Childcare Angels

Police checks (or CRB checks) are carried out by the Criminal Record Bureau (CRB), an agency of the Home Office to help organisations make more informed decisions when recruiting people to work with children and vulnerable people.

A CRB check can provide access to a range of information, such as information:

• held on the Police National Computer (PNC), including Convictions, Cautions, Reprimands and Warnings in England and Wales, and most of the relevant convictions in Scotland and Northern Ireland may also be included;
• held by local police forces and other agencies, relating to relevant non-conviction information; from the government’s Protection of Children Act List (PoCA), where applicable; 
• from the government’s Protection of Vulnerable Adults List (PoVA), where applicable; and 
• held by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 (formerly known as List 99), where applicable.

The CRB does not check whether an applicant is permitted to work within the UK. The employer has liability for ensuring that the person they intend to employ can work in the UK.

Levels of CRB Check

The CRB offers two types of check: the standard and the enhanced. 

These checks cannot be obtained by members of the public directly but are only available to organisations and only for those professions, offices, employments, work and occupations listed in the Exceptions Order to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Standard CRB check

Standard CRB checks are primarily for posts that involve working with children or vulnerable adults. They contain information about:

• convictions
• cautions
• reprimands
• warnings

This information is held in England and Wales on the Police National Computer, and most of the relevant convictions in Scotland and Northern Ireland may also be included.

Enhanced CRB Check

Enhanced checks are for posts involving a far greater degree of contact with children or vulnerable adults.

In general, the type of work will involve regularly caring for, supervising, training or being in sole charge of such people, e.g. a childcare provider, a teacher, scout or guide leader.

Enhanced checks contain the same information as Standard checks but with the addition of any locally held police force information considered relevant to the job role, by Chief Police Officer(s).

Your childcare provider can have either of the two police checks, and may show you a certificate breaking down what is on their file.

Parents who employ a nanny/au pair/babysitter directly cannot apply for a CRB check on applicants – you need to go through an agency (the CRB has a database of organisations you can contact to send the CRB off for you). However, if an agency supplies the nanny/au pair/babysitter, the agency is entitled to carry out a CRB check.

It is worth pointing out that a CRB check is valid for up to a year. A crucial point, however, is that a year is a long time and so the CRB only tells you what your childcare provider has or hadn’t done up to the date on the disclosure itself. Therefore, even if your potential childcare provider has a CRB, if you have any doubts or concerns, do not employ them!

Ironically, the cost of childcare is often the reason many mums do not go back to work. And for many couples, it can often be the deciding factor in choosing not to have children at all.

Coping with the sleepless nights, the presumed non-existent social life and all the usual things us parents don’t bat an eyelid at anymore (until said single friend reminds us what life used to be like…) seem bearable, but we do protest when our hard-earned cash seem to dwindle before we’ve even been tempted to go on a shopping spree because we have nursery fees, or a nanny to pay.

At Joshua’s nursery, the comparison between the cost of fees and mortgages is a regular topic of conversation. But what surprises me is how few parents seem to be up to date on ways to reduce those fees. I seem to be directing people to all sorts of schemes and funds to cut the cost of childcare with every new parent I meet.

A good starting point is to look into:
n Tax Credits
n Childcare Affordability Programme
n Childcare Vouchers
n Child Benefit
n Nursery Education Grant

Tax Credits
Don’t let bad media attention put you off applying for tax credits – on the whole, people who are honest about how much they earn, and let the Inland Revenue know when their income changes are not left with hundreds of pounds to pay back. Don’t be one of the many parents losing out on £3.6 billion worth of tax credits a year.

