer to sleep ALL morning and i can only stall him for so long! )

i have to visually RA the room/equipment and just notify the staff if i see anything, and i sign in as 'group leader' on the weeks the DO isn't there. everyone signs in & out with our name and childrens first name or initials.

we don't have hot drinks if we have children around.

we don't pay for anything.

i find the staff really helpful and friendly and i think all the minders find them as helpful too.

[samb]

I go to one. We changed the group this year - it is now once a week (instead if every other), the staff put out equipment, we use, put in a £1 each and get our own snacks bought with that, and leave room as we find it ready for the next group who come in 15 mins after us. I have visited 1 before where it was very small, they had an activity at the table and a few toys on the floor. There was not enough space or equipment, no snack time and the only person that spoke to me was a lady I met at a training course who told me about the group. My mindee was very unhappy and cried most of the time and I havent been back!

[uf353432]

I run a childminding group with another childminder from our local childrens centre. We run weekly and the first session of the month the local surestart run a quality improvement session and come and support childminders as do our local NCMA office. However me and my CM pal sort out all activities and lay out all the toys every week. The CC provides a snack for every child free of charge - it was one of the things I secured immediately with the centre manager and fought to protect snack when the budget was being stretched. We are lucky because every so often the centre will also buy us paints and glues etc. We also have use of their toy library account if we want to bring in toys from there. I have signed a centre agreement and have completed all risk assesments - and communicate any issues to the centre manager. We are supposed to now have a designated helper from the childrens centre but as yet we've not met her - so we are certainly not reliant on her. Centre prepares the snack for us and if we needed it we have the use of the centre cleaner/kitchen helper if we are pressed for time.

[Tazmin68]

a difficult one as i attend 4 different cc over a 4 week period

group 1 - they ra the room and give us copies a req i was told after tues inspection i called them and told them this. have access to a teacher, we pay £1 and children get snacks and we can have hot drinks and can use mobiles and take pictures.

group 2 - again they ra the room and will provide CM with copies if asked, access to teacher, do planning, mobiles have to be left at reception cannot take pictures centre has own camera which we can use and they print off. hot drinks allowed behind partician. children get snacks

group 3 - again they ra the room and provide copies if asked. access to teacher no fees children get snacks, can use mobiles and take pictures. Can have hot drinks

group 4 - again ra the room will provide copies if needed, no fees snacks provided. Can have hot drinks

children are registered with each childrens centre parents complete a form.

[The Juggler]

ours is lovely. staff set up the session, pop in for a chat if they can. we tidy up but not tidy away. we are sensibly allowed to use lidded coffee thermoses as long as they are kept up high when not in hand and put down when we are next to childrne. usually we take them in the outdoor area only.

i'm on the management committee there but I've never had to moan about anything.:)