Childminder vs Nursery

SaraC

Pesky pescetarian from Australia!
Hi mins!!

Hope you don't mind me posting?

Here's a bit of background info: Our (just turned) 2 year old daughter is currently looked after by my Dad and his partner 4 days a week whilst I am in work, they have a 4 year old who goes to pre-school each morning and so our daughter is with my Dad & Step-Mum on her own in the morning and then my little sister comes home at 11.30 and they play together until they go to collect my little brother from school at 3.30pm. In September my little sister starts school fulltime and my Dad said to us tonight that he doesn't think that they, as adults, will be enough for our daughter and she needs to be with children her own age. I appreciate all they have done for us and agree that she needs to mix with children her own age.

So we now have to look for childcare for her and are thinking of the Pro's and Cons between a nursery and a childminder. Here are the ones I have thought of so far but wondered if anyone else could add anything:

Nursery

Pro's
Structure to the Day
Close to my workplace
Ofsted inspected
Lots of children her own age for her to play with

Con's
More likely to pick up sickness bugs being exposed to more children
Expensive
Would LO just be a number?

Child Minder

Pro's
More intimate care
Cheaper
Closer to home

Cons
Not enough structure?
Might not get on with them on a personal level
If the childminder is ill, we will have to take days off work.

If anyone could add anything or give me any recommendations, I would be grateful!!

Thank you :)
 
I've worked as a supply in a number of nurseries, and maybe it was just the ones I've been in, but I've always felt I'd prefer to have a child (pre-school) cared for in a more intimate setting. But then I don't have children.

Re Childminders, they are Ofsteded as well. Also, most childminders will ensure that there is structure and routine (how else would they manage a number of children on a daily basis) but can afford to be more flexible. I know that my friend will take the children out around the country park and do lots of outdoor activities that just wouldn't be possible in a nursery (I don't mean in the nursery's yard - I mean the big wild world) but then, maybe some people would feel uncomfortable with that too.

Hard decision eh!! Good luck.

xx
 
I sent my son to a childminder for 2 mornings then to a nursery on the other 2 mornings, to see which suited (me and him) best.
I have to say I preferred the nursery and ended up with him there for the 4 mornings.
For me there are more controls at a nursery, safety in numbers, and more routine, which suited my son better.
 
Ive only ever experienced a group of 4 childminders who were neighbours of my friend and quite honestly I wouldnt leave them in charge of a goldfish. NOW Im not for a second saying theyre typical not at all BUT they were all fully qualified, trained, checked, one of them was in charge of various childminders approved groups in the area. Their childminding skills were quite honestly horrific, bordering on neglect. So much so my friend actually reported the main instigator but unfortunately she was so established and basically well respected it went nowhere. A 'check' was done at her home in lieu of the complaint but she was on her best behaviour

She did things like went to another neighbours house for coffee leaving the kids in their buggies or play pens but it was ok according to her as she had a monitor with her. The kids spent hours in front of telly and the only outings she did was to Asda for her shopping, and if someone fell asleep en route they were left in the car.

Like I said, Im not for a second implying this is the norm but it put me off childminders for life quite honestly
 
My daughter went to a childminder first. The 1st minder stopped as she became pregnant, the 2nd separated from her husband and things seemed unsettled so I then changed to a 3rd one. Then I discovered that she was not treating my daughter the same as her 2 children. So I changed to a nursery and was so pleased I did.

The costs were about the same too.

Irene xx
 
I had to go back to work full time when my son was 6 months old. He had a mixture of grandparents (2 days) and nursery (3 days). I didn't choose a childminder because I didn't want anyone to spend more time with him than I could!

I was happy with my decision, as an only child, he got to mix with lots of other children and socialised with a number of adults too. Also, as I had to work, with a nursery there's none of the worry of what to do if the childminder's ill.
 
I think a lot of it depends on personal experiences - I've worked in a few day nurseries, some were lovely and some not so much. I left one because a staff member told a child that had mildly misbehaved that he was stupid, pulled him by his arm and made him stand in the corner so did not in anyway follow the behaviour policy and was awful to the child. Like I said though, others were lovely.

Childminders now have to follow the same Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, the same that nurseries and pre schools follow and they have to show they are following this to the inspectors at Ofsted. They can care for a maximum of 6 children: 1 under a year old, 2 under 3 years and 3 under 8 years (although exceptions will be made in the case of twins or continuity of care). They are inspected every 3 years and if you ask any you speak to for their Unique Reference Number, enter this in the search box on the Ofsted website you can read their latest inspection report (you can search for nurseries by name too).

