Choosing a Childminder
To obtain a list of registered childminders in your local area you need to contact the Children's Information Service (CIS) or phone their national number 0800 096 0296.
To find a childminder in the Leighton Buzzard area you may like to look at our page Find a Childminder.
Narrowing it down
Visit at least two or three childminders near your home. You should not be embarrassed to ask to see their certificate of registration and public liability insurance, childminders are professional carers and will not mind at all. You need to ask your short listed childminders questions such as:
- Are the hours and days I need available?
- What are the fees, do these include meals?
- What happens if the child is sick, or the minder?
- Do you have additional training to the Preparation training course?
- What other children do you have in your care?
Questions should cover cost, facilities, smoking, pets, garden, sleeping, eating, discipline, other children and holidays. It can be helpful to take a written list of questions with you when you visit your short listed childminders, you may also like to make notes.
It is a good idea to take your child/children to visit the short listed childminders. This will give you an idea of how your child will interact with the childminder and other children present. Childminders do not usually have written references, so ask if it is possible to speak with the parents of other children in the childminders care. They can tell about how their children interact with the childminder and even give you advice on choosing as they have been through it before.
Your final decision will depend on your 'gut feeling', you should feel completely comfortable with your final choice.
NB. Remember to let the childminders you don't choose know that you won't be needing their services.
Contracts etc.
Once you have chosen your childminder you will have to sign a contract, this is usually renewed every six months or annually. You don't have to sign the contract immediately, discuss it with the childminder, you might want to take it home and read it carefully. Once the contract is signed it is a legally binding document and must be honored, so make sure you understand exactly what it means, your prospective childminder will be happy to explain any parts you don't understand.
If you are not starting immediately then the childminder may ask for a retainer fee, this should be discussed before the contract is signed.
DfEE Report on the Demand for Childcare Among Parents of Children aged 14 years and Under in England and Wales for this report parents were asked what factors influenced them to choose a childminder as their childcare provider; 73% mentioned trustworthiness. Reliability was rated very highly, followed closely by the childminders training, the convenient location, the opportunities their child would have to mix with other children and the fact that their child would be shown affection by the childminder.
Parents Views
"I like my children to be in a home environment with just one person looking after them. I trust my childminder with the most precious part of my life and she has become an extension of the family." - Tracy
"I value my childminders opinion and experience and I will often ask advice. I have a wonderful childminder, I can't imagine that there are any better than her." - Alison
