SAINSBURYS are discriminating against Registered Childminders

loocyloo

i'm a registered childminder, and currently have 11 children i care for throughout the week.

i managed to register with sainsburys, although the lady i spoke to said it wasn't worth my joining, i wouldn't get much! as i've got over 1000 vouchers, she may be wrong!

the parents of the children i care for, their families & friends, plus my own family and friends give me their vouchers, as one mum said 'with you, the children get to look through the catalogues, create wish lists, count the vouchers, send them off and then have use of the equipment when it arrives, where as at school, they may collect thousands of vouchers, but only buy one computor, that then has to be shared by ALL the children in that school' we chose things we would love, but i don't have the budget for in general.

a registered childminder HAS, by law, to provide the same level of education (for want of a better word) as a nursery and school. we are inspected by ofsted to the same standards.

i accept that it is sainsburys policy not to accept childminders, however, they HAVE accepted some of us, and that makes it feel doubly unfair.

a_confused_mum

to those saying it's sainsbury's rules their choice, it was their rules last year and let childminders register then, why not now?

PrettyWoman

I look after 18 children which is more than 1 of the local playgroups. All the parents are working parents and they have friends and colleagues collecting the vouchers on behalf of their children.

Sainsburys were taking childminding registrations until last week and have suddenly stopped. If I phoned last week I would have been able to register. The lady in the call centre said they had a brief to refuse childminders from now on. Some childminders have been on their scheme for 2 years. If you are already on then you can stay on.

Childminders and nurseries work to exactly the same Ofsted guidelines, are inspected on exactly the same framework, take exactly the same funding for 3 and 4 years olds and deliver exactly the same EYFS curriculum.

Childminders do retire and nurseries do close down. One near me closed 2 weeks ago giving parents 48 hours notice to find alternative childcare!

Sainsbury's argument for not accepting childminders is that they do not have a database against which to check us. They do have a database of schools and other organisations. It is an adminstrative decision as they accept we are equal to all the other groups. As childminders work alone in their own homes they are vunerable and there is no central database fo childminders details. Each council holds its own details for childminders in their area.

The only place all childminders details will be found is Ofsted but Sainsburys seem unwilling to work with them.

DKLS

They also discriminate against people without kids, I am going to get a t-shirt printed stating:

NO I DONT COLLECT SCHOOL VOUCHERS how about some vouchers that might actually be of use to ME.

PrettyWoman

By the same token they disciminate against me when they put fish on special offer as I don't eat fish!

I have often been given vouchers in the queue by people who are not collecting because they don't have children, or their children are grown up.

There is nothing to stop you collecting vouchers and handing them over to your local school or playgroup for the children in your community to benefit. It does not state on the voucher that you have to be a parent to collect them. But everybody will have a local group who can use them, just not a childminder.

967stuart

Lol, I think the OP needs to accept that they are not eligible for the deal and move on.
Also if you say Tescos do it ........ then why not ask people to shop at tescos instead !?

KeithP

a_confused_mum wrote: »

to those saying it's sainsbury's rules their choice, it was their rules last year and let childminders register then, why not now?

Only Sainsburys can answer your question.

Have you asked them?

peachyprice

a_confused_mum wrote: »

to those saying it's sainsbury's rules their choice, it was their rules last year and let childminders register then, why not now?

Perhaps some childminders were taking advantage

mjm3346

DKLS wrote: »

They also discriminate against people without kids, I am going to get a t-shirt printed stating:

NO I DONT COLLECT SCHOOL VOUCHERS how about some vouchers that might actually be of use to ME.

A good start would be to double the value of nectar points then everyone can benefit instead of just certain groups.

forgotmyname

Can i sue Sainsbury's for discriminating against me by not letting me park in a disabled bay just because i am not registered disabled?

Some disabled people are a lot fitter than me.