Duties
I provide care for up to three children aged under five and try to meet all their needs in the areas of social, physical, intellectual, communication and emotional development. I like to feel that I am half nursery teacher and half mum to them all.
As a self-employed person I have complete control over my working practice.
This means I can plan my days around the needs and interests of the children in my care at the time - and even around the weather! On rainy days we learn about the world from books and games, and when the sun shines we can go out and experience the world first hand.
I do, of course, follow the 14 Childminding National Standards which include qualifications, organisation, care, learning and play, physical environment, safety, special needs, child protection and working with parents and carers. I did not hand my own three daughters over to anyone to care for, except my parents, until they were about 11 years old. That's when they went to school for the first time, having been home-educated until then. So I know how precious one's children are.
Start date
I became a registered childminder in April 1997.
Likes/dislikes
I like everything - it's the best job in the world, and I love the children for being so uncritical of my terrible singing voice, which I inflict on them constantly. I dislike children leaving me to start school.
Best achievement
My middle daughter, Kitty, has Down's syndrome, and after passing eight GCSEs when she was at the local mainstream secondary school, she also gained a CACHE level 2 Certificate in Childcare and Education. Kitty is now doing voluntary work in several nurseries in the area, and is also registered as my assistant.
Training
I keep my Emergency First Aid for Babies and Children certificate renewed every three years. Fortunately Wandsworth, my local borough, has a very comprehensive training programme for childminders. This means I have also been able to do courses in Basic Food Hygiene, Basic Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, Special Needs Awareness, Portage and Working with Grief and Loss. I have recently achieved the National Childminders' Association Quality First Certificate level 3. The computer classes I took have been useful when producing printed publicity about the service I offer and have enabled me to desktop publish some quite acceptable leaflets to distribute.
Career path
I have only been an official childminder for the past eight years, but I have been involved in caring for children for over 40 years. This started when my parents began fostering back in the 1960s. Before I became a childminder I did a variety of things, which included being a parent leader at the local Woodcraft Folk youth group, where I also used Makaton signing to help my daughter Kitty to communicate.
I had never considered childminding as a possible career move until a friend asked me if she could pay me to mind her baby for two days a week.
This led me to the most fulfilling and rewarding job I can imagine.
Progress
Having already achieved my Quality First level 3, I am as well qualified as I need to be. However, I do intend to keep attending training sessions as they always inspire me, and are a great way to meet other minders and exchange ideas. I hope to do a British Sign Language course in September, as I found Makaton so helpful. Running occasional craft sessions for other minders is a way to keep coming up with simple ideas for things to make and do with under-fives.
Advice
It goes without saying that you must love children, be infinitely patient, have lots of energy and a huge sense of humour. The Quality First course has made me focus on all aspects of my work and made me feel very professional, so I recommend doing that. And the best free toy to get is a three-metre plastic tube from inside a roll of carpet (drain piping would do). The hours of fun we have had sending balls, cars, water and voices down one is endless.
Interest/hobbies
I still spend most of my spare time on the family as all three girls are still at home. Molly works in television, Kitty in childcare and Letty is doing a degree in puppetry. I am the assistant at Kitty's special needs dance class every Saturday morning and I go to a Ceroc (jive) class every week as I love dancing and it's so much more fun and sociable than going to the gym. I have started Tai Chi too. I am very interested in disability rights and green issues (I've been a vegan for 30 years) and I can often be found on demonstrations and Stop The War marches.
Further information
* Makaton Vocabulary Development Project 01276 61390
* Education Otherwise www.education-otherwise.org
* Woodcraft Folk 0208 672 6031
* Parents forInclusion 0800 652 3145
* Wandsworth Work and Play 0208 682 4216
* National ChildmindingAssociation www.ncma.org.uk
