Haven freebies!

[green4lynn]

I've just taken delivery of my haven fun fitness free stuff! Its awesome, and there's twice as much as I was expecting! At least the sun is out for us to go in the garden and play with it!!!

Happy kids, and happy minder!

Lynn x

[Pipsqueak]

How did you get it... I was at first accepted and then rejected by Haven

[green4lynn]

That sucks, Pipsqueak! I just registered with them, got my parents to support me, and my pack arrived today! Have you registered to collect Tesco vouchers, and Nestle books for schools tokens? I love freebies!

Lynn x

[Tink]

I thought Haven stopped it as we were not a nursery or school or at least that is what I was told!!!

[Mouse]

I got mine a few weeks ago & the chlidren have been making good use of it

Pip & HazeyDayz, I registered when it first started & got an email saying I wasn't eligible as I wasn't registered for 10 children (they looked on our Ofsted info & saw we were generally registered for 3). I emailed back & explained that a cm could, in theory, have 30 children on their books if they had 3 children each morning, a different 3 each afternoon, with 6 different children every day. Actually, if you worked 7 days a week, you could have 42 different children a week if each one only did half a day! Very unlikely, but it was to demonstrate how we could have sufficient children on out books while still sticking with the 3 at a time that Ofsted registered us for.

I had to email them with the ages of pre-school children I have over a week, to show that I had the required number on my books. I have 6 permanent children, 2 on an as & when basis and 3 that are for holiday cover only.

Haven did say that the other option was to apply as a childminding group & share out the equipment.

[Pipsqueak]

I did email them back and offered to demonstrate that I cared for more than 10 children over the course of the week - but they weren't having any of it.

I have strongly complained to Haven - they CANNOT pick and choose which minders they give this too.

Might ask NCMA - our representative body - to look into this too

Everybody COMPLAIN

[Lily Grace]

I applied with 2 other childminders and thought my application had gone through. Then got an e-mail saying I needed e-mail addresses from the mindee's parents not sure if I will be getting mine.

[Mouse]

I did email them back and offered to demonstrate that I cared for more than 10 children over the course of the week - but they weren't having any of it.

I have strongly complained to Haven - they CANNOT pick and choose which minders they give this too.

Might ask NCMA - our representative body - to look into this too

Everybody COMPLAIN

That is very bad of them. I got put back on with no trouble.

I've got a feeling we'll be banned completey next year

[Tink]

I took part last year with no problem but when I tried this time they emailed me saying 15 children wasn't enough I needed 30 to qualify so never mind hope you enjoy the equipment we still use ours.

[~Chelle~]

I got mine this year and a bonus gift as I was one of the first 1000 to get to my target.

Received a confirmation email saying that I would get my stuff early 2012 and I did. I didn't get anything further from them at all.

To those who haven't received anything or got an email saying that they were no eligible, make sure you complain, as it is not fair for some to receive and others not to. x

[Tink]

I've just emailed them, it can't hurt I currently have 20 children on my books throughout the week so they either need to do it for everyone or no one in my opinion.

[Mouse]

I've just emailed them, it can't hurt I currently have 20 children on my books throughout the week so they either need to do it for everyone or no one in my opinion.

They do have to be under 5, pre-school children.

I hope you get a satisfactory response from them

[Pipsqueak]

I've just taken delivery of my haven fun fitness free stuff! Its awesome, and there's twice as much as I was expecting! At least the sun is out for us to go in the garden and play with it!!!

Happy kids, and happy minder!

Lynn x

sorry i hijacked your thread Lynn - glad you got your stuff (am well jel! lol) hope the kids enjoy it xx

[miffy]

Originally Haven closed the scheme at the end of January but they must have realised they had not had as many applications so they extended it until the end of February.

It's not fair that some should be accepted and others not but I hope they don't shut it completely to cm's next year.

Miffy xx

[Pipsqueak]

This is the letter of reply I have had with my second complaint:

Thank you for your complaint and I’m very sorry to hear that you are disappointed with the campaign.



We removed childminders from the campaign as they didn’t meet the criteria of having 10 children aged under 5 per day in their care. Some childminders then fed back that they worked as a network, we offered networks places on the campaign instead so we could still help childminding settings who did meet this criteria.



I’ve had a number of childminders contact me like you have, to inform us that they have seen other childminders on the site who do not meet the criteria or aren’t part of a network and they have asked me the same questions you’re asking. For those that you see on the site they have sent me full details who they work with as a group or network to show how they meet the criteria.



I appreciate this isn’t fair for some settings who don’t work in a group, or who didn’t get a place on the campaign. I work on the basis that anyone who applies for the campaign does so with the correct information and I trust that they meet the criteria from what they’ve told me, and we do challenge settings who we feel may not meet the criteria.



