Parents sometimes get confused about the different types of daycare available for their children and I was recently asked to explain the differences by a friend:-
CHILDMINDERS:
As I used to be a registered child minder, this is my favourite type of daycare,
Child minders maybe the best option for working parents because they can be the most flexible in the hours that they work because they are self employed.
Child minders work in their own homes; offering a home-from-home for the children in their care.
Most child minders will look after children from birth- 16 years plus ( some may vary in the ages that they will care for).
Child minders will also look after all the children together; regardless of their ages- nurseries often have to provide a separate baby room, even if they have older siblings in the same setting.
Child minders take the children out teaching life skills, such as how to cross a road safely, some other settings may also do this but it does depend on staffing numbers.
Registered child minders ( make sure that your child minder shows you the registration certificate, as there are a few child minders who are not registered andare breaking the law) have the lowest child:adult ratio ( when I was registered it was 1 under the age of one, 3 under the age of 5. 6 under eight and a few over 8 in the school holidays).
NURSERIES:
Nurseries also offer full daycare but may not be as flexible with their opening hours as a child minder.
Some parents think that because a nursery is a larger setting, they will prepare their child for school better than child minders, but as most child minders will take the children