Childcare measures: Important read for CMs!

[Simona]

There are nearly 17,000 members on the forum FB page and many many of them now have nursery type settings. I think that is pretty strong evidence to back up the idea that many childminders are now turning their homes into mini nurseries.
I also see local childminders who have nursery type settings with gardens that would put any adventure playground to shame.

When other childminders, particularly new ones, see settings like that it's no wonder they think that's how it should be. There'll often be a post from someone saying that after seeing all these fabulous settings they don't think their home is good enough.

As I said before, Ofsted has never placed any expectations on childminders having their homes decked out like nurseries, but it does worry me that the more places they see like that, the more it will become expected.

Fair enough...so many CMs on FB have decided to turn their setting into a nursery...I suppose the DfE will be pleased with their ' innovative' idea but that does not mean we all have to worry about that....home based childcare remains the same and you are right on Ofsted having no requirements for us to do the same
Turning a home into a mini nursery is not necessarily a fabulous idea and what settings do they judge to be fabulous?

Mumofone...there is no need to have a water wall...a simple set up with water and a few funnels and pipes will do.
Nurseries have to have these gadgets because they never take the children anywhere and possibly want to impress an inspector
I'd rather take the children to the beach...all we need to do is follow the EYFS and provide opportunities for them to learn from...bunting will not do that as a garden caters for all 7 areas of learning

[Simona]

Sorry to come back to you on this Mouse.....you said there 17,000 cms on the forum FB page
There are also 2 other FB pages run by independent CMs...and more I am sure by others.

I don' t think they have reported the same problem....I will try to get some news from them....but I know for sure they are very much in defence of home based childcare.

[JCrakers]

When I was inspected by my Early Years team so I could receive the FEEE I had to label toy boxes with pictures and words. Something that you wouldn't see in a home environment as I never had them labelled as a parent.

And with comments from Ofsted inspectors (My inspector 3yrs ago) 'Nurseries can achieve Outstanding because they have more networking, a wider range of children and more recourses' is there any wonder that we are trying to turn into mini nurseries?

[mama2three]

I agree with everything said about home based childcare - my home hasn't got a playroom , it looks more or less like your average messy family home by the weekend.During the week I put out various resources to suit the children.
I could put on photos showing it looking a bit like yours fussy , ( if I tidied up first!).
But I do have a waterwall , a giant outdoor xylophone , a huge natural sand area , all the things you've suggested aren't necessarily appropriate for a childminder. Are they necessary? No. Do they give the children something a little more than if I didn't have them? Most definitely.
I think theres a balance to be found...whatever you and your family are happy with in terms of how ''taken over'' your house becomes. My home is exactly that , a family home where children feel comfortable ...with lots to do to keep them happy , entertained and learning.
Some of the photos of my garden could look a bit ''nurseryiish'' - it doesn't mean Im wanting to be a mini nursery. I wont have assistants , the children all get continuity of me and only me caring for them unlike in a nursery. We are still free to offer really individual care as we have small numbers. I still go and access the wealth of experiences available around us ...Im so lucky to live next to a forest... hopefully the children get the best of both worlds.

[bunyip]

Very interesting and intelligent points made by all.

But it's not just about the degree to which a CM's setting looks 'nurserified'. You could argue that is a symptom and not the problem itself.

My worry is that we've been programmed to believe we have to compete on the DofE's terms: "think nursery" and in particular to "think school-ready".

We've been crushed and squeezed into a very narrow political definition of 'learning and development' the short-term goal of which is to make the little blighters easier for teachers to control and , ultimately, to fit the UK regime's unhealthy competitive urge to top the world's education 'premier league table'..................... at absolutely any cost to the children, families and, indeed, childhood itself.

CMs, instead of pointing out how uniquely different we are from nurseries, over-stress how similar we are: often exhibiting itself as a self-fulfilling prophecy in which we become more nursery-like and less home-like in spirit, character and ethos.

This phenomenon tends to present itself from time to time on the forum and in conversations I've had with other CMs, particularly around a parent choosing between sending their child to nursery or a CM. All too often, the CM's argument is along the lines of: "why would mum want to send DD/DS to nursery when my setting offers everything a nursery does?" In other words: we do EYFS, L&D, blah-di-blah-di-blah ...................just like nursery. There is often a failure to present how a CM is uniquely different to a nursery, and too much emphasis on being the same.

I believe this is pushing CMs in general to become more nursery-minded, more nursery-like. And it is often being driven by organisations like pacey, or individuals who would to impose their preferred CMing style on the whole industry/profession/call it what you will: usually in the guise of those little critical buzz-words such as "more professional" or "best practice". This was exactly the sort of thing a lot of people feared would happen when pacey stopped being a CMs organisation and started touting for members around nurseries, nannying, etc. Not that they're entirely to blame: the process and emphasis shift was already well under way before NCMA mutated into pacey.