If your family income is less than £58,175 per year (or £66,350 if you have a child less than one year of age) you may be able to claim Child Tax Credits or Working Tax Credits.

n Child Tax Credit
This is paid directly into the account of the person who looks after the child the most. As long as your family income does not exceed £58,175, or £66,350 for those with a child less than a year old, you can benefit whether you work or not.

n  Working Tax Credit
This tax credit is for employed families and includes some financial assistance towards the cost of childcare. To qualify, you need to use childcare that is registered or approved, e.g.:

n childminder
n nursery
n play scheme
n out-of-school club
n school

If you are a lone parent, you need to work for at least 16 hours a week to qualify. If you are a couple, you both need to wok at least 16 hours a week (unless one partner is disabled). The childcare element of the Working Tax Credit works on a sliding scale and can pay up to 80% of your childcare costs (up to a maximum of £175 per week, in 2008, if you’re paying childcare for one child, and a £300 maximum if you’re paying for two or more children). Again, the money is paid into the account of the main childcare provider.

To qualify, your family income must not exceed £58,175, or £66,350 for those with a child less than a year old.

Each case is viewed according to individual circumstances, so it would be pointless for me to show you an example – imagine thinking you’ll be getting hundreds of pounds off and then being told otherwise, or thinking you’ll get a measly tenner off and not bothering to apply, when you could get much more. The point it: get in touch with the Inland Revenue and let them give you an accurate forecast on what you are entitled to.

Childcare Affordability Programme
If you live in London and have children aged up to five years and you qualify for child tax credits, you could qualify for the Childcare Affordability Programme (in 2006/2007 this meant a saving of more than £547.50p).

Like tax credits, each case is viewed according to individual circumstances, so you’ll need to get in touch with the London Development Agency (who part-fund the scheme with Sure Start) to see if you qualify, and find out how much you could get.

Childcare Vouchers Scheme
Many employers have now signed up to a Childcare Vouchers scheme, allowing their employees to ‘sacrifice’ some of their gross salary in return for ‘vouchers’ that can be used to pay for childcare.

Basically, you can buy the first £55 (£243 each month) of your salary, free of tax or National Insurance, from your employer. That is, because you buy vouchers with your salary, the first £55 a week does not have tax or National Insurance contributions taken out of it – that is how you make a saving. This means that parents who pay a lower rate tax (22% if you earn less than £36,000) could save around £962 per year, and a higher rate taxpayer (those who pay 40%) saves around £1,195.

There are three schemes available:
1. Your employer gives YOU the childcare vouchers, which you give your approved childcare provider (nursery, childminder, nanny).

2. Your employer makes payments DIRECTLY to your childcare provider.

3. Your employer can provide childcare in the workplace to the value of your childcare voucher, and YOU pay the difference.

Most companies can join the scheme, so if you haven’t already, it could be well worth asking your HR department to see if your employer has signed up with one of the voucher providers. It’s worth mentioning that if you are able to claim certain benefits, you may find the childcare voucher scheme affects these, so find out before signing up.

Child benefit
When you register the birth of your child, you should get a form to fill out to claim child benefit. This is the one benefit you get regardless of your income and it’s the same rate for everyone – the only things that affect the amount is the age of your child and how many you have. The rates change incrementally every year, and you should get a letter from HMRC whenever there is a change to the rate, which thankfully usually go up. In 2008, the eldest child is entitled to £18.80, with each additional child getting £12.55.

Free part-time nursery places for three and four year olds
The government’s Nursery Education Grant entitles all three and four-year-old children to get up to 12.5 hours (increasing to 15 hours in 2010) of free childcare for 38 weeks of the year (basically during term time).

You need to speak with the nursery manager if your child is entitled, as some nurseries are not always proactive in letting parents know about this discount. It works out at £43.90 off your child’s nursery fees, which are paid directly to the nursery and taken off you bill. Your child’s nursery will give you a form to fill out, and will send it off to their borough.

If you find a childminder who works as part of a childminding network, they can also apply for the Nursery Education Grant for your child so you can get the same discount.

