The future of childminding?

[watgem]

Hi everyone! With all the news about big increases in Ofsted registration fees, the changes to the childcare registers and Ofsteds proposals to publish childminders names and addresses on their website, I AM FEELING A BIT PESSIMISTIC about the future of childminding and need cheering up! Several of my childminding colleagues and myself have been feeling a bit paranoid lately that the powers that be want to do away with childminders and this is just fuelling our paranoia! Our early years team have assured us that they still want us, but that in our area there will be a 3 tier system of childminders- those who take their icp, those who do quality assurance and the top notch c/m who are accredited. I would have to be in the bottom tier although I have my CCp and am 2/3 way through nvq3 because I can't afford to do the q/a and we are not allowed to be accredited in our area without it, also I mainly care for birth to threes who aren't eligible for the funding. I really love my job and the families I work with but feel increasingly that many childminders including myself may give up because of all the extra beaurocracy and the fact that like most people in childcare, pay definitely does not reflect the resbonsibility ,the care that we put in and how most of us are prepared to go the extra mile for the children and their families. I would love to hear what everyone feels about this topic hopefully something that will inspire me to carry on! Sorry for venting!

[Ruthierhyme]

Good grief .. nothing good ever came from publically providing tiered systems :muted:

Do you know if it's going to be a 'for the record only' type of tiered register to monitor levels of qualifications in the area or will parents actually be given a list 'in order of .. so to speak ??

Watgem please let us know how this progresses...

[Jo_B]

Hi watgem

I have been minding for a not quite a year, as much as love my work i do feel very under valued.
There is a lot of preassure to be better than the next, keep up with all the paperwork, fit in courses to improve knowledge and skills....
on top of the fact that the pay is unbelieveably poor, i have gone from working in a nursery and nanny environment where i was earning a basic amount to barely even managing to get by each month.
I'm obviously not as lucky as some in that one of my parents is very disrespectful towards me my hours and my home......
I'm now at the point where i am applying for a job back in a nursery or school environment.
I dont feel able to continue.

Who knows what the future holds in the wider scheme of things?

But all the best to you sorry this is not very inspiring.....

Jo

[watgem]

I am so sorry that you have had such a bad experienceof childminding. I feel sad because I really love my job and the children I work with but I am feeling that once the registration fees go up to £100 in 2010 I will probably give up and look for work in a nursery or as a nanny as will several of my colleagues as we aren't prepared to pass the exta fees onto parents, but this of course does reduce the choices for parents, especially in a rural area such as ours. As for the 3 tier childminding system , I don't know if parents will be told about it, but I always tell parents whats going on in the world of childcare as I feel its good practice and allows them to make their own choices. I am very open about telling parents about the experience and qualifications I have as are most childminders so letting parents see them isn't a problem its a positive thing, however the early years has done this to show our "level of committment and involvement" to childminding-most of the local c/minders including myself are l.3 qualified and attend every training course possible, but unless we are prepared to fork out a lot of money and take another 18months to train for the level 3 q/a scheme, we will be "labelled" as being basic childminders on the bottom tier and thats whats causing the problem becuase like most childcare workers we are very commiitted and involved. Well Jo I wish you lots of love and best wishes, I hope you find something that you will love and get the respect you deserve-good luckxxxxx

[sarahnev707]

I got funding for my NCMA Quality First - if they insist you should do it, then I strongly believe they ought to fund you! I'm also being funded for the Open University courses - I wouldn't do them otherwise.

I think whatever Ofsted throw at me money wise, I will probably have to pay it because I am a single mother who has to be at home for a disabled son. I find when tax credits top me up, I am actually better off than friends who work. I know that isn't the case if you have a husband who earns well though.

Jo, I'm sorry to hear about the disrespectful parent - that's just not right. I would suggest you terminate them and get advertising! In all my years, I've only had one set of parents who treated me badly and, even though the child was lovely, I did eventually ask them to leave... the day after they paid me for the month, but I didn't expect a termination fee... it was just a 'please don't come back..'!

I am trying to remain positive about the future, but I am also a realist and yes, I feel there is an element of Childminders being squeezed out, so I am taking every opportunity I can to go on training and courses and I am learning everything I can from websites about educational theories, working with parents etc etc as I am sure there will come a time when I will have to back into the work place - and, especially the older I get, the world will not owe me a living!!

[Jo_B]

Thanks Sarah.

I think you have a point, it is just one parent getting me down, and like yourself i find the child adorable, such an easy going character and fun to be around.
Every week i try to tell myself to ignore what i feel towards this particular parent but every week i just get more and more annoyed!!!!
It looks like the best option for me will be to admit defeat and let them go, the other family i work with are amazing everything is how it should be, and i have a very positive relationship all round!
I love childminding in so many ways but it is a very demanding role... I think childminders are highly underestimated..........
I'm qualified with my NVQ3, constantly going on courses when available to further myself.
Thanks Again Jo

[watgem]

Hi Jo and Sarah! Jo I had a problem with non-payment of fees[a large sum!] not so long back and got really helpful advice from the lovely girls/chaps on this website and we managed to find a workable solution so may be there will be one for you, though sometimes you do have to admit defeat! As for the quality assurance Its not Ncma-its the local authority one and they're adament that they won't give funding! So I would prefer to spend my hard earned cash on for example ona level 4 course or extra training in areas that feel I need to or am interested in which will make me more "employable" if the worst comes to the worst and I have to give up c/minding, but in the meantime will benefit the children/families I work with. I'm aiming to carry on childminding as long as possible as I love it so much and it means that I don't have to find childcare for my 8 which would be pretty impossible!

[watgem]

Ps read Rose's advice in the OFSTED forum about signing up against the price rises!

[sarahnev707]

Gemma - come up here if you need child care for your 8 year old... sure we can work something out!

Sarahx

[buildingblocks]

Hello new to posting on this site so apologies if I am doing the wrong things.

I also feel that childminders are being squeezed out (although I do feel like not many others believe me) Ithing the tier system that you are talking about is so wrong. Who gives them the right to say just beacuse you only have the ICP you are any less than an accreddited childminder.

I have recently resigned from my local network for a variety of reasons one of which was aI struggled with my normal plannign and felt that the care of my children would suffer as I struggled with planning for accreditation as well. It does not make me any less a childminder for putting my minded children first.

I love my job but am very tempted to apply for a job in a nursery. A local Childrens Centre is advertising tonight in the local paper and I am torn as to whether or not to apply

Sorry I have gone off on one but i am proud to be a childminder and just don't know where we will be in the future years/

love Kate