Childcare as a Profession

If you are a parent, the arrangements you make for the care of your young children will be crucial to your success in getting and keeping a job. You will need to convince an employer that your child minding arrangements are sound and, for your own peace of mind, you will want to know that your child is happy and settled while you are at work.

Some people are able to rely on members of the family to look after children while they are at work but others have to explore the possibility of nurseries or paid child minders.

There is no statutory requirement on local councils to provide nursery places so the size and quality of provision can vary enormously depending on where you live. Details of council - run nurseries in your locality will be available from your local education authority. Private nurseries have to be registered with the local Social Services Department. Staff should be able to provide you with addresses of all privately owned nurseries in your neighborhood.



Individuals advertising child minding services (not babysitting) must also be registered with the local authority Social Services Department so you should be able to obtain names and addresses of registered and approved child minders from here too. Try to visit several child minders before you make up your mind about the best one for you.

• Look at the premises. Are they clean?
  
  
• How do the child minders manage the behavior of the children in their charge?
  
  
• What food do they offer?
  
  
• What sort of play provision is there?
  
• How many other children are being looked after?
  
  
• Which child minders arrange trips and outings?
  

Try to spend some time weighing up the advantages and disadvantages of each one. When you make your choice, remember that you are buying a service, so shop around until you find the one which suits you best.

Once you have made your decision it is important that both you and the child minder are clear about the nature of the agreement you are making. Sort out the fine detail now. You won't want to be constantly negotiating the arrangements when your child is happily settled and you are trying to create a good impression in your new job.

The agreement you make should cover:

• the days of the week when your child will be cared for by the minder;
  
  
• the times of arrival and departure each day;
  
  
• the minding fee and how it is paid;
  
  
• the agreed amount of notice by both parties to terminate the arrangement;
  
  
• arrangements for absence through sickness and holidays;
  
  
• costs of nappies, food and outings.
  

Finally, before you start work, it is a good idea to spend some time ensuring that your child settles into the arrangements easily. Give your child minder as much information as you can. Any dietary requirements or special words or habits your child may have should be written down so that the child minder can refer to them. Let the child minder know a little about yourself and your family so that she has familiar things to talk about. It helps her to establish a warm and easy relationship with your child. Try to arrange a few visits to the child minder before you leave your child there. On the first occasion go away only for a short while but make a point of saying goodbye so that your child knows what is happening. Let your child take a favorite toy or comforter with him. You must be fair to whoever is looking after your child and you must collect your child on time. Child minders and nursery staff need to get home too. Remember also that you must keep your child at home when he is ill or infectious.

Some parents worry that a child minder will in some way replace them. This is highly unlikely. Good child minders have a professional approach to caring and they will work with you to ensure that they complement rather than replace parental care.