Working with your childminder

Tips to work with your childminder

Here are a few tips to help you work in partnership with your childminder:

• invest some time in getting to know your childminder before you leave your child with them
• discuss areas of care that you have strong feelings on (for example discipline, routines, meals, snacks) and ensure that you have reached an agreement on these with your childminder
• take time to look at their portfolio and read their policies – your childminder has written them to help you understand how her/his business is run
• ensure that you keep your childminder informed about anything that may affect the care of your child (for example, did your child have a restless night? Is he/she teething? Are they off their food?)
• make sure you pay your childminder on time – more parent/childminder relationships break down over payments and contracts than for any other reason. They too have bills to pay each month
• make sure you fully understand the contract before you sign it – if you are unsure, ask your childminder or contact the National Contract Management Association (NCMA) information line for support
• avoid being late to collect your child – your childminder may be happy to work overtime but do ask first. They may have their own family to care for, dinner to cook or their own children to bath and put to bed
• make time to talk with your childminder, tell them about what is happening in your child’s life. They may need to make allowances or provide additional support
• do not take your child to the childminder if they have sickness or diarrhoea. This can spread rapidly around all the children and the childminder. Consult your childminder if your child is unwell and respect their decision if they decide they cannot care for them. They will have taken into account the other families and their own before reaching their decision
• respect your childminder. This is their chosen profession. They will have made a large investment of their own time to complete training and develop their documentation. Above all avoid using the words ‘if you had a proper job’ in front of them. This is one of the most rewarding and important jobs anyone can do – they are helping to care for your child

See also:

• how to choose a childminder
• visiting a childminder
• find a childminder
• child safety