Anyone not a member

[JCrakers]

Hi,

When I started childminding 4 years ago, money was tight so I didn't become a member of NCMA as I was keeping costs down.I had no toys at all so had to buy a lot of things. Now 4yrs on I havent really thought of joining but it seems that everyone on here is a member.

Do I need to join? is it really beneficial. Ive managed 4yrs without it. Will Ofsted be ok if Im not a member?
I do all my own invoices/attendance book etc so I wouldnt benfit from any discounts offered on paperwork. I get a lot of info off the internet and from here
Is it really worth the £70ish pounds?
Becky x

[rickysmiths]

I have always been a member. Even before I needed to get my own Pub Lib Insurance. I regard it as my Union/Professional body that represents my interests as a childminder.

Without NCMA for instance we would now all be paying several hundreds of pounds a years for our Ofsted Registration. NCMA negociated with Ofsted on behalf of all childminders and the fee has been kept at £35pa.

Through your Regonial NCMA Forum you can attend meetings 3 or 4 times ayear and voice your views and these are passed back to NCMA via your Policiy Forum Reps so you can have a direct say in things that are done.

NCMA is a non profit making chariety that works on our behalf.

[Penny1959]

Ok - first point not everybody on here is a NCMA member - it is personal choice and as such Ofsted can not mark you down for not being a member.

However you can get extra 'brownie points' in the working in partnership with others section.

As Rickysmiths has said NCMA is a member organisation that represents childminders at national level and ensures its members needs are met. There are so many things that NCMA (and its volunteers) do to support not only NCMA members but all childminders.

Now the important thing is without its members - the like of me, Rickysmiths and many others on here - there would not be a NCMA and who would then respresent childminders views? NO ONE.

As a childminder I know my voice alone will not be heard - but as a member my voice is one of many - and it is in that collective form (as many) that NCMA get things done / changed.

I am what is called a key volunteer for NCMA - and in the last couple of months - as a NCMA memberand volunteer

I have been involved in getting clarification on the issue of childminders paying public performance licence by working with NCMA (good news we don't have to pay)

I have been to London to meet with the DfE to put childminders views about the revised EYFS,

I have chaired a regional forum where members discussed a wide range of subjects - and have just submitted the report to NCMA so that it will help inform them of members views

All of this volunteering stuff that I do (and many others across the country) helps NCMA represnt childminders views and support its members.

I think the answer to your question is YES it is worth it - why not try it for a year? Get involved either at a personal level by responding to things on the website or as part of a NCMA group or by attending the regional forum in your area. If you don;t try - you won't know - and if no one became a member - childminders would be in a worse position and paying a lot more for a lot of things and quite likely having to operate more like nurseries as there would be no one to put the childminders view to government.

If you have not guessed I am passionate about childminding and about NCMA as a member organisation.

Go on - give it a try.

Penny

[JCrakers]

Thanks
Now I know more about it and what is invloves,I shall be looking into that.

Thanks for all the info on it. Ive just never got round to it (feel a bit embarrassed actually that Ive never looked at it more closely)

Ive been so busy....note taken: must make time

Becky x

[sfox2003]

You do have insurance dont you? Is it just the membership your asking about?

[JCrakers]

You do have insurance dont you? Is it just the membership your asking about?

Yes have MM insurance
Just asking about the membership

[Penny1959]

Thanks
Now I know more about it and what is invloves,I shall be looking into that.

Thanks for all the info on it. Ive just never got round to it (feel a bit embarrassed actually that Ive never looked at it more closely)

Ive been so busy....note taken: must make time

Becky x

Take a look on the website -www.************* but remember there is another area - just for members.

Any questions - just ask

Penny

[PixiePetal]

I am, and always have been, a member. It was encouraged when I started 17 years ago

I may not do anything active in it myself but feel I am supporting those who do so on my behalf and I like the Who Minds mag too

[manjay]

I am, and always have been, a member. It was encouraged when I started 17 years ago

I may not do anything active in it myself but feel I am supporting those who do so on my behalf and I like the Who Minds mag too

and that is a valid point Pixiepetal! You don't have to be actively involved to get the benefits of being a member but you are still supporting which is so important.

I have to say for the first year of my membership I wasn't really sure what I was paying for but being the inquisitive (or some might say nosey ) person that I am I decided to find out. I now realise I get really good value for money.

I think what NCMA need to get better at is getting across to members what they do and exactly what the members fees allow them to do. So much work is done at a high level that often doesn't get publicised and they are constantly trying to raise awareness of childminders within the sector. Of course lots more could be done in an ideal world but that would necessitate a raise in fees which is not appropriate.

If you do join try and get along to your local regions forum. As RS says this is the avenue for you to air concerns about local and national issues in a way that gets presented to the Board of Trustees.

[sarah707]

I am not a member of the NCMA because I think it costs a lot of money that I don't have spare.

It upsets me when I see 'member of NCMA' on childminders Ofsted inspection reports like membership automatically ensures they are the best quality childminders.

That is not, in my opinion, what it's about... it's about paying money to be part of a professional organisation... not about whether you are a better childminder because you are a member.

