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Nursery or childminder?



Ok so some of you know I have been looking at nurseries and stuff more to find out prices to work out if it's worth me coming back to work. I found a few in my area but the Ofsted reports all seem to be satisfactory which I have been told by a few ladies who work for different nurseries that , that is not good enough.

They also said a child of one who be better off with a child minder as it;s one on one attention so now I am wondering what is best to do? I am off to see one nursery next Tuesday and will see how I feel about the place.

K XX

Replies

  • I think I'd prefer a decent nursery as I'd like my little man to mix with other children. But I haven't looked into it all in enough detail yet.
    I got a shock yesterday when i got some prices for some nurseries so who knows.
    Best to look at lots and go with what you get the best feeling from I guess.
    Lisa
    http://bd.lilypie.com/9Gf70/.png

  • my first stayed with family while i worked.... daddy on some days and my mum on others... i worked part time.... i really didnt wnt her 2 b at nursery or with a child minder at a young age... i wanted her round her own family!..... once she was 3 she started a creche-- which was fab for her!,.... and she settled instantly, so she defo was nt affected by not starting at a younger age......... i jst really didnt like the thought of her bonding with other adults more than her own family while she was licl
  • My son Liam had a childminder as when he was a baby I had to be at work by 8.30 and didnt collect him until 6.30.

    If you find the right one the childminder can be a god sent. It doesnt mean your child needs to miss out on the interaction of the nursery environment as the childminder can drop her to a nursery for a few hours every day if you wish and then collect her and take her home for her meals etc so she has the best of both worlds.

    My childminder had Liam for years and had children the same age as him so he grew up with them and they were like his sisters. He loved it there and he even went to the same school as her childred so that was handy as the childminder then continued to drop him to school and collect him and have him until I finished work. We only stopped using her when she decided to give up childminding and became a fosterer.

    I would prefer to use a childminder than a nursery as I had such a good experience but I would say that you have to like the childminder and feel comfortable with them so interview a few. After my lovely childminder Liam was with another for a few weeks and I hated her and had to change him, luckily he was a bit earlier but the new childminder was a patronising old cow lol

    Georgie xx 20+5
  • Thanks girls, sadly I don't have family that live close enough for me to have her. I start work at 8-30 till 5-30 so it's long hours and I leave my house at 7.30.

    I would love Rose to mix with kids maybe a little older she will be 10 months when I need to go back to work so maybe a one on one would be better?? Oh I don't know.

    Maybe it would be better to ask woek how much I would have to pay back if I do not come back to work and then see how much mony a part time job can give us and then that would leave me more time to drop her at mum's.

    K xx
    21+1
  • There are advantages to both. Your baby will be part of the family of a childminder and hopefully treated really well - but you have to make other arrangements for when they take their holidays, if they are off sick and also the biggest thing is that they are on their own. A crb is only good for the day it is done, you have no control who may come to the house etc.. but a good childminder is worth their weight in gold. Also social interaction with other children.
    Nurseries have an advantage in that they will always be open (9/10 unless something major happens), there is a back up of staff, they are monitored more closely etc from higher up management and there are social aspects to it.
    You really need to sit down and work out what it is you want from childcare and what you see as a must have and a nice to have. I'm going to look at that report for you now too xx
  • Is there a possibility of going back part time to your current job?
    Thats what I'm hoping / considering.
    Lisa
  • No sadly, I actually asked my boss yesterday and he said due to me being the only one who does my role they will not be offering me part time work.

    K XX
    21+1
  • Thats rubbish - couldn't they emply someone else part time?
    You could always out it in writing to them when you go off. I think they have to consider it. I thought employers were more clued up these days!!
    Lisa
    18+6
  • They have to think about it but by law they don't have to offer me part time work. It would mean getting somebody in for just two days a week and they wont do that.

    I know I have time it's just knocked me a bit as I thought we found a place I love and now i am not so sure about it or what is best to do. I will see it and then see how I feel about it.

    K XX
    21+1
  • I looked at the ofsted report for the just learning and it was ok - remember that is just one person's opinion of the setting nearly 2 years ago. There is not a huge amount consistency between inspectors depending upon their background etc.

    Make a list of questions before you visit as you will forget - ask them what they've done to action th erecommendations Ofsted gave them. Also write down what you want from childcare - I'll try and find a website with the questions on them etc that'll give you some idea of things to ask.
  • K-lou, your employer has to justify an extremely good reason not to allow you part time work. They could employ someone else part time and it wouldn't cost them any different! I work in HR and we've been told (unofficially of course) that we pretty much cannot turn down a parent's request for flexible work as the risk of a tribunal against us is huge, so we have to work around it. Good luck x
  • Its actually quite tricky for a company to turn down a request to reduce hours until they have fully explored all the options. The government guidelines state that employers have to look into more flexible arrangements for parents that have children under six.

    Might be worth suggesting that you could work five part time days and then they could employ someone else to do the other half of your job. Or work two and a half days a week with someone else - someone does this in my office.

    Definitly worth putting it in writing to them after the baby is born and see what their official response is.

    22+4 xxxxx
  • I have chosen to use a childminder. Please no one be offended by my reasons as i know its a very personal choice.

    I like the idea that my little girl will get lots of one on one attention and be in a home environment. A good thing about a childminder is you can get to know them a lot more than you can get to know nursery staff, nurseries often have a high turnover of staff. I like that the childminder has her own children. She will also take Frankie out a lot - swimming, baby & toddler groups, zoo, walks etc which nurseries often cant do because of all the children. Most childminders will do things that mean your child interacts with other children. Often children with childminders learn to talk quicker cos of the one on one and interaction with older children. I dont like the ratios in nursery for children either - i feel they are expected to do too much.

    I know a nursery has back up staff etc but your childminder will tell you in advance when her hols are. Also they are bit more understanding if you are late or need to drop them off early. A nursery will usually charge you for this. The one i looked at it was ??5 if you wanted to drop them off half an hour early.

    Its a very personal choice and you have to do what is right for you. Maybe go see a few childminders then you can make your mind up? Also ask the nursery what have they done to improve their ofsted status.
  • Girls thank you very much for all your feedback, thats very intresting to know that that have to look into getting somebody to maybe help out as well with my role. I will get that in mind and I will write to HR when I am off asking about my options for flex hours and days thanks for that. The way my boss said it he was like in your role they would not have somebody coming in just two days a week.

    I am going to keep thinking and having a look around. The report was not that bad and I will see how I feel when I get there and have a good look around.

    K XX
    21+1
  • My daughter went to a nursery when she was 3 months old and it was fantastic - it had a great garden they went for walks and the staff just adored her, I even had one that babysat for us when we needed it (we had no family around either)... they gave me a book every term that had photo's drawings and hand / foot prints etc and I still have them all. She was very advanced, shared her toys and is a great kid (all mum's say that I know) my daughter is 8 now and she is top of her class for all subjects now this might be that she has her dad's brains or it might be that she learnt from an early age... My sister had a child minder for her daughter until she was 3 and Charlotte had speach problems until she went to school, she decided to put her son into a creche - she had a year off so he will be 1 when he goes. I would also add that Lucie went to a childminder after school for 3 years and she was amazing - the only trouble was when she was sick we had to rush around and find other arrangements... Its a big decision and one that you should explore xx

    [Modified by: littlem on March 26, 2009 04:36 PM]

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