There is quite an extensive range of childcare qualifications in the UK, so it’s important to know a bit about each qualification so you know what your childcare provider can do with your child. The rules differ according to what part of the country your childcare provider did her training.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland recognised childcare qualifications (usually certificates or diplomas) are awarded by the Council for Award’s in Children’s Care and Education (CACHE and institutions affiliated with the Association of Nursery Training Colleges. In Scotland, however, the Scottish Child Care and Education Board (SNNB is the awarding body.

Childcare is a very progressive industry, and course content and direction can change all the time, according to the government’s regulations. The basics will usually remain the same, be aware that the government is currently restructuring the whole framework of qualifications for those who want to work in the childcare profession.

The main recognised childcare qualifications in 2008 are:

• CACHE Level 3, Diploma in Childcare and Education (DCE) (formerly the NNEB)
• BTEC Higher National Diploma in Childcare
• NVQs in Childcare and Education
• City and Guilds – there are range of NVQ qualifications in Childcare and Education, which are equivalent to one or two ‘A’ levels.
• Montessori  training qualifications

CACHE
The Council for Award in Childcare and Education (CACHE) is a specialist body that develops courses and qualifications in childcare. The main CACHE qualifications are:

• CACHE Foundation Award in Caring for Children (CFCC)

A taster course giving an introduction to the type of knowledge and understanding required when working in childcare.

• CACHE Level 2, Certificate in Childcare and Education (CCE)
• CACHE Level 3, Diploma in Child Care and Education (DCE) (Previously known as NNEB).

This is a two-year full-time or three-year part-time course and is equivalent to two A-levels. It is a level 3 award. The course takes two years to complete and covers health, safety, nutrition and educational play for ages up to seven. Around 60% of student’s time is spent in college and the remaining 40% is spent with different age children on placements in homes, day nurseries, hospitals and junior schools.

Around half those who graduate with the diploma will go onto work in local authority, private day nurseries and hospitals while the rest will become nannies with families. It can also be used as an entry level qualification to midwifery training, provided the candidate has GCSE grade C in English Language and Mathematics or a Science subject. Moving into teaching or social work is another option with the diploma. Combined with at least one year’s experience in the work place, it qualifies candidates to under take the two-year full-time Diploma in Social Work. Social workers with a nursery nurse background are particularly suited to work in child protection and residential children’s units.

• CACHE Level 3 Certificate in Childminding Practice (CCP) Develops the knowledge and skills for those who are or are looking to become a registered childminder. Developed with the National Childminding Association (NCMA).

BTEC (Business and Technology Education Council)
These courses focus on management and senior positions within the child care field, such as starting a nursery or curriculum development and analysis:

• BTEC National Diploma Childhood Studies (Nursery Nursing)
• BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) Childhood Studies (Nursery Nursing) – equivalent to the first year of a degree
• BTEC National Certificate Childhood Studies (Nursery Nursing) – equivalent to two A-levels, NVQ level 3, Advanced GNVQ, or relevant work experience
• BTEC Higher National Certificate Childhood Studies (Nursery Nursing)
• The BTEC First Certificate – a day release course equivalent to 4 GCSE’s, grades A-C

NVQs in Early Years Care and Education
The NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) is a government initiative to give those who have work experience but no formal qualifications the opportunity to get a recognised qualification. This is not an academic qualification but based on practical experience in the workplace, and they are assessed in the workplace where students have to prove that they have achieved a certain level of competence and capability.

The NVQ courses available are:

• NVQ in Childcare and Education Level 2 – this is a qualification is obtained by a childcare worker in a supervised role, e.g. a nursery assistant, playgroup worker a childminder, or an experienced but untrained nanny (i.e. a mother’s help who went on to be a nanny. The courses assesses eight core subjects, including ‘Work with young children’, ‘Maintain the safety of children’ and ‘Maintain a child orientated environment’ and four ‘endorsements’ which focus on the type of experience you have. For example:

1. Work With Babies
2. Work in Support of Others
3. Work in a Pre-school Group
4. Work in a Community Run Pre-school Group.

