First day back after the holidays

& it's a very stressful week

All the children that are going haven't gone yet and all the ones that are starting have started already.  No-one really wants to work extra as it's the last weeks of the holidays (but everyone does) and school is looming!

Cost, it's always about cost

I was doing a fete yesterday (& today as well actually); giving away bags of playdough and a leaflet about childcare.

So many people didn't know there was a nursery in our village - which is quite sad considering we have been here for 9 years.

And so many peoples first question was about how much is it?  I know we are all strapped for cash (indeed I am terribly broke myself) but is the first question about potential childcare really about money?  Rather than standard of care or safety or education?

I feel something needs to change

EYPS

I'm studying for my Early Years Professional Status; and while writing today I'm realising how good we are at childcare and education.

It's been surprising and very enlightening.  However, most parents won't ask about or even care about this knowledge and learning my team & I possess.  Most of my parents prioritise hours, meals or hourly rate - which is emotionally hard for me.

Our books are 'uninspiring'

According to OFSTED

Which makes me sad; so I moved a lot today & then changed a whole load back.

I have issues with keeping paper books away from babies & I don't approve of 'book corners' as books should be distributed throughout the setting so children can see they are everyday and normal, not that you have to visit a special place to get them

& I don't have a lot of room

I have:
a rainbow row of 'That's not my' books
2 low boxes with board books in (spine showing) I can't turn them so there is a box with spine uppermost as there is a piano/keyboard on top of them
3 high shelves with paper books on
Tub with mini books in
Low shelf with board books (spine showing)
2 cloth shelves with books face showing
a basket of books that travels

I guess I need to think clever, or at least more clever than I am right now

the pre-school tender

After lots of discussions around regretting it if I don't - we have decided not to re-tender for the pre-school.

I'm not sure the people offering the tender know what they want and the feedback they have given me is about issues I addressed clearly.  So it's pointless, it would be rude to re-submit it identically and I don't know how to change it.

I also have good news & bad news.  The good news is I had a day off, the bad news is I was so poorly I went to bed

Another day and a discussion about child protection

Is it appropriate to send a parent a photo of a child in the morning showing that they have calmed down and are fine?

I understand the concepts about mobile phones & photos; but I feel the reassurance is massive

A funny old week

TWO bank holidays & a planned day off made this a very busy week

The bank holidays were lovely - peaceful and calm before half-term; which is always busier than a normal week.

My planned day off didn't happen; but these things often fail to go to plan

Our Jubilee Party was a great success; lots of cake and even some rare (for June 2012) sunshine.  OFSTED visited on the same day and a childminder working for me got a Good with Outstanding bits, we can't wait to read the report & we have another inspection this week.

The proposal for the pre-school is due in this week, but without feedback on what went wrong last time, I am at a loss on how to proceed.

Baking, baking, baking

Yet more baking for the fete my daughter is performing at we have:

Decorated cake to raffle (finished)
Decorated cake to give to teacher to say thanks (finished)
Decorated fairy cakes to sell (finished - 53)

Plus the name of the school spelt out in fairy cakes

& I am tired & I have to start again on Wednesday for the Jubilee for the children

Baking today

The smell of flapjack fills the setting; the children stand close to the kitchen to savour it.  They helped to make it & will eat it after their lunch - the only issue seems to be leaving a big enough piece for me!

It's our jubilee party next week and this is a dry run to see if they work in my oven.  If they are a success they will be a regular menu item.

Non-starter

Well I didn't get the proposal; so onwards and upwards I'm ready to roll on a new nursery I just need a property

Anyone got a spare property in Norfolk going cheap?

Baby lambs and British Weather - humbug!

We were to be visited by a baby lamb today (7 weeks old), for bottle feeding.  The children were so excited!

And then it started raining and although the children are allowed out in the rain the lamb isn't - which is sad.

So once again the British weather triumphs over having fun

One of the nicest things about childminding...

...is the way the older children look after and help the younger ones and the younger ones learn from and respect the older ones

It's a vertical tutor group in high school, or a 'family' with different ages siblings but in childminding it's lovely

Now it's waiting.......& waiting

The proposal went in yesterday & now we wait

I guess I'm as bad as a 2 year old for waiting, I need to work on my 'waiting skills' but to be frank if I can't wait how can they?

Will I finish in time?

Final run down to getting a proposal in, running out of time to get things finished and a baby needs a cuddle - so typing with one hand, being 'slime'd and talking to another child about 'Thomas'; life doesn't get better than this!

Biggest problem in childcare today?

Well here it's effective shade.......it is scorching; and creating shade effectively is tricky.  Well tricky or expensive!

What do people want?

Today I'm finishing off a proposal for childcare.  Currently they are running 9-3 term-time, which I can't make economically viable so I'm offering 8-6 50 weeks of the year.  Who knows if the proposal will be accepted there are lots of issues.

The Government is looking for propositions like mine; but even those hours don't help shift workers or people with unusual childcare needs.

How can you make childcare financially viable and capable of meeting the needs of parents; I think the business model needs rethinking

How do I start?

I have worked in childcare for many years (well only 9) and I have ideas which I think would change the way childcare is done in the UK.  In my efforts to run childcare for the whole of East Anglia I have tried to?

• Set up in a school (they didn't want anything 'that' big)
• Covert a barn (not enough money)
• Buy a chapel (not enough outside space)
• Rent a chapel (the board decided to sell it)
• Set up in a council house on an estate needing childcare (the council laughed)
• Set up in a school again (actually they didn't want me) 

So when the council advertised a 'tender' to open a preschool I jumped at the chance.

But where do I start?  I have been writing business plans and cashflow forecasts for days; I know what I think I want but is it what other parents want?

The things that are important to me are:

• Open spaces & outdoor play
• Low employee turnover and a team with a mix of mature and younger
• Learning though play with individual planning, safe risk taking and little or no forward planning.