Childcare Solutions
Childcare Solutions – Tips and Advice on Finding the Right Childcare
- Help Paying for Childcare– find out if you are eligible for help to cover some of the cost of your choice of childcare. Help is available for all age groups depending on your circumstances.
- Daycare Trust – National Childcare Charity
- Direct.gov.uk – advice on choosing child care
- Direct.gov.uk – search tool to find child minders, nurseries, primary and secondary schools using your post code
- Emergency Childcare – do you need to find childcare in a hurry? Emergency Childcare is the only organisation in the UK that gives you the opportunity to book local nursery and childminder places or an emergency nanny on a flexible, ad hoc or daily basis.
- National Day Nurseries Association – a national charity – lots of info
Choosing Childcare – Questions to Ask
These are just some of the questions you should ask when visiting a childcare provider. You will also need to think about the things that matter to you and your child and make sure you ask about them too
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Vacancies and Costs
- Are there vacancies – is there a waiting list and if so how long?
- Do you have to pay a deposit? If so, what’s it for? Is it returnable?
- How much does the setting charge per hour/day?
- Do you have to pay for holidays/meals/nappies/other activities?
- Do they offer a settling in period? If so, how long for?
Staffing and Premises
- What is the ratio of staff to children? How many children do they care for?
- Do they operate a key (named) worker system?
- How will they keep you informed about your child’s progress?
- What opportunities are there for you to be involved?
- What is staff turnover like?
- How well qualified are the staff?
- Are all the criminal records checks up to date?
- Is there plenty of outdoor space?
- Can you see a copy of the registration certificates and inspection reports for the setting?
Daily Activities and Support
- What are the daily routines and how can they incorporate your child’s and other children’s routines?
- Where can your child sleep or rest?
- What if your child is unhappy? How would they be looked after?
- What are their policies on discipline and how do they manage children’s behaviour?
- How will your child’s dietary requirements be accommodated?
- What systems do they have in place if a child has a severe food allergy?
- How will your child’s cultural background be reflected and respected?
- Are there staff members from different backgrounds? Do they have books and activities representing all cultures? What about food/music/religious festivals?
Emergencies
- What happens if your child is sick?
- What happens if you are delayed picking your child up at the end of the day?
- How will they contact you in an emergency?
Finding Local Childcare
If you want to find out what childcare is available in your area, you can contact your local Family Information Service (FIS) or search for services on Family And Childcare Trust’s (FID). There is a FIS in each local authority area and their function is to provide information to parents, carers and others about local childcare and family services. Both the FIS and the FID hold details of all registered childcare providers in your area, including nurseries, childminders, playgroups and more and depending on the service offered, may be able to find childcare arrangements that are suitable for you. Find Childcare and Family Services in Your Area – Click here
Holiday Childcare
You may find that you need to use additional childcare during the holiday times, such as the long summer break, especially if you have school-aged children. With the summer holidays approaching, if you want to use a holiday playscheme make sure you look into these as soon as you can, as places can often get booked up quickly. Your local Family Informaion Service (see above) will have details of local schemes
Start Looking Early
Many parents are able to find suitable childcare as soon as they need it, but for others it may take several months of searching before you can find somewhere that accommodates both your own and your child’s needs. Give yourself enough time to research, seek advice from other parents and check registration certificates and references
Time To Settle In
Your child may take some time to settle into any new childcare setting that you start them in, so allow them time to adjust to their new surroundings, especially if this is their first time in childcare. Remember that most childcarers, such as childminders, will offer a ‘settling in period’, where you have an agreed length of time to assess whether the setting is the right one for your child and that they are happy there