A nanny would be likely to choose ‘work with babies’ or ‘work in a pre-school group’ and would acquire an NVQ in Child Care and Education (Work with Babies – level 2)

• NVQ in Childcare and Education Level 3 – this can be obtained by professional childcare workers and could be considered the equivalent of the former NNEB. A childcare provider undertaking this training shows a commitment to learning about high quality childcare. An experienced childminder or mother’s help could apply to be assessed at this level.

There are 12 core units, including: ‘Promote Children’s Sensory and Intellectual Development’, ‘Promote the Development of Children’s Language and Communication skills’ and ‘Contribute to the Protection of Children from Child Abuse’ and five ‘endorsements’:

• Group Care and Education
• Pre-School Provision
• Family Support
• Special Needs
• Family Day Care

A nanny would choose Family Day Care to give her an NVQ in Childcare and Education (Family Day Care) level 3.

• The NVQ Level 4 – this is undertaken by a childcare worker who would already be trained to management level – more academically challenging. It consists of three strands to choose from: Advanced Practice; Enhancing Quality and Quality Control; Management.

City & Guild
City and Guild (C&G) offers a range of vocational courses including Childcare and Education NVQs to Level 2 and 3. The courses compete with CACHE courses and are similar in content.

C&Gs are ideal for those seeking a broader base in childcare which would enable them to care for sick children or handicapped children.

There are a few different options:

• An NVQ Level 2 City and Guilds offer nine different ‘care’ NVQs which are mainly concerned with the care of the elderly, children in care, the handicapped and mentally ill. Courses include ‘Domiciliary Support’, ‘Postnatal Care,’ ‘Direct Care’ and ‘Residential/Hospital Support’. These can all be tailored to the interests of the childcare provider.
• The NVQ in care at Level 3 is similar to that of Level 2, but more detailed. There are courses such as ‘Acute Care’ (of children)’, ‘Group and Foster care,’ ‘Supporting Families’ etc.

Montessori
The Montessori Method is an internationally renowned qualification.

Montessori nurseries use their own specialised philosophy, based on the theory of giving much more individual attention to the child and his needs and encouraging him to develop at his own pace. It is a holistic curriculum that aims to develop the child socially, intellectually, physically and emotionally.

To graduate as a Montessori teacher, the minimum requirement is a degree and a year’s student teaching under supervision. Once graduated, Montessori teachers can work with infants, toddlers, pre-primary or elementary level children.

First of all, well done – you’ve just made the biggest step towards having your cake and eating it: a successful career and happy home life. I respect every mum who is brave enough to embrace their own needs outside of being ‘a mum’, and has the guts to work to keep a roof over their family’s heads, and build a good future for her family.

Many stay-at-home mums or people who do not have children often feel that us working mums are the most selfish people on the planet, but if they could only see and feel how hard it is to make the sacrifices we do – just live our lives for a week – they’d soon see that it’s far from the walk in the park they imagine our lives to be.

I remember the first nursery we took our son Joshua to – not a good memory for various reasons – but I’ll never forget how I cried like a baby all the way to work, and he was only ‘settling in’ for a couple of hours. 

Finding suitable childcare is at the core of being able to have a successful career or business. Why? Because if your child is not happy, neither will you be. The last thing you want is to emotionally scar your child with bad experiences, because it will make it even harder for you to leave them with anyone – even known and trusted family and friends.

And, what use will you be at work if you are worrying about your child? You won’t perform well at work for lack of concentration, your boss will be on your case all the time, this will lead to stress, which you’ll then take out on your family when you get home only to go to work the following day feeling guilty about how badly you’ve treated your loved ones and won’t be able to concentrate on your work. Soon enough, it could become a vicious cycle.

That’s why it’s so important to get the basics right from day one, and you’re three-quarters of the way there. 

