Nursery/childminder question...

Kimie

Hi

We had this problem as we lived in London when originally looking for childcare. Even though I only lived 7 miles away from work the traffice could mean it took me an hour to get home.

For this reason I chose a childminder near my work. Could you look at this option for your daughter to be close to your husband? Is it an option or does he have funny working hours? Could you still do the drop off and collection if needed?

If anything serious happened that needed immediate medical attention your CM or nursery would have to call the emergancy services (god forbid that was ever needed but the procedures are in place). What is the procedure for hospitals issuing treatment when a parent isn't there? Do they do what they deem necessary?

If it was something like your DD picked up a tummy bug and needed to be collected then I'm sure a CM or nursery would be understanding if someone couldn't be there within the hour.

Being a parent is so tough. I hated putting my little boy into full time care but as soon as I found the right person my spirit was lifted. Having a CM who is kind, considerate and caring just takes the pressure off a little as I know he is very well cared for and she loves him so much.

spendingmad

I would try and find a good childminder - who are generally more flexible. We were in the same situation before I gave up work and chose a childminder which was recommended to us. She hates ofstead, is very opinionated BUT ADORES kids and gave the home care which we wanted. She is fab and we still visit her and keep in touch 2 years after I ahve finished work.

I did miss the structure of Daycare but once kids go to Preschool (childminder would take and pick up) they get structure and meet lots of friends anyway.

galvanizersbaby

Kimie wrote: »

Hi

We had this problem as we lived in London when originally looking for childcare. Even though I only lived 7 miles away from work the traffice could mean it took me an hour to get home.

For this reason I chose a childminder near my work. Could you look at this option for your daughter to be close to your husband? Is it an option or does he have funny working hours? Could you still do the drop off and collection if needed?

If anything serious happened that needed immediate medical attention your CM or nursery would have to call the emergancy services (god forbid that was ever needed but the procedures are in place). What is the procedure for hospitals issuing treatment when a parent isn't there? Do they do what they deem necessary?

If it was something like your DD picked up a tummy bug and needed to be collected then I'm sure a CM or nursery would be understanding if someone couldn't be there within the hour.

Being a parent is so tough. I hated putting my little boy into full time care but as soon as I found the right person my spirit was lifted. Having a CM who is kind, considerate and caring just takes the pressure off a little as I know he is very well cared for and she loves him so much.

I'm not sure - would like to hope that hospital would do whatever they deemed necessary in a medical emergency

jimexbox

spendingmad wrote: »

I did miss the structure of Daycare but once kids go to Preschool (childminder would take and pick up) they get structure and meet lots of friends anyway.

Childminders have to work to the same standards as nurseries. That means implementing the 'early years foundation stage'. Which provides a solid structure for learning and development. This involves mountains of paperwork to keep Ofsted happy, and more importantly the parents can see from week to week, month to month what their child has been learning and various observations made by the childminder. Although speaking to my Mrs, most of the parents just grab their kids and shoot off, oh well.....

Katie-Kat-Kins

In an emergency a hospital can provide necessary life saving treatment without parental consent.

In an non-life saving situation they can treat with consent from someone in locoparentis, or the parent themselves (you could be reached by phone).

I don't think the issue is with emergency care as a nursery would call an ambulence first and you second. The issue is how long they want a sick child hanging around with a tummy bug/cold/etc

kingfisherblue

I am involved in a community nursery, although I do not work there. The staff have set working hours, most of them finishing 15 minutes after the children have been collected. The manageress finishes an hour later. The nursery is sessional and the biggest problem is when parents do not collect their children on time, especially from the morning session, as this then means that the staff have a shorter lunchtime. This causes problems as they then need time off in leiu of this. If it is only a few minutes, that's ok, but any longer means that they can't always take the time off that they are entitled to, as it might leave the nursery short of adults. Most nurseries are very aware of child/adult ratios and are strict in implementing them correctly.

If the OP is concerned that she may be late on an ordinary day, it may be problematic for the nursery as it might not be able to let staff leave until OP arrives. The OP clearly states that they do not want to stay after her working day has finished - neither do the nursery staff. They have their own lves and families to return to.

If, however, the problem is if the OP's child may become ill during the day, most nurseries would understand that it may take a little time to get there, and would look after the child until mum or dad is able to collect. Each nursery would have their own opinion of what constitutes a reasonable time for collection, though. If it is more than an hour, it probably wouldn't be classed as reasonable.

Some children are more susceptible to tummy bugs, colds, etc, so it might be worth the OP thinking about whether their child is quite robust or is likely to pick up everything that goes round.

Personally, if I were the OP, I think I would find a childminder rather than use a nursery. As others have already stated, they tend to be more flexible. On the other hand, if they have a couple of children, they may not be able to spend much time comforting a sick child if they have other children in their charge.

