Now I have to decide

[mumto3]

Just had the phone call that Ive been waiting for from the Early Years team to find out about the icp course in my area

Its now a 12 week course :eek: costs £215 so Ive got some saving to do aswell as everything else that I will need to pay out, its actually 13 weeks in all including the half term, its on a weekday for 2 1/2 hours and includes level 1 of safeguarding, I think they have made it more indepth and includes doing assignments

My level 2,3 and 4 qualification doesnt shorten it at all, she said I should find it really easy as Im qualified, just cant help thinking I will be paying out over £200 to listen to stuff I already know :rolleyes: but if thats what i have to do then i will if i decide to go ahead

I then need to do paedriatric first aid too which i knew

Did other peoples crb's get paid by ifsted or did u pay that out urself?

Now ive gotta decide whether this is what i wanna do and if i can afford to, means not starting working till January

[Louise317]

Yes Ofsted pay for the CRB checks.

Once you get registered, you have 6mths to complete the ICP Course I believe so maybe push your registration though and then pay course from your earnings ?

Louise x

[The Juggler]

i don't think in lots of places now you can become registered without completing your ICP. Or at least if you can, you can't work until you've completed it.

Try redcross for first aid - in our area it is really reasonable. I just paid £58 and they've just had some funding apparently and are offering it for £30 in September - typical :rolleyes:

Good luck hon.

[mumto3]

I understand i have to do it but think its quite pricey, ive just looked on the college website and the course that i was told about is on there with the fee as £0 so now im wondering why i have been told that i need to pay it :rolleyes: its confusing

i will look into the red cross, thanks

[sarah.petch]

Hi
im recently registered and i have six months to do my icp from my date on my certificate. My council offers the course as a three day course and its funded by themselves. How ever this is the only funding i have recieved ive had to pay for EVERYTHING else. apart from our CRBs which ofstead covered.

[mumto3]

Hi
im recently registered and i have six months to do my icp from my date on my certificate. My council offers the course as a three day course and its funded by themselves. How ever this is the only funding i have recieved ive had to pay for EVERYTHING else. apart from our CRBs which ofstead covered.

can i ask what u have had to pay for and how much?

i will have to pay for all that and the course, ggrrr, im glad the crb's are paid for, shame alot more isnt tho :cool:

[Goatgirl]

I understand i have to do it but think its quite pricey, ive just looked on the college website and the course that i was told about is on there with the fee as £0 so now im wondering why i have been told that i need to pay it :rolleyes: its confusing

i will look into the red cross, thanks

I'd give the college a ring: it may be a mis print or there may be funding available that they can direct you to /explain.

Good luck :)

bws, Wendy :)

[selena 31]

I registered last year in june 2010 and had 6mnths to do my icp course well little did i know that they decided to change the course so were no courses available untill this september i have been waiting!:eek: Just had email confirming to book for september as they are now available but i am now worried because i have lots of newbie enquiries for september and dont know what to do if ofsted want to come and visit me as i wont have done my icp within 6mnths it will be 18mnths since registering:eek: I think i should ring ofsted and let them know so they know its not my fault but i too feel it daft that i am doing my foundation degree in early years and have my level 4!
Have also been informed that it has gone up to £50 instead of being £10! But i wont get this back , but now i dont mind just need to hurry and do it! Hoping i dont have to give up work till completed as its taken me 18mnths for the phone to start ringing and i am finally giving up my nursery job to go full time!:)

[barbarella68]

I don't understand why you paid for your course, I didn't or is it because of where you are situated.?:(

[mumto3]

I'd give the college a ring: it may be a mis print or there may be funding available that they can direct you to /explain.

Good luck :)

bws, Wendy :)

I emailed the college and the lady replied saying that the course fee shouldnt of shown £0 it should show POA (Price on Application) and confirmed that it will cost me £215

It does make me cross that some areas get funded and some dont, surely it should be the same across everywhere, wrong really

[sarah.petch]

ive had to pay for health check from docs registration fee first aid course and insurance. im lucky all our childcare courses are funded so my icp is free and ive just done my food hygeine.

[sarah.petch]

I registered last year in june 2010 and had 6mnths to do my icp course well little did i know that they decided to change the course so were no courses available untill this september i have been waiting!:eek: Just had email confirming to book for september as they are now available but i am now worried because i have lots of newbie enquiries for september and dont know what to do if ofsted want to come and visit me as i wont have done my icp within 6mnths it will be 18mnths since registering:eek: I think i should ring ofsted and let them know so they know its not my fault but i too feel it daft that i am doing my foundation degree in early years and have my level 4!
Have also been informed that it has gone up to £50 instead of being £10! But i wont get this back , but now i dont mind just need to hurry and do it! Hoping i dont have to give up work till completed as its taken me 18mnths for the phone to start ringing and i am finally giving up my nursery job to go full time!:)


i was told by ofstead at my pre reg visit as long as i have prof from our council that my ICP course had been cancelled (fingers crossed it isnt )and they come out with in the six months and i havent got the icp i will be ok.

[rickysmiths]

I think the loss of funding is a combination of several things.

In a lot of areas there are more than enough cms and they want to make people really think before they register so they make it hard and offer fewer courses which cost more. I know that is what they have done in our county.

I know it seems hard, but I think there have been a lot of people register and think they can start earning a good living wage straight away. The reality is not like that, it is hard work and can often take a couple of years to fill vacancies and keep them full. Just because you may have worked as a Teacher, in Nurseries or as a Nanny does not mean you will fill all your vacancies on day one. Some that do and have their own young children then find it isn't what they thought it would be, maybe it doesn't fit in with thier family, the hours are long and then add in the paperwork or the money isn't enough.