Once we’d overcome Joshua’s bad experience with his first nursery, and found a good nursery with staff who actually cared about the children in their care, words cannot describe the overall relief, or how much easier it made things for all concerned. We learned the hard way what not to do, and this book will make sure you don’t make the same mistakes we did.

The very first time you leave your child in the care of someone else, you’d need a heart of steel not to at least get a little niggling feeling or huge pangs of guilt. A lot of that will be centred on the question of whether you are doing the right thing. Every parent who has been in this position will tell you that if you have made the wrong decision, your child will let you know – babies won’t settle, toddlers will scream like you’ve left them in a cage with a wild animal and pre-schoolers will tell you ‘no’!

Once they’re a bit older, they can tell you exactly how they feel. And according to research by Jobcentre Plus, UK children give a thumbs-up to their parents for going out to work. So, finally, working mothers have something to show critics that being at work does not make their children unhappy, after all. 

The research found that of the 500 primary school children asked how they felt about their parents having jobs, nearly three times as many children (46%) say they actually liked their mum or dad going to work, compared to those who didn’t (16%). In fact, almost a third (31%) said the fact that their parents worked made them feel proud.

Children were polled from both one and two-parent families, and they revealed that working parents are, on the whole, successful at finding ways to spend quality time with them. When asked how they felt about their parent working, almost four in 10 children (37%) agreed that their mum or dad still made time for them despite working hard, whereas just 7% thought that their parents didn’t have time for them because of work.

When asked why their parents went to work, overall children displayed a down-to-earth understanding, with 55% saying it was because they needed the money. At the same time, nearly one in five children (17%) believed that their parents worked because they enjoyed it. Older children seemed to admire their parents’ efforts most, with the oldest age group (9-11 year olds) being most likely to say they were proud of their parents for working.

The survey findings clearly show that children of working parents still have a lot of fun with them, with most children mentioning several examples, including watching TV/DVDs or playing video games (58%), playing indoor games (50%) and playing outside or riding bikes (48%).

With more than 29 million people working in the UK, and the numbers on benefits continuing to fall, more and more parents are benefiting from being in work. And the government is helping even more people get off benefits and into employment.

It’s only natural to worry about how your child is coping while you’re at work, but the truth is that children can adapt very quickly. A working parent can be a positive influence because this establishes a good work ethic in the family and also enables children to be a bit more independent.

Having a job and being a parent does mean that you have to do a bit of juggling but if you can make time each day to enjoy your children, you’ll all feel much more comfortable with the idea of you being back at work. When to start looking for childcare 

The importance of forward planning when it comes to looking for childcare can’t be stressed enough. Some parents start looking for childcare as early as during the pregnancy. That may seem a bit far ahead, but it all depends on the area you live in and on your circumstances. If you know, for instance, that you will be back in the office after six weeks maternity leave, then looking for childcare during pregnancy may not be such a bad idea.

For mums taking a full year’s maternity leave, you need not start so early, but just remember that your circumstances may change while you’re at home caring for your baby, so don’t leave it to the absolute last minute. There’s no harm in making a shortlist of say three nurseries and doing some background checks before committing to one.

Mother’s helps

As the name suggests, mother’s helps give mums (or dads) a helping hand to look after children and does basic household chores (usually in connection with the child, so things like tidying up their room, washing and ironing).

They are usually young adults so this could be their first time looking after children, so it’s not a good idea to leave them with your children for long periods of time, as they would not be experienced enough to deal with an emergency situation or children misbehaving, for example. Gradually, as they grow more confident – and more importantly, as you feel happy to leave them in sole charge – you may be able to do this for a few hours.

A mother’s help lives in your home, and works up to 45 hours a week, doing an additional two nights babysitting maximum per week. She will not have been police checked, and may not have childcare qualifications.

