What Childcare Should I Choose? Pt 1

 A lot of us lead very busy lives to say the least and because of this we rely on childcare. Let’s not be mistaken we still want the very best for our children. So let’s dive in to the different options.

Safe to say there’s a lot to discuss so let call this part 1. Part 1 is going to focus on the 1st part of children lives, 0-5.

The options we tend to have are Nannie’s, childminders and nurseries. Within the nursery bracket there is private, state and non for profit and trust me there is a difference.

Nannies

A nanny must have a clear DBS and a basic childcare qualification. They can choose to have an Ofsted Registration but it’s is not a requirement.

Nannies Typically come to your dwelling and take of your child there. There is technically a limit on this. Legally they can take care of children from two different families and once at one of the caregivers home. So the number of children not the limit it’s the limit of families.

With consent from the child/s parents/ guardians Nannie’s can enrich children’s learning taking them out to local parks, museums, clubs and playgrounds. Nannies out of all the childcare services tend to have the most freedom within learning opportunities also most adult interaction.

How do you pay a nanny? Well I’m glad you asked so there 2 ways. The nanny sends you an invoice of the session and you pay them. The other way is you employ them and you do their pay roll , this would more than likely happened if you have a live in nanny/ Au pair. 

Childminders 

Childminders are a great option if you want your child to have plenty of interaction with other children but don't want them to be overwhelmed with 20 other children. I'm going to include the links from the government website [1]. To simplify things childminders are much smaller than nurseries and the adult : child ratios are different this ensures that your children get plenty of adult attention more that what you may require. Childminders tend to be a safe option and a good steeping stone if you what your child to join a nursery eventually.

Childminders have to be Ofsted registered by law and follow the EYFS framework so they follow the same curriculum as nurseries so be assured children are being taught and getting school ready. In my experience parents and other types of care givers seem to have this conception that childminders is like a second home for children and cosy place for children to play. While yes children are learning through play in a more homely setting they are being taught the exact same framework as nurseries they just approach it in a different way. Childminders tend to have much more freedom as well when it comes to giving children different opportunities such as regular visits to parks, museums and farms etc. 

Nurseries

I'm going to start off being honest here. My personal career started off by working in nurseries so I speak about nurseries from and Early Years practitioner point of view. Which some of you readers may think great and others may not be so sure. 

I personally like to compare Nurseries to the NHS. Here's why:

• The Staff are driven and passionate about their job 
• The Staff work all hours around the clock
• Everyone has the best intentions 
• Politics plays a heavy part 
• High Staff turn over 
• Funding is an issue 

There are many many types of setting so that in its self gets overwhelming. I would personally recommend non for profit or state nurseries. This is because the working environment is much better for staff which makes better staff retention. This creates a happier and consistent environment for the children.

Top Questions to ask at showgrounds:

1. What approach of learning do you follow? -(this could be forest school, Montessori, child led, child initiated or curiosity approach- whatever one they use make sure they explain why then you make the judgment if you think it would be good with your child)
2.  How do you do your planning for the children? - (do they do in the moment planning? plan around subjects, plan around books- whatever they do why and do you think that would be something your child would benefit from.)
3. What are the SEND provisions? - (This is a question definitely needed if you have developmental concerns about your child or if they have known additional needs. You need to know how they are going to support your child to give them the best possible life opportunities despite possible barriers)
4. What support do you offer? - (this can be specific you if you and your family are looking for some sort of support)
5. What is the capacity of children in this one room? 
6. How do you track children's development?

[1] Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage for childminders (publishing.service.gov.uk)

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