Childminding Secondary School Age Children

[teacakepenguin]

At what point do you stop charging to look after these children, it feels mean to charge if they're out with their mates although I know I'm still looking after them.

[lilac_dragon]

At what point do you stop charging to look after these children, it feels mean to charge if they're out with their mates although I know I'm still looking after them.

I don't stop charging for them. They're still my minded children, still in my numbers for my Insurance even when they become old enough to be "over 8's".
They still therefore block me from taking someone else on.

[Tealady]

Thank-you for all your responses. He is a lovely lad and whilst he likes his PS3 at home he happily joins in here or entertains himself. He loves to draw so is quite happy to sit and sketch. He does pitch in with the younger ones and they love it when he helps them with the Brio style train track. He can make really great circuits for them. Oh and paper aeroplanes!

I hope he continues to be happy here. I feel like I have seen him grow up and have helped him through some problems. Mum also likes him coming here as he is her only child and she is a single parent so it gives him a taste of being part of a bigger family.

[Maza]

I think it is lovely that older children can go to childminders as some are just not suited to after school clubs. It must provide great peace of mind for parents of such children.

[charlottenash]

I think to consider it I'd have to have a whole study room to encourage them to do homework in quiet. I don't think I'd cope with them, what if they don't turn up, smell of smoke, are rude and disruptive? It's all very complicated.

[teacakepenguin]

My teenage mindee absolutely doesn't want to do his homework when there's a houseful of people to talk to, he saves his homework for when he gets home.

[JCrakers]

No Jcrackers ...I assure you the comment was not aimed at anyone in particular and it is not a question of whose setting is better, it is a question of understanding what older children require and what makes them tick??
so maybe we could take a look at Child development which covers 0-19...not sure about the current NVQ but when I did mine we had to study the whole spectrum not just 0-5.

many CMs here have declared they like looking after the older children and I like their suggestions on how they engage with older children....I would also like to raise the matter that in the whole sector CMs are the 'ones' who can care for children of such varied age...no one else does.

Let's s share information without the need to score points...parents read our comments here.

At present the govt is declaring that there is a shortage of 'after school care' lets reflect on how we could do it...I see plenty on nurseries and preschools taking this away from CMs....soon we will be left holding the babies only!!

I'm not trying to score points with anyone...I mentioned that NEW older children (11yrs onwards) are more difficult to have. I said they get bored. My existing mindees have grown up here so we all know each other very well, I know what they like and they are comfortable and part of the family so its easier. I've taken on two twin boys aged 11yrs and it was extremely hard work because I didn't have time to get to know then. They came 2 days a week for to hrs after school. I gave them a huge amount of input and asked them what they enjoyed, I bought extra provisions but they just didn't want to be here. They wanted to be out with friends and I couldn't allow them to be and because they were NEW at such an older age I couldn't get them to settle like I would a small child.

I have plenty of older children in my setting and they have all been here for yrs and I know how they tick. I don't enjoy older children as much as smaller children because I 'know my forte'. I don't appreciate posts obviously aimed at me that say BORED? as it came across as a dig!
No one is above anyone here and no one is better than anyone else in the way they do their job.....

[weedotes]

At what point do you stop charging to look after these children, it feels mean to charge if they're out with their mates although I know I'm still looking after them.

I m in NI and we were allowed 3 pre school and 6 under 12 ( this has changed now , info has come in saying if you mind over 12. Year olds ,you must deduct the number from your under 12 s ).
So when I had a young teenager I made a decision not to charge from term after she was 12 when she was not taking up a space , she was a pleasure to have and enjoyed coming and was so happy to have somewhere warm and friendly to come home to but mum and I agreed on a sum to cover food and drinks .
I don't think I could have taken the responsibility of wondering where she was if she had wanted to go out and do her own thing .The boys I have now at almost 8 and almost 10 talk about looking forward to coming here on their own steam when they are at big school . I m going to have to think it over carefully when the time comes but I ll hope to be able to give them the offer to visit whenever they feel the need . Simply because all the families I mind at present have become very friendly and would see that as positive and not have an effect on the care of their children if you see what I mean .

[critch]

I would have involved him from the beginning in being the design specialist for the settings christmas card production this year. Given him some examples, asked his opinion, just generally involve him and his higher level skills in preparing the Christmas activity for himself and the younger children. In other words, raise his status, give him some responsibility, make him feel he is liked, trusted to help, important because he is older........worked on my relationship with him and tried to overcome my negative thoughts about older, after school children.

Believe me I have tried to make him feel important and now focus my efforts on the ones that interact with me, I feel the comments of 'for gods sake' up to 15 times in 2 hours and dirogatory comments against my own children are not nice, I will not be making any more of an effort when I have changed all the menus to accommodate his taste which gives me a choice of 9 meals, which is unfair to the other children who eat a wide variety but to stop him moaning I did it to accommodate him,cereal choices have gone up by 5 additional cereals and he still won't eat anything even though mum advises he eats most :-( p***** off to say the least roll on when he moves school in September

[Simona]

I'm not trying to score points with anyone...I mentioned that NEW older children (11yrs onwards) are more difficult to have. I said they get bored. My existing mindees have grown up here so we all know each other very well, I know what they like and they are comfortable and part of the family so its easier. I've taken on two twin boys aged 11yrs and it was extremely hard work because I didn't have time to get to know then. They came 2 days a week for to hrs after school. I gave them a huge amount of input and asked them what they enjoyed, I bought extra provisions but they just didn't want to be here. They wanted to be out with friends and I couldn't allow them to be and because they were NEW at such an older age I couldn't get them to settle like I would a small child.

I have plenty of older children in my setting and they have all been here for yrs and I know how they tick. I don't enjoy older children as much as smaller children because I 'know my forte'. I don't appreciate posts obviously aimed at me that say BORED? as it came across as a dig!
No one is above anyone here and no one is better than anyone else in the way they do their job.....

JCrackers...I was not referring to you when I said 'bored' I was using the word in general terms of older children' not engaging, not stimulated, not given responsibilities for their age etc etc'
I have already responded that my comment was not aimed at you so now is my apology if you felt I was aiming at you .

We must remember that writing in a forum can be misinterpreted and taken the wrong way!