All early years providers have to be registered with OFSTED and are required to follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, so play will be structured and recorded. OFSTED publish inspection reports on their website, so the OP might also want to read reports of the nurseries or childminders that they are considering using - although, in my opinion, this is no substitute for visiting the premises and getting a 'feel' for the place.

sherbetfountain

I considered a CM when I was going back to work, 5 years ago now, but found they weren't much cheaper than the nursery, and if the CM is ill you would need to find alternative child care.
My son absolutely loved nursery and as he got to play with children the same age as himself I think I made the right choice for me. A childminder may have a baby and a 4yr old to look after, and the baby would need more attention etc. In the nursery each classroom was filled with toys and activities to cater for the age of the children in them.
This is only my opinion, but when I used to see the local childminders at the park gossiping and paying very little attention to the children, other than to give them snacks, including giving a four year old a beaker of juice. I was glad that I put him in nursery where he got the stimulation he needed.

daska

sherbetfountain wrote: »

I considered a CM when I was going back to work, 5 years ago now, but found they weren't much cheaper than the nursery, and if the CM is ill you would need to find alternative child care.
My son absolutely loved nursery and as he got to play with children the same age as himself I think I made the right choice for me. A childminder may have a baby and a 4yr old to look after, and the baby would need more attention etc. In the nursery each classroom was filled with toys and activities to cater for the age of the children in them.
This is only my opinion, but when I used to see the local childminders at the park gossiping and paying very little attention to the children, other than to give them snacks, including giving a four year old a beaker of juice. I was glad that I put him in nursery where he got the stimulation he needed.

Yes, of course there will be CMs that aren't appropriate to your situation. I remember interviewing one lady who had gone into childminding thinking it would be a good way of staying at home with her baby... she couldn't let children into the garden because she had a dog, she couldn't go to playgroup because she didn't like taking the baby out on her own, she couldn't do meals, she only wanted to look after one child apart from the baby and she only had baby toys so I'd have to provide my own... etc etc etc

BUT... Childminders vary considerably in experience, skill, enthusiasm (though, to be fair, I think they have to be enthusiastic to cope with all the paperwork they have to do now :rolleyes:). That's why it's important to talk with and visit as many as possible so that you can make a good decision that is appropriate to you. You have to look for one who as other children of similar age and who undertakes plenty of stimulating activities. They should have back-up. They should have clear policies on how to handle emergencies etc. Even a nursery won't guarantee to take your child every day - they won't let a child back for 2 days after being sick etc.

MrsTinks

Kimie wrote: »

Hi

We had this problem as we lived in London when originally looking for childcare. Even though I only lived 7 miles away from work the traffice could mean it took me an hour to get home.

For this reason I chose a childminder near my work. Could you look at this option for your daughter to be close to your husband? Is it an option or does he have funny working hours? Could you still do the drop off and collection if needed?

If anything serious happened that needed immediate medical attention your CM or nursery would have to call the emergancy services (god forbid that was ever needed but the procedures are in place). What is the procedure for hospitals issuing treatment when a parent isn't there? Do they do what they deem necessary?

If it was something like your DD picked up a tummy bug and needed to be collected then I'm sure a CM or nursery would be understanding if someone couldn't be there within the hour.

Being a parent is so tough. I hated putting my little boy into full time care but as soon as I found the right person my spirit was lifted. Having a CM who is kind, considerate and caring just takes the pressure off a little as I know he is very well cared for and she loves him so much.

Sadly DH couldn't have her near his work - it could be one of 3 or 4 sites

And to answer another poster I'd have no preconceptions about a male childminder I'm a woman in a VERY male dominated industry and certainly my role is classically staffed by men because women "aren't assertive enough" apparently So I have no issues with flipping the whole thing on it's head and easily accept a man in what might be viewed as a traditionally "womens" job

mookiandco

Hi Mrs T xx

In an ideal world we'd work the hours we want to work or not at all if thats what we wanted. Sadly we are not all that lucky and to be in a position to provide the very very best for my little girls future I have to go to work. Nobody should ever judge the decisions we make.

I'm back to work tomorrow so Leila will have her first day with the Childminder. I found childminders far less expensive than nurserys. On average for a month a nursery round my way costs between £1000 and £1200. My childminder costs less than £600 (for 4 days a week). She charges £4.00 an hour but when we discussed everything she agreed to give me a daily rate of £35.00 so I dont have to kill myself rushing back so I dont incur another £4.00!! She works 8am to 6pm but I should only need her 8:30am to 5:30pm. She has assured me that she will be flexible if necessary although her terms and conditions do say that I incur an extra £5.00 an hour or part thereof if I collect the little one outside of her contracted hours.

As far as i'm aware, nurserys are pretty inflexible and no doubt whoever had to stay behind to look after her if I was late would be pretty unhappy. I dont want anyone to be unhappy or think my baby is a burden to them and look after my baby at the same time. If she's with the childminder and i'm late I know exactly who she's with and where she is and how to get hold of the childminder. If everyone goes home at the nursery and theres only one person there with your daughter they might not be able to pick up the phone. I know i'd be frantic if that happened.

I met 4 childminders and spoke with a few on the phone before I picked 'the one'. She has a 2 yr old son who has just started pre-school so the majority of the time Leila will have one to one care. What warms my heart is her excitement about caring for my daughter. She says she can't wait and she has been counting the days!!

She has offered to make fresh purees for Leila everyday when its weaning time at no extra cost and she has purchased a new double pushchair so she can take her out and about.

It does ease the anxiety of going back to work to know I have found a childminder who will go out of her way to look after my baby the way I would want her to.

Will try to report back after her first day tomorrow. xxxxxx