I’m sorry that you’re not happy with the campaign, the Fun & Fitness scheme was never intended to make people feel alienated. We created this back in 2008 as a pre-school campaign and as the years have gone past, we’ve allowed other under 5’s settings to take part as a gesture of goodwill to those other settings, based on feedback from people like yourself. Each year we review the campaign and criteria, and I can assure you, we will take all feedback on board when designing the new campaign, both good and bad.



Thank you for taking the time to email us, and your feedback will be used when designing the new campaign.

[winstonian]

They suggested I reregister with some other childminders (we do lots of activities together) so I did and we got the pack and the bonus! It's great!........................now I just have to remember to share as it got delivered to me! HAHA

[Mouse]

This is the letter of reply I have had with my second complaint:

Thank you for your complaint and I’m very sorry to hear that you are disappointed with the campaign.



We removed childminders from the campaign as they didn’t meet the criteria of having 10 children aged under 5 per day in their care. Some childminders then fed back that they worked as a network, we offered networks places on the campaign instead so we could still help childminding settings who did meet this criteria.



I’ve had a number of childminders contact me like you have, to inform us that they have seen other childminders on the site who do not meet the criteria or aren’t part of a network and they have asked me the same questions you’re asking. For those that you see on the site they have sent me full details who they work with as a group or network to show how they meet the criteria.



I appreciate this isn’t fair for some settings who don’t work in a group, or who didn’t get a place on the campaign. I work on the basis that anyone who applies for the campaign does so with the correct information and I trust that they meet the criteria from what they’ve told me, and we do challenge settings who we feel may not meet the criteria.



I’m sorry that you’re not happy with the campaign, the Fun & Fitness scheme was never intended to make people feel alienated. We created this back in 2008 as a pre-school campaign and as the years have gone past, we’ve allowed other under 5’s settings to take part as a gesture of goodwill to those other settings, based on feedback from people like yourself. Each year we review the campaign and criteria, and I can assure you, we will take all feedback on board when designing the new campaign, both good and bad.



Thank you for taking the time to email us, and your feedback will be used when designing the new campaign.

That still doesn't quite answer it though, does it? The initial conditions didn't say you had to have 10 children per day. It just said 10 children registered

[Jods]

Strange as we were rejected last year as a pre-school as we only had 24 children on our books x

I took part last year with no problem but when I tried this time they emailed me saying 15 children wasn't enough I needed 30 to qualify so never mind hope you enjoy the equipment we still use ours.

[Pipsqueak]

That still doesn't quite answer it though, does it? The initial conditions didn't say you had to have 10 children per day. It just said 10 children registered

I thought it wasn't 10 children per day.. I thought it was just 10 children over the course of the week.....


Apparently ALL childminders were removed this time - so everyone who got their goodies now.. you shouldn't have them - or you are not a childminder!! lol

Her last email in response to my 'i'm not disppointed I am angry' reply is:

Hello,

I can see from your email that you are clearly very upset about this campaign. As I said before, we didn’t create Haven Fun & Fitness to make people feel angry or upset, that is not our intention whatsoever.

I take on board all your comments, I make the decisions on the campaign and I can understand that you feel I am selective, have a lack of knowledge and that you are appalled by the fact that I have accepted these settings to the campaign and that you feel I’ve been totally unfair to you. I can only apologise that I have made you feel that way and all childminders were removed at the same time as you. The childminding settings I have accepted had to tell me how they met our terms as a network. To my knowledge, I have accepted childminders on as a network or a group.



I am a loss as to what to do next to rectify this for you, the campaign registration has now shut, and it will finish completely in April.



As you can see in our entry terms this is why I didn’t allow your setting on the campaign because from what I can see, you didn’t meet our entry criteria...



This campaign is open to all Pre-Schools who are registered with Ofsted, CSSIW and SCSWIS and all settings must be registered and have a minimum of 10 children under the age of 5 per day.

If the information other childminding networks on the campaign is false, and you think that you know settings who have given me false information on their application, please let me know and I will look into this again. As I’ve said, I’ve only allowed childminders onto the campaign as a network.

As I said, I’m really very sorry about this. Whilst you say we are a big business, we are only a very small campaign with limited resources. We don’t have the money to buy equipment for all the under 5’s settings in the UK, which is why we created entry criteria. We’ve tried our best to ensure those settings on the campaign meet the criteria, and I can only go on what Ofsted have told me matching up with the settings themselves on how they meet the terms. I can assure you we will be looking very closely at what we do with the campaign next year and who we will support based on your feedback.





oh well - told her we have obviously reached a stalemate!

[louise]

Pip, I still have my emails from them when I complained about it, if you want to PM me your email I'm happy to forward them. I have reread them and they mention about being a group or can explain how you meet our criteriaby stipulating the number and ages of children you look after, we will consider your application onto the scheme and allow you to keep your place. I never said I was part of a group but gave ages of children I cared for.