Au pairs

Au pairs are a bit like mother’s helps but, by law, they can only be aged between 17 and 27 years, not be married or have any children and come from certain countries:

• Andorra
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Croatia
• Faroe Islands
• Greenland
• Macedonia
• Monaco
• San Marino
• Turkey

Nationals of European Economic Community countries are not included in the official au pair scheme but are free to come to the United Kingdom as au pairs. Bulgarian and Romanian nationals will need to
apply for an accession worker card before you take work in the UK.

The difference is that to come to the UK, au pairs will need to be learning English for up to five hours a day – this is time you need to consider when calculating how many hours care you need. They therefore work between 15 to 40 hours a week and live in your home.

Au pairs can live in the UK for up to two years with and English-speaking family, and need to register with the police within seven days of entering the UK. If they live in the Metropolitan Police Area (this covers most of London) they will need to register at the Overseas Visitor Records Office (www.west-midlands.police.uk/overseas-visitors/index.asp).

There are three types of au pairs:

• demi au pairs – these work 15 hours a week and babysit for one or two nights a week;
• working au pairs – these work 25 hours a week and babysit for one or two nights a week; and
• au pair plus – they work 26-35 hours a week and babysit for one or two nights a week.

The au pair you get depends on the level of experience you need them to have – but be aware that there is no guarantee that they will have childcare experience beyond caring for younger siblings or the children of family friends and relatives. That said, if you just need an extra pair of hands around the house while you work and can spare a room, they may be a good option. Many parents now want their child to be bilingual and learn different languages from a young age, and au pairs from the European Economic Community can often be good with this.

Maternity nurses

Maternity nurses are usually experienced nannies, nursery nurses, or qualified nurses who help new parents with things like settling a newborn, breastfeeding (for mums), and basically providing care for the baby and supporting mum. They are specialists and will not be the ones to do your household chores, so it is worth clarifying any additional needs before employing a maternity nurse.

Most parents usually know more about the type of childcare that their friends and family use and often assume that one of these options is the best form of childcare for them.

It’s this very reason why many parents look at the expense and think that going back to work is not worth the hassle if they only get pocket change left after paying childcare fees.

When making the decision, most parents think about whether they want their child cared for in their own home, in the carers home or outside the home. Another consideration is whether they want their child to have individual care, or socialise early with other children. And then there are those, like me, who feel a bit better in the knowledge that a nursery has safety in numbers, and that if a member of staff is mistreating a child another member is bound to pick up on it and do something about it, whereas there isn’t that luxury with individual child carers. And the other side of that is the agonising feeling that your child’s individual needs won’t be met at a nursery because there are other children’s needs that need to be met. Decisions, decisions!

Whatever you decide is best for your child, remember that most childcare providers genuinely love looking after children. Yes, there are those carers who give the industry a bad name, but on the whole, most want to see your child happy and thriving as much as you do (well almost!). They are, after all, the first person that the finger of blame points to when things go wrong.

This chapter will look into detail what different child carers can provide, how flexible they can be with their time, and the type of family situation that is most suited to it.

The main types of childcare available in the UK are:

• Nannies
• Childminders
• Nurseries (day nurseries, private nursery schools and government-funded nurseries)
• Childminding networks
• Pre-schools and playgroups
• Mother’s helps
• Au pairs
• Maternity nurses
• Private schools
• Kids clubs

The three most common childcare used in the UK are nurseries, childminders and nannies, so let’s focus on those for now. If, however, you are thinking of ways to cut the cost of childcare, using just one form of childcare may actually work out more expensive. Using a mixture of childcare options may help you cut the costs – and it doesn’t have to be as big a juggling act as you might expect. For more details on the other types of childcare, and how to make your options work for you, buy The Working Parent’s Stress-Free Guide to Childcare by Joycellyn Akuffo – wife, mother, founder and editor of www.motherswhowork.co.uk (a lifestyle website for working mums), www.lookforchildcare.co.uk (a free childcare directory connecting parents to childcare providers) and director of Childcare Angels.

