Variations for cm's working together
HELP PLEASE! I am so confused!
I've gone on the link Sarah put on about the changes to the EYFS and I'm specifically looking at paragraph 3.42, which I think has greatly cleared up ratio's for cm's working on their own - however not for cm's working together. Me and my Mum work togetehr at her house and so we have always been allowed 6 children under the age of 5. However, we have 2 mums who are both pregnant (one heavily, one newly), one Mum who wants to increse her hours in Sept due to the 30 hours funding and we also have my own 2 year old son, who we have always included in our numbers. Since we work together, can we give ourselves a variation, if agreed to by all the parents and we can prove it will not affect the quality of care - we will still deliver the same care and attention to all children, maintain the same level of teaching and education, all children will still be on Tapestry, we will still go to the park, still be members at the local zoo, still go to the local toddler group, still go in the garden etc etc etc. I am not saying we will be asking to have 9 or 10 children everyday, as we don't have anyone full time, it will just be 7 children some days, one of which is my own son - and it is ONLY TO OFFER CONTINUITY OF CARE, NOT TO EXTEND OUR BUISNESS.
3.42. If a childminder can demonstrate to parents and/or carers and Ofsted inspectors
or their childminder agency that the individual needs of all the children are being
met, exceptions to the usual ratios can be made, for example, when childminders
are caring for sibling babies, or when caring for their own baby, or to maintain
continuity of care. If children aged four and five only attend the childminding
setting before and/or after a normal school day, and/or during school holidays,
they may be cared for at the same time as three other young children. But in all
circumstances, the total number of children under the age of eight being cared for
must not exceed six.