When I and many others started minding years ago there was no funding for anything, we had to pay for everything.

I have just had a wake up call if you like. I have had to effectively move out of the ground floor of my house for my floors to be redone (long story) We had to pack everything away and the job wasn't finished and won't be for another 3 weeks ( another long story!) We have moved back in unpacking the min of stuff because it will have to be moved out for the weekend in 3 weeks.

It had made me realise and almost go back to basics with my cm resourses. I have the bare min out and it is more than I started with 17yrs agousing my own childrens toys, they were 3 and 1 at the time. I didn't go out and buy anything else.

I probably only have a 1/4 of the toys and resourses out at the moment.

I have 2 x 14 mth olds and 1 10mth old and they have all had a fab time the last two days.

Now I'm a sucker for a new toy, I love shopping, but I am certainly going to re-assess what I have and get rid of a lot of it (Watch this space!)

I think newbies think they have to go out and spend a lot on equipment and resourses and they don't need to, start using you childrens toys and add as needed.

So much money is spent on things like buggies for instance. In the last 10 years I have bought a MaClaren Tecno twin (£199) to replace a Silver Cross twin I bought in 1995 for £30, a MaClaren Tecno Single (£60) to replace the secondhand one I bought for my daughter in 1994 for £25, and another MaClaren single (£75).
In 18 years I have spent a total of £389 on buggies.

I still have and use the Silver Cross Wayfarer buggy my parents bought for my daughter in 1993. I am currently renting a Triple buggy from a cm friend who is not using it and I shall only need it for another couple of months so it wasn't worth buying one and then having to store it for 6 mths of use and its the only time in 17yrs I've needed one!

New Childminders are going to have to really think about what they really need as opposed to what they think they would like. Then gradually add to it with each different child if their needs a different. You don't need resourses for 0-19yr when you first open your doors.

I agree, Training is expensive but compare it to the costs my 18yr old is facing as she goes to study for a degree this autumn and how much she will have to earn before she pays back her costs , she will be lucky to clear the costs before she is 40yr and will likely be in her 50s. It is they way of the world, education isn't free anymore.

Is £300-400 really to much to expect to invest in your future income? To be honest it may seem a lot but you can claim it as a business expense and it will be paid off in no time once you are being paid for 40 hours work in a week.

[Kezzle]

I think the loss of funding is a combination of several things.

In a lot of areas there are more than enough cms and they want to make people really think before they register so they make it hard and offer fewer courses which cost more. I know that is what they have done in our county.

I know it seems hard, but I think there have been a lot of people register and think they can start earning a good living wage straight away. The reality is not like that, it is hard work and can often take a couple of years to fill vacancies and keep them full. Just because you may have worked as a Teacher, in Nurseries or as a Nanny does not mean you will fill all your vacancies on day one. Some that do and have their own young children then find it isn't what they thought it would be, maybe it doesn't fit in with thier family, the hours are long and then add in the paperwork or the money isn't enough.

When I and many others started minding years ago there was no funding for anything, we had to pay for everything.

I have just had a wake up call if you like. I have had to effectively move out of the ground floor of my house for my floors to be redone (long story) We had to pack everything away and the job wasn't finished and won't be for another 3 weeks ( another long story!) We have moved back in unpacking the min of stuff because it will have to be moved out for the weekend in 3 weeks.

It had made me realise and almost go back to basics with my cm resourses. I have the bare min out and it is more than I started with 17yrs agousing my own childrens toys, they were 3 and 1 at the time. I didn't go out and buy anything else.

I probably only have a 1/4 of the toys and resourses out at the moment.

I have 2 x 14 mth olds and 1 10mth old and they have all had a fab time the last two days.

Now I'm a sucker for a new toy, I love shopping, but I am certainly going to re-assess what I have and get rid of a lot of it (Watch this space!)

I think newbies think they have to go out and spend a lot on equipment and resourses and they don't need to, start using you childrens toys and add as needed.

So much money is spent on things like buggies for instance. In the last 10 years I have bought a MaClaren Tecno twin (£199) to replace a Silver Cross twin I bought in 1995 for £30, a MaClaren Tecno Single (£60) to replace the secondhand one I bought for my daughter in 1994 for £25, and another MaClaren single (£75).
In 18 years I have spent a total of £389 on buggies.

I still have and use the Silver Cross Wayfarer buggy my parents bought for my daughter in 1993. I am currently renting a Triple buggy from a cm friend who is not using it and I shall only need it for another couple of months so it wasn't worth buying one and then having to store it for 6 mths of use and its the only time in 17yrs I've needed one!

New Childminders are going to have to really think about what they really need as opposed to what they think they would like. Then gradually add to it with each different child if their needs a different. You don't need resourses for 0-19yr when you first open your doors.

I agree, Training is expensive but compare it to the costs my 18yr old is facing as she goes to study for a degree this autumn and how much she will have to earn before she pays back her costs , she will be lucky to clear the costs before she is 40yr and will likely be in her 50s. It is they way of the world, education isn't free anymore.

Is £300-400 really to much to expect to invest in your future income? To be honest it may seem a lot but you can claim it as a business expense and it will be paid off in no time once you are being paid for 40 hours work in a week.

I agree. I don't want to buy lots of toys purely because storage is minimal in my house at the moment. I'm going to try pick a few choice pieces... any suggestions welcome.