New Childminder--advice needed please!

**Kaybeaa** · 27-09-2013, 08:17 AM

Hello! I've been a member of this forum for months now but have only just registered so have never written anything until now...I've been more of a loiterer!

Anyway I hope someone will be able to answer some questions for me, as I'm slightly confused about some enquiries I've had from parents...

Basically I've had interest from a mum who wants me to have her 3 year old boy from 8 until 9 on a Monday morning, give him breakfast and then take him to pre-school. He's still in the eyfs but with him being at preschool and me only having him for 1 hour a week, what do I need to have in place re observations/daily diary/Learning journey etc? Is it basically everything that I'd have for a full time mindee but on a much smaller scale?
He'll pretty much just be having breakfast with me and then straight to school so not sure how much I'll have to observe in that hour?

The same applies to another child I've agreed to have on an ad hoc basis when her other childminder can't mind her. It might be the odd 3 hours every now and again, and I've agreed on the basis that I've got space on those days. Since she will spend most of her time with her main childminder will I have to still do learning journey and obs as if she's with me full time?

The other enquiries I've had are for school children, so, with them not being in the eyfs they wouldn't need anything like that will they? But I will need to keep obs for them and communicate with the schools and parents etc?

Sorry for the bombardment of questions, and looking forward to meeting you all and chatting more on here

Thanks in advance!

**cathtee** · 27-09-2013, 12:12 PM

Have a scrap book for each child and jot down any wow moments, or any things they say. Also if they do any pictures pop them in there too.
I usually take a photo of any picture that they want to take home and put that in the book so that they can take the original one home.

I hope this helps

And keep asking your questions we are all here to help

**Chatterbox Childcare** · 27-09-2013, 01:00 PM

It is the childminder who has the child for the majority of the time that has the responsibility for the LJ so if you are just covering then you don't need to do anything.

**serin** · 27-09-2013, 08:04 PM

My understanding is you dont have to have any observations etc in writing for schoolers. You do it in your head and explain it to the inspector on visit.

**Kaybeaa** · 28-09-2013, 09:27 AM

Thankyou guys, appreciate the responses!

Do I need to do a daily diary for all of the mindees mentioned?

**blue bear** · 28-09-2013, 09:46 AM

For the regular child one hour a day, yes you do need to record his development and progress, for such a short time I would probably do a daily diary and include photos and observations in that, I would ask the pre school to add to the diary and tap into their learning journal.
For the ad hoc you dont need to do a learning journal but if you do see a wow moment or do an observation because you are concerned about an aspect of development pass this to the main provider to go in the child's lj.

Always get written permission from parents to exchange written and verbal information regarding the child with other childcare providers.

For reception children is till link to eyfs, for older school children they have a scrap book to stick in photos, pieces of art, bus tickets etc, it's theirs and they choose what goes in it.

**moggy** · 28-09-2013, 12:12 PM

Originally Posted by Kaybeaa

Thankyou guys, appreciate the responses!

Do I need to do a daily diary for all of the mindees mentioned?

You only need a daily diary for children who can not clearly tell their parents what they have been doing, so I do one for all pre-school children. I would do one for an older child if there were particular issues that need to be clearly communicated. I would do one if I was not actually seeign the parent at drop off/collection.
You could do one for all children if you want, it is up to you.

**moggy** · 28-09-2013, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Chatterbox Childcare

It is the childminder who has the child for the majority of the time that has the responsibility for the LJ so if you are just covering then you don't need to do anything.

Is that really true?

I was of the understanding that we all need observe/plan/assess all EYFS children- unless they are 'wrap around' care which I understand to apply to full-time schoolies.

Even if a child goes elsewhere during the week for more hours then you, you still need to do it (as we know, it can be written LJ or any way you want to do it). I doubt Ofsted would be impressed if at an inspection you say 'Sorry, I have no LJ for these children because they all spend more time at other settings'. We do need to make contact with the other settings and make links with them, but I am sure we are all responsible for doing the LJ (or whatever you call it) ourselves- a child therefore may have 2 or even 3 at different settings.

If there is a rule I have missed, please do let me know! Thanks.

**munch149** · 28-09-2013, 12:26 PM

Originally Posted by Chatterbox Childcare

It is the childminder who has the child for the majority of the time that has the responsibility for the LJ so if you are just covering then you don't need to do anything.

Although I agree with this I would want to show a working in partnership with this childminder and would be feeding into their learning journal. Taking photos when there with you and asking to write comments in their learning journal with other childminder

**moggy** · 28-09-2013, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by munch149

Although I agree with this I would want to show a working in partnership with this childminder and would be feeding into their learning journal. Taking photos when there with you and asking to write comments in their learning journal with other childminder

Yes, that is a good idea but I would also be taking a copy of my input into that LJ held by the child's other setting (photo copy or photo or scan) for my records- how else can I prove I am doing what I should for that child?

**loocyloo** · 29-09-2013, 06:51 PM

I had children who attended a playgroup .... staff happy for me to go in and chat and write in LO folder ... not so keen to write in mine ... I wrote things about childs dev't in theirs ... if they wrote in mine it was along the lines of 'fred has a nice time playing at loocyloo's' 'fred goes out alot whilst with loocyloo'.

I used to take a photo of what I had written in theirs OR mum would ask to borrow and copy it for me!

**Kaybeaa** · 30-09-2013, 05:41 PM

Thanks everyone. Think I'll do a very basic LJ for the little boy I have for an hour a week and approach the playgroup to see how the may feel about any observations I've written. Also, would you suggest perhaps asking the mum to contribute to my LJ with maybe a nod towards what he's learning or how he's developing at playgroup?

Another quick question too, the schoolie that I'm looking after 2 days a week is in year 1, so is 5. I'm right in thinking she's not in eyfs so I don't need observations? Just a scrapbook of what she's doing?

Thanks so much for your help so far. It's so nice to know I can ask these questions