View Full Version : New childminder- home or flat?
Kayhelen12
16-09-2015, 11:46 AM
I'm currently in the process of becoming a childminder but also looking at relocating to a bigger house for my family as we are having another baby girl.
My question is: Does it matter if your in a flat or house? It would be a ground floor flat so have a garden as we have a dog. Ideally we would have a house but money is the main thing.
Would I still get clients even being in a flat?
sarah707
16-09-2015, 08:04 PM
Childminders live in lots of different types of accommodation ... and are busy or empty depending on their ways of working and the need for cms in their local areas - rarely because of the type of property they live in.
Find somewhere that is right for you and your family - you will make it work if you want your business to succeed :D
I can tell you the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to childminding from a flat! I live in a first floor flat. We have a garden but not with direct access (because we are not ground floor). It has never been an issue for me in terms of getting clients. Some of my clients also live in flats and some of them live in big, very expensive houses in the next village - I don't seem to have any inbetween! I think clients want to see that your home is clean, safe and child friendly - and a convenient location. Think of the positives - you are all on one level and so it will be easy for potty training and sleeping babies will always be near you. You won't have to buy stair gates!
Disadvantages - neighbours! Ground floor would be less likely to annoy neighbours as they wont hear the children running about above their heads. You need to think about communal areas and whether your business would be invasive for your neighbours. Will parents come in and leave muddy footprints in communal areas? Will they want to store pushchairs at yours - if so will they dirty the carpet/walls? Will they talk very loudly at drop off right under your upstairs neighbours bedroom window? Just make sure you go over ground rules with the parents from day one.
Like Sarah707 said - childminders work from all kinds of properties, just like nurseries are in all kinds of buildings. Parents will look at the overall picture and YOU are the biggest part of that picture.