Hi all,

When a prospective parent comes to visit for the first time what sort of things/folders do you show them?
At the mo I have got a folder of certificates, ofsted inspection, letters from parents and my policies and procedures in it. But I hear of other childminders which seem to have much more exciting things to look at and to show off with ;)

I have only been childminding just over a year and am a bit stuck with this so any help given will be gratefully recieved!!!

Thank you
Carly xx

I used to show them all that but dont any more , not at 1st visit anyway.
I have a very brief leaflet with an overview that they get , its got a blank page at the back for their notes.
I have photobooks and an old LJ ( with permission) to show the kinds of things they can expect.
thats all really unless they ask anything specific which I can then show them. I tell them about the other paperwork but feel a 1st visit is to get a feel for what they want , what I can offer , and that old 'gut feeling'. We chat , I show them round , I interact with the child and answer questions..thats it , really informal and relaxed ( well I hope I 'appear' relaxed anyway!)

I don't show them anything on the first visit, we have a very informal meeting on a day when l am minding so they can see what goes on and we chat about their needs and the childs, l tell them about my policies and all the information l will need this usually lasts about an hour, they always say yes they want me to have their child so we make a date (again whilst l am minding) to fill in contracts, information records etc and go over my policies which they then take away to read more thoroughly and set a date for the first settling in session.

I find the thing they are most interested in are the photos I have of mindees enjoying themselves. They tend to skip through any paperwork, but really look at the photos.

I talk about what paperwork we will need if they decide to use me, but I dn't show any of it at the first visit.

I send them home with a leaflet giving a few brief details of opening hours, contact details etc

I show them my "nice" paperwork - photos, learning journey (real one with parent's permission), Ofsted report, references and my brochure.

All the business stuff, like policies, contracts, permissions forms I leave until they've made up their mind.

Miffy xx