Locating the right child-minders is very important because they operate from their homes and the kids have to spend a considerable amount of time over several months or years under their care at these premises. Hence, they must be trustworthy.
Although there are many ways to identify a good child-minder, the key to locating the right one is your ability to build a rapport with her/him. A child-minder should inspire a feeling of trust and respect in the parents. Kids are astute enough to behave according to the parents’ cue. If the cue is negative, the kids may exploit the situation by trying to trade the child-minder off against the parents.
Parents become comfortable and friendly with the child-minders if they feel the child-minder is capable of giving priority to the kid’s welfare and share common views and values.
However, appearance could be deceptive. So check whether the child-minder you like has a good reputation and good will. First of all, they should be registered child-minders approved by Ofsted and should not care for more than eight kids as per regulations available on the Sure Start website.
They are subjected to regular inspections and the inspections reports since April 2005 is available on the Ofsted website. Parents then need to make sure by contacting parents of other kids who are and were with the child-minder. Also trust your instincts and the reactions of your kids.
Similar information can be had from the Care Commission in Scotland, and the local Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland. Those who want information on Wales, please check the Care and Standards Inspectorate.
A registered child-minder is expected to treat all kids as her/his own. You can make sure of this by discussing the matter with the child-minder on issues such as discipline, attention, disputes and so on. The kids might take some time to feel homely and comfortable, but if the child-minder is competent then the kids will soon feel part of the family.
Posted on May 11th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Child Care, Tips, Toddler
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