I know childminders who are members of the NCMA who I wouldn't leave my fish with ... and others who are very special, well informed, highly educated, well spoken people like the ones who have answered your thread.

However it doesn't make me any less a childminder because I am not a member

[zippy]

I'm not a member, it's never been an issue on inspection not that I noticed anyway. I was when I first joined but didn't really see any benefit although their website was not as established then I'm talking 13 years ago

[miffy]

I am, and always have been, a member. It was encouraged when I started 17 years ago

Same here!

Miffy xx

[Penny1959]

Same here!

Miffy xx

And without childminders like you Miffy and Pixiepetal - NCMA could not exist.


It can be hard sometimes to justify the extra expense of NCMA membership, as it is a lot of money especially if only childmind part part or have your own children to count within your ratio's. (And I have raised this point with NCMA)

However if more childminders became members - NCMA could do far more to support members - but also have a greater voice when talking to the government and others. To be able to say we represnt our ?? number of members - clearly the more members the better.

So thank you to all the forum members who are NCMA members - for supporting our professional organisation. Alone we are a single voice - together we can make a difference.

Penny

[Penny1959]

I am not a member of the NCMA because I think it costs a lot of money that I don't have spare.

It upsets me when I see 'member of NCMA' on childminders Ofsted inspection reports like membership automatically ensures they are the best quality childminders.

That is not, in my opinion, what it's about... it's about paying money to be part of a professional organisation... not about whether you are a better childminder because you are a member.

I know childminders who are members of the NCMA who I wouldn't leave my fish with ... and others who are very special, well informed, highly educated, well spoken people like the ones who have answered your thread.

However it doesn't make me any less a childminder because I am not a member

It is interesting that you view the comments in the report like that Sarah - I had never thought of it that way (but maybe that is because I am a member). As it is in the section that describes the setting, I consider it to just be a fact - like a statement that says 'lives in 3 bed semi', or 'has a garden', or 'has 2 dogs'. I consider the sectionsfollowing the description of the setting to be making judgement on the practice.

And I agree completely with you - being a NCMA member does not make you a better childminder - anymore than being a member of - lets say - a football supporters club makes you a better footballer.



Penny

[Dragonfly]

Totally agree with sarah I too am not a member im with Morton michel and have been from the start.
It has never bring brought up in any of my inspections and i have been a childminder for a long time.As long as you are insured that is the main thing.

[jane5]

Ok - first point not everybody on here is a NCMA member - it is personal choice and as such Ofsted can not mark you down for not being a member.

However you can get extra 'brownie points' in the working in partnership with others section.

As Rickysmiths has said NCMA is a member organisation that represents childminders at national level and ensures its members needs are met. There are so many things that NCMA (and its volunteers) do to support not only NCMA members but all childminders.

Now the important thing is without its members - the like of me, Rickysmiths and many others on here - there would not be a NCMA and who would then respresent childminders views? NO ONE.

As a childminder I know my voice alone will not be heard - but as a member my voice is one of many - and it is in that collective form (as many) that NCMA get things done / changed.

I am what is called a key volunteer for NCMA - and in the last couple of months - as a NCMA memberand volunteer

I have been involved in getting clarification on the issue of childminders paying public performance licence by working with NCMA (good news we don't have to pay)

I have been to London to meet with the DfE to put childminders views about the revised EYFS,

I have chaired a regional forum where members discussed a wide range of subjects - and have just submitted the report to NCMA so that it will help inform them of members views

All of this volunteering stuff that I do (and many others across the country) helps NCMA represnt childminders views and support its members.

I think the answer to your question is YES it is worth it - why not try it for a year? Get involved either at a personal level by responding to things on the website or as part of a NCMA group or by attending the regional forum in your area. If you don;t try - you won't know - and if no one became a member - childminders would be in a worse position and paying a lot more for a lot of things and quite likely having to operate more like nurseries as there would be no one to put the childminders view to government.

If you have not guessed I am passionate about childminding and about NCMA as a member organisation.

Go on - give it a try.

Penny

I do not know where you find all of the hours in the day Penny

I have free membership through my LA for the first year but I will be renewing it as it really only cost's less than £1.50 a week.
I dont go to the meetings but I do appreciate the time and effort others put in that do

[rickysmiths]

And without childminders like you Miffy and Pixiepetal - NCMA could not exist.


It can be hard sometimes to justify the extra expense of NCMA membership, as it is a lot of money especially if only childmind part part or have your own children to count within your ratio's. (And I have raised this point with NCMA)

However if more childminders became members - NCMA could do far more to support members - but also have a greater voice when talking to the government and others. To be able to say we represnt our ?? number of members - clearly the more members the better.

So thank you to all the forum members who are NCMA members - for supporting our professional organisation. Alone we are a single voice - together we can make a difference.

Penny

I agree Penny. I have been a Member since day one when I only looked after one lad every afternoon so very part time.

I suppose as a qualified Home Economist I had always had to belong to the Assoc of Home Econpmists as a professional and when I eventually gave up that membership in 1993 I was paying around £150 pa and was earning £12,000pa.

Rather puts the current NCMA membership fee into perspective I think. You would only be working vey part time to not be able to afford under £100pa for your insurance and membership surely?