Working Mum: Fat chance?

‘Gut instinct’ was my answer when a friend recently asked me how I chose a childminder for my daughter. I got a list from the local authority, read Ofsted reports, asked for recommendations and visited potential childminders in person, but in the end it all came down to what felt right.

For many parents, there seems to be an added difficulty when choosing to leave their child in the care of a childminder. While there is the reassurance of them being registered, there is still the concern that you are placing your child with a lone stranger, rather than in a group setting with more than one adult present. A few friends have said that they wouldn’t use a childminder for this ‘safety in numbers’ reason.

Personally, I particularly chose to put my then nine-month-old daughter with a childminder because I wanted the comfort of a home-from-home environment. For this reason, it was a loving, home setting that I wanted to find when I visited prospective carers.

RELIABLE AND TRUSTWORTHY

While I understand that TV is part of many families’ home life, I didn’t want my child to be exposed to excessive amounts of it. The childminder who kept the TV switched on throughout my visit was swiftly crossed off my list. As was the potential carer who wasn’t at home at our arranged time. She texted to apologise but I didn’t rearrange our meeting. A childminder needs to be reliable and trustworthy and that was an ominous start.

Is it un-PC to also admit to not choosing the childminder who was great on paper but very overweight? I couldn’t picture her running after a toddler in the park or rescuing a child from the top of a climbing frame. Her size, maybe incorrectly, also raised questions about nutrition and the food she’d be giving my child.

I knew the right childminder for us when she greeted both me and my daughter warmly. She smiled when she spoke about the children that she cared for and her own four children and she showed me observation books filled with evidence of outings to feed the ducks and groups she regularly attended. The fees were affordable and the location was good, but above all she shone.

Unfortunately, when it came to returning to work after having my second daughter, I wasn’t so lucky. I had since moved house and struggled to find a suitable childminder who could care for my younger daughter and provide before- and after-school care for her sister.

I found only one childminder who could do the above. She was newly registered and had no previous experience of childcare. Her paperwork looked in order and her home was beautiful but I felt she wasn’t interested in my child. She was keen to reassure me that it was a risk-free environment, but everything felt sterile and cold. Her manicured nails didn’t look suited to digging in the mud and I didn’t get the impression of hugs and fun.

It also turned out she would be charging double the amount of my previous childminder. She justified this by saying that she’d be providing a ‘premier service’. Quite a claim for a novice and out of my financial league.

Without my enquiring, she assured me that she was not going to have any more children of her own – a question I’d never dream of asking. Months later, my daughter was settled into her nursery and we bumped into each other again. She was pregnant.

A WORD OF ADVICE

First impressions really do count, says Liz Bayram, chief executive of the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY)

As a childminder, you are being placed in, often, sole charge of a family’s most prized possession – their child. So, your approach to childcare needs to resonate with the parents and the first few minutes of a parent visit are crucial.

Parents want to see how you can make a connection with their child. Overwhelmingly at PACEY, our members tell us that the first meeting with parents should be relaxed and informal. Parents need to get to know you as an individual, your approach and, most importantly, they want to see how you interact with their child.

TOP TIPS

Always greet the child no matter how old, play with them while they are with you, hold babies confidently and don’t just give them back if they get upset – try to distract first.

Arrange visits on days when other children are there so they can join in with activities.

Ask parents to come along with their questions.

Do show them around and give them an idea of your typical day, activities and the resources you have, but don’t overwhelm them.

Give them some information to take home and read, then they can contact you if they are interested in a follow-up.

Save the paperwork and detail for a second meeting.

If possible, arrange the second meeting at the child’s home, which demonstrates you want to get to know the child, find out about their usual routine, etc.

Encourage parents to think about their choice and decision. Show empathy – that you understand how difficult it can be and that finding the right person is important, and they need to make the decision that is best for them.

Childminders offer a unique home-from-home environment and the most important judgement will be based on how a child reacts to you and your setting.

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