Hope this helps.

X
 
My eldest two used to go to a nursery until I became a stay at home mum. I went to see a couple of childminders and a couple of nurseries and eventually settled on the nursery that I did for a few reasons. I liked the fact that even at that young age it got them used to a lot of children at once ready for school, they followed the early years curriculum, there was no chance of them just being plonked in front of a TV and they weren't having to trek on the school run to pick up other childminded children three times a day. I can see the pros of a childminder but it just wasn't for me or my children.
Good luck in making your decision
 
Thank you to everyone for your replies.

I am leaning more towards a nursery. I have a really good one on site at my workplace which is really reasonable but it's whether I can get a place or not. I like the idea of structure which I think she is lacking at the moment and the fact that she will have more than one other child her age to play with.

I will have to see what is available, I can get Childcare vouchers through my employer which saves on Tax & NI but we won't get any additional help with Tax Credits.

Thanks once again!
 
I'd prefer a child minder but that's just because I've done the child minding course & you do have follow the same curriculum as a nursery.

I have a 2 year old & when I was working part-time he went to my in laws his grand parents. I'm on maternity leave now so take him to mother/toddler groups & as of September when he's 2.5 he's starting pre-school. Have a look into those, mine is linked to the church & local primary school. So just speak to the primary schools you wish her to attend & see if they have similar. this way the children that she'll meet there will probably be in her class at school.

In the meantime it's really up to you but I just think in a nursery she might just be a number whereas the child minder would have more one to one attention like reading with her, drawing etc.

It's only a decision you can make. xx
 
Like you've identified there are pros and cons with each and I think a lot of it comes down to personal preference when you start visiting nurseries and meeting child minders. I went back to work 3 days a week when my LO was 9 months old and we chose a nursery because we didn't have any personal recommendations for a childminder. To place my LO in someone's sole care I wanted to be sure that they were ok if you know what I mean? We visited a few nurseries and settled on one that we felt really comfortable with and we haven't regretted our decision for a minute.

There is evidence that very young children are better off with a childminder because they need to form close attachments with a care giver but the older they get the more they will get out of nursery. My LO loves going to nursery now and we feel it's been really good for him. He hasn't picked up too many bugs although he did have chicken pox before Christmas but in a way I was glad he got that before he got much older ;).

Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
I'm nursery deputy and work in toddler room and 100% nursery, childmilders csn be off sick or having bad day where as a nursery is full of staff snd child can pick who they want to play bond with, I can honestly say all my toddlers are loved snd not one is just s number
 
Hi, I have done both jobs myself. I was a Nanny for 10 years, up until I had my first daughter.
I think You should go with a Nursery, it's much more child orientated. They are more adults around and most Nurseries only close for 2 weeks at xmas and 1 week at Easter. Childminders will have days off sick and Holidays.
Good luck with which ever you choose. But if it was me I would choose a nursery. Have a look around a few, so you get a taste of different environments. X
 
My niece is at nursery, shes in her 2nd year now but she came on in leaps and bounds socially when she started. She has so many wee friends and the teachers are great. Its not a huge nursery and they have 3 teachers, so the ratio is probably not far off what it could be with a childminder. The teachers are just lovely and she adores hers, shes definitely not 'just a number' :)
 
I work as a nanny and have also worked in nursery setting. If your child was younger i would say a more personal type of childcare was best but she will be of an age where she will benifit from being in the social situation of a nursery. One thing no one has pointed out is that if your daughter is sick then you wont be able to send her to nursery so you will always need some sort of childcare back up whether it for a sick child or a sick caregiver.

Good luck with your choice, it is a very personal decision.
 
I can answer this from a Childminders point of view as that is what I do. I am going to start with a few quotes from replies from above as well as the OP :)

I'm nursery deputy and work in toddler room and 100% nursery, childmilders csn be off sick or having bad day where as a nursery is full of staff snd child can pick who they want to play bond with, I can honestly say all my toddlers are loved snd not one is just s number

Nursery staff can also be sick or having a bad day!!! Just because we work alone in our own home doens't mean we ill treat the children - I think that's a very unfair statement :(

Hi, I have done both jobs myself. I was a Nanny for 10 years, up until I had my first daughter.
I think You should go with a Nursery, it's much more child orientated. They are more adults around and most Nurseries only close for 2 weeks at xmas and 1 week at Easter. Childminders will have days off sick and Holidays.
Good luck with which ever you choose. But if it was me I would choose a nursery. Have a look around a few, so you get a taste of different environments. X

Childminders homes all vary - I have a dedicated playroom for my childminded children, so again a little harsh a quote.

