Choosing the right Childminder can be a daunting task. How do you know if they will be the right one? On this page we hope to give you some guidance and support, what questions to ask, what documentation to see and what to look for.
We would recommend that you visit as many childminders as you can. This will then enable you to compare the different services that each Childminder has to offer and allow you to make a more informed choice.
Initial Contact
The first contact you will probably have with a Childminder will be over the telephone. Remember, if you ring during Childminding hours s/he may be busy interacting with the children and therefore unable to give you too much time to explain his/her service in any detail. Avoid asking the question ‘How much do you charge?’ over the ‘phone. Many childminders are reluctant to discuss money until you have had an opportunity to see their home and find out what they are able to offer you and your child. Some childminders may ask for your address so that they can send you a leaflet or brochure, others may be able to signpost you to their web site.
Visit
Before you visit each Childminder have a list of questions prepared. It is so easy in the ‘interview’ situation to forget what you had wanted to know. Try and relax, often the Childminder is nervous as well, they too want to make a good impression.
Do take your partner along with you to the visits. If they can’t make the initial one, ensure they meet the Childminder you have selected before you sign contracts.
Download our ticklist
highlighting some of the questions you might like to ask
When you visit each Childminder ask to see their portfolio containing documentation, policies and procedures. It is not a legal requirement for a Childminder to have written policies but it is good practice and most do have them. Do spend time looking through this file. It will give you a great insight into the quality of the Childminder and the service that she is able to offer. It may also raise issues that you will need to discuss with her that you had never considered before. Some childminders have additional copies of their policies that parents can take away with them.
Download our ticklist
of documentation that you will need to see
Ask to have a look around the Childminder’s home. You are not invading their privacy, this is their ‘work setting’ and where your child will be cared for, it is important that you are happy with the environment.
Ask lots of questions, this is your opportunity to find out exactly what your child will be doing whilst in her care. You will be able to establish if she has the same sort of standards and principles that you have and whether you will be able to ‘work’ with her to care for your child. After all this will be a partnership and you do need to be able to communicate and get along.
Indicators of Quality
All childminders have to work to the 14 National Standards and are inspected by Ofsted. (From September 2008 childminders will be working toward the Early Years Foundation Stage.) After their inspection they are issued with a report detailing their overall grading and grading for each of the five ‘Every Child Matters Outcomes’ Do ask to see a copy of their report and read it fully. Some childminders may have a copy that you can take away with you, or you can take a copy of their EY number and download it from the Reports section of the Ofsted web site. www.ofsted.gov.uk
Some childminders will have gained Quality Assurance through membership of a Childminding
Network. They will have completed a lengthy assessment process to ensure that they
are working above the National Standards and are regularly visited by a co-
If they are a Network member they should have a membership certificate in their portfolio.
Childminders can also gain Quality Assurance individually through the National Childminding Associations Quality assurance Scheme ‘Quality First’. They will also have a certificate and a parent leaflet to explain how the scheme operates.
More and more Childminders are now recording the development of the children they mind through written observations and photographic evidence. These are often linked to the Birth to three matters framework or the Foundation Stage Curriculum.
Ask the Childminder how they plan to record your child’s development and if they have a copy of another child’s you can see (subject to confidentiality)
A commitment to further their professional development is normally a good indicator
of quality. There are lots of training opportunities available to childminders, from
short 2 hour workshops, one day conferences through to
formal qualifications.
Finally, after all of the above, choose the Childminder that you feel most comfortable
with. If you have already developed a good relationship then you will be able to
‘work ‘ well together. It is important that you are both open and approachable so
that issues regarding your child can be dealt with promptly.
Don’t make a decision
there and then, you will hopefully have more childminders to visit and you need to
have time to think about what you have seen and heard.
Do let the Childminder know within a few days what decision you have made, even if it is that you don’t want to use their service. If you find it awkward calling people to say ‘no’ then why not take their mobile number and send them a text or send them a note or email. They may be holding off interviewing other parents as they are keeping the place open for you.
What do you need?
Firstly you need to decide what service you want, that meets your needs and the needs of your child(ren).
Some things you might like to consider are:
- location of Childminder, do you want one near home, work or on route?
- hours, days and times that you will need
- does your child have any additional needs that may require a Childminder to undertake specialist training?
- do you want one to one care?
- do you want a Childminder who collects from a particular school?
- do you want a Childminder
who cares for children of a similar age?
Good Luck!
Documentation
üOfsted Registration Certificate
üPublic Liability Insurance
üCertificate First Aid
üCar Insurance Certificate
üOfsted Inspection Report
(unless newly Registered)
üContracts
üIncident/Accident Records
üMedicine Records
üPermission Forms
üEmergency Medical Treatment
üTransport in Car
üPhotographs
üMedicine
Download our ticklist of documentation that you
will need to see
Questions
sHow many children can you
care for?
sWhat is a typical day for you?
sDo you have any back up
or emergency cover?
sWhat is your settling in procedure?
How to find a Childminder