The childcare you choose may also depend on the amount of control and input you want to have of your child’s day. A nanny, for instance, will be guided by how much television you want your child to watch, which playgroups you want your child to attend, how many naps your child has during the day (and when), as opposed to a nursery where, with all the best will in the world, also has planned activities and routines for all its children and can try to accommodate you requests as far as possible.

Nannies
There is a misconception that all nannies live with the family. In fact, there are three types of nannies:

• live-in nannies (also known as day nannies)
• live-out nannies and nanny shares, so you don’t have to let your need for privacy, or lack of spare room, put you off using a nanny. Live-in nannies cost less than those who live out because much of their living expenses are covered by the family.

Live-out nannies have their own accommodation outside the family’s home and visit during the agreed hours to provide childcare.

Nannies can look after children of all ages, and they are usually very flexible with their time, which may suit parents who don’t work the traditional 9am-5pm working week.

Using a nanny can give parents the most control of how their child is looked after – not only because the child is cared for in their own home, but because nannies are guided by the parents of the child, especially those with less experience.

Using a nanny share is another good option for parents who work non-traditional hours, e.g. those parents who only need childcare a few days a week. You can basically ‘share’ a nanny with another family and negotiate among yourselves who has the nanny on which days and share the cost of employing the nanny.

Please note that nannies who are ‘shared’ by more than two families at a time need to be registered as childminders. If your nanny is not registered as a childminder, and you want to ask them to be a nanny share, they would be well within their rights to ask all families concerned to pay for the cost of that registration.

The law does not require nannies to have any qualifications to work, so not all of them have undergone childcare training, but many will have extensive experience and will have some formal childcare training.

Mannies
This is the latest craze among celebrities – a male nanny. Like many female-dominated professions like nursing and teaching (primary school age), there is prejudice in the childcare industry. However, there are some benefits to having a male presence in your child’s life – especially if you are a single parent.

Like with any other form of childcare you choose for your child, as long as you are happy that the individual(s) you choose can look after your child well, have vetted the childcare provider (either yourself, with their consent), or vetted their police check) then there is no harm in using a male childcare provider.

Childminders
Childminders are self employed, so they set their own terms and hours of work. They look after children from birth to sixteen years of age in their own homes. They can be flexible about how that care is given, and are therefore suitable for families that don’t have a traditional work pattern.

Many childminders provide non-conventional types of care – e.g. picking up children from school and giving them tea before you pick them up, looking after children in the evenings, at weekend and during school holidays.

An added bonus is that you can have more control over how your child is cared for – things like discipline, what they eat – compared to a nursery, but you’ll still have to drop them off and pick them up from the childminder’s.

Like nannies, childminders need to be registered on the Ofsted Childcare Register if they care for children who are less than eight years of age.

When choosing a childminder, you need to find out:

• if they charge on an hourly, daily or weekly basis
• if they charge for overtime or absences – childminders have been known to charge when a child is absent from their care due to sickness, and when you go on holiday, and you may even have to pay them when they go on holiday in order to keep your child’s place.

Childminders can care for up to six children under the age of eight at a time. Out of this, a maximum of three can be less than five years of age, and they are limited to caring for one baby aged less than a year. This number includes the childminder’s own children and any other children on the premises when they are working (so a friend’s child would count among that number if they are left in the childminder’s care).

Nurseries
Using a nursery is a popular choice for parents who work the traditional 9am to 5pm working week, as they tend to open from 8am to 6pm. Many parents choose to send their children to a nurseries because they can socialise with other children, making the transition to school a lot easier because children experience being with big groups of children from a young age.

Nurseries take children up to the age of five, many start from a few weeks old, but the norm is from three months of age. Children usually progress from the baby room to the toddler room and then the preschool room, depending on the size of the nursery.

Nurseries can be run by private individuals, community groups, Montessori organisations, commercial businesses or by employers, and they usually provide food (included in the fees). Some also provide nappies and wipes, so check with the nursery manager on your visit to see what you’ll be paying for.