Just as you said that Nurseries will have xmas holidays & easter holidays, we as childminders take holidays - It is something that is discussed between ourselves & parents & in my case mine often coinside with parents anyway meaning that you are not affected.

Nursery

Pro's
Structure to the Day - Which childminders offer but are much more flexible to the individual children's needs
Close to my workplace
Ofsted inspected - As are childminders
Lots of children her own age for her to play with

Con's
More likely to pick up sickness bugs being exposed to more children - Children can pick up bugs anywhere really, even with childminders settings. Although both should be following strict hygine procedures.
Expensive - I feel so strongly about this common statement, you should not put such emphasis on what it costs to care for your child, cheaper options do not necassarily mean cheaper care!
Would LO just be a number? - In all settings I would seriously hope not :(

Child Minder

Pro's
More intimate care - Yes it can be more one to one care & you will have a special bond as you are the sole person in charge of that child.
Cheaper - As above
Closer to home

Cons
Not enough structure? - Again see above
Might not get on with them on a personal level - You will have a months settling in period where you should be able to make sure that your happy with each other.
If the childminder is ill, we will have to take days off work. - As somebody pointed out above, this works both ways as if your child is ill then you will have to most likely do the same.

If anyone could add anything or give me any recommendations, I would be grateful!!

Thank you :)

When I had my 1st child I opted for a nursery as TBH I hadn't had any experience of childminders. However seeing how upset my own child was I have ended up being a childminder myself.

I can honestly say I care for my minded children with as much personal care as I do for my own children. We have a special bond as I am there for that child for the majority of the day, I can probably tell you things about some of my minded children that their own parents don't know!!

My children get to experience a wide range of activities including regular trips out. We are able to spend time at the zoo, the beach, in the garden, the park as well as things like a walk to the shop - which isn't just about picking up milk & bread, its about giving the children the opportunity of learning life skills. We make a children's shopping list that they then search for the items in the shop - learning recognision skills as well as numeracy & literacy skills. We attend weekly toddler sessions where they not only get lots of interaction with other children, but they learn to form friendships on their own. We can do things according to the weather - when we had the recent snow, we were out building snowmen & making snow Angels just because we can offer that flexibility of our day. If a child come into my home telling me how fantastic it is that there is a digger at the end of my road, we can get on our coats & go see that digger - little things like this can make a child's day!

We offer a more flexible service - if your running late after work & are stuck in traffic, our door does not close.

I did notice your child has been in sole care of your parents & has time to play with your sister, meaning she hasn't much interaction with large numbers of children/adults daily. You should consider this as the numbers will be smaller with a childminder, which she might be more suited to to start off.

My own child attends a pre-school since she turned 3. This is to pre-pair her for the transition of starting school, getting her used to other adults & larger numbers of children.

I could continue this discussion much futher as I am very pasionate about my "job".

I would say, take a look on the FIS website at both options, it isn't something you should rush into.
 
Even though I don't have kids myself, I notice you put down "catching bugs" as a con. I would have thought that the only way to build up a child's immunity is to expose them to as much as possible (within reason, of course. I don't mean things like food poisoning, etc.)

Childhood illnesses are meant to be just that. Things like chicken pox and mumps are much more serious if caught as an adult.
 
Another one here who's worked both at a nursery and privately nannying. :) Different settings suit different children. I'm not a parent but personally, I'd want my child at a small nursery or a childminder because I think smaller settings have a good atmosphere. Socially, a nursery would be fabulous but at a childminder, you might find your child gets more quality time with an adult. It really depends on your little one. Good luck with whatever you decide.
 
Thanks to everyone for their input, I appreciate that it is a personal decision and for that reason I know it can receive strong opinions.

My husband and I have decided that the little one will be best in a nursery, we think that she needs a bigger group of children to interact with, when I put the cost implications as Pro's and Con's we wouldn't use it to influence our decision. In fact one of the nurseries we have in mind is one of the more expensive, purely through recommendation by a friend.

We are going to see if we can visit a few nurseries in the area next week and maybe put our daughter in for one day a week to see how she takes to it and then she will go 4 days a week from September.

If we have any personal recommendations with regards to Childminders I would visit them aswell and see what their setup is like and then base our decision on that.

Thanks once again for your replies, each one has helped us make a decision and I hope I didn't offend anybody :)
 
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