I think their is room for different styles of CMing and parents should be free to choose somewhere along a continuum of 'homeliness' - 'educational-iness'. I think my own bias is pretty clear, but the opposite is still an entirely valid choice. What I do have a problem with is the lack of choice and the labelling of less educationally-oriented settings as of "lower quality". I think this is coupled with a rather insidious tendency to wrap up the premature education in a facade of homeliness, and con ourselves into believing we're always offering the best of both worlds.

I guess much of it boils down to a choice between cow-towing to 'over-education' for political ends or offering children some vestige of 'a childhood' - hopefully one which I'm not over-sentimentalising. But the more parents I listen to, the more I fear that we CMs are being subsumed into a rather uniform agglomerate of "the childcare industry". Many, not all, but still many parents want an alternative to premature/over-education, over-regulation, school-readying, etc. They want, essentially, a home-from-home for their children. They want, dare I say, something a little less professional: a bit more like being with mum and dad (or grandma/granddad) than like being with Teacher. We are becoming (or at the very least, in extreme danger of becoming) less different, less unique, less individual, and less of what many families actually want for their children.

[Mouse]

I agree with everything said about home based childcare - my home hasn't got a playroom , it looks more or less like your average messy family home by the weekend.During the week I put out various resources to suit the children.
I could put on photos showing it looking a bit like yours fussy , ( if I tidied up first!).
But I do have a waterwall , a giant outdoor xylophone , a huge natural sand area , all the things you've suggested aren't necessarily appropriate for a childminder. Are they necessary? No. Do they give the children something a little more than if I didn't have them? Most definitely.
I think theres a balance to be found...whatever you and your family are happy with in terms of how ''taken over'' your house becomes. My home is exactly that , a family home where children feel comfortable ...with lots to do to keep them happy , entertained and learning.
Some of the photos of my garden could look a bit ''nurseryiish'' - it doesn't mean Im wanting to be a mini nursery. I wont have assistants , the children all get continuity of me and only me caring for them unlike in a nursery. We are still free to offer really individual care as we have small numbers. I still go and access the wealth of experiences available around us ...Im so lucky to live next to a forest... hopefully the children get the best of both worlds.

I hope I didn't come across as critical of nursery type childminding settings, that certainly wasn't my intention. I don't think I said these things aren't appropriate for childminders (any thing is appropriate if it's what you want), but I don't think they're necessary if they're not want you want.

I think if you have a waterwall etc because you want to, that's very different to having them because you feel you have to or because you believe that's what parents and inspectors are looking for. I have a big notice board on my wall and have what I'd consider nursery type displays on it. That's not in the least bit homely, but I have it because I like doing displays with the children. If I was told I had to have something like that (knowing me) I'd rebel and refuse to - that's probably why I don't have labels on toy boxes. I'm too stubborn!

My point is that many new starters are being led to believe that they should have their house looking more like a nursery and less like a home with sofas and coffee tables and ornaments on the shelves. Going by pictures I've seen and houses I've visited there does seem to be more a move towards having a reading corner with an Ikea canopy, a dedicated role play area, posters and labelled coat hooks on the wall. These houses look lovely and I've no doubt children have a great time and childminders are proud of what they offer.

But I have seen newly registered childminders worrying that they can't compete because their house looks like ...well, a family home. And I've heard many childminders talk of giving up because childminding has taken over their home, or because they "want their house back". It's a shame that many don't feel their home os good enough when in fact it's exactly what many parents are looking for.

[Mouse]

Sorry to come back to you on this Mouse.....you said there 17,000 cms on the forum FB page
There are also 2 other FB pages run by independent CMs...and more I am sure by others.

I don' t think they have reported the same problem....I will try to get some news from them....but I know for sure they are very much in defence of home based childcare.

Maybe we're talking about different things Simona. I don't mean that childminders are turning their businesses into nurseries, but that their homes are starting to look very much like nursery settings. They are definitely still home based childcare, but the homes don't look like your average family home any more.

[Simona]

Maybe we're talking about different things Simona. I don't mean that childminders are turning their businesses into nurseries, but that their homes are starting to look very much like nursery settings. They are definitely still home based childcare, but the homes don't look like your average family home any more.

No no...you did understand what I am saying and I know what you are saying too.
We just need to 'fight' ...wrong word?....to preserve cminding for what it is
A home that looks like a nursery is not necessarily what parents want even if the environment may be lovely and all that jazz...but so is a comfy room with a huge snuggly sofa and a home feel....without all the literacy and numeracy bunting!

[bunyip]

No no...you did understand what I am saying and I know what you are saying too.
We just need to 'fight' ...wrong word?....to preserve cminding for what it is
A home that looks like a nursery is not necessarily what parents want even if the environment may be lovely and all that jazz...but so is a comfy room with a huge snuggly sofa and a home feel....without all the literacy and numeracy bunting!

I absolutely, positively, definitely, categorical agree

..............again

..............please note.

[bunyip]

I absolutely, positively, definitely, categorical agree

..............again

..............please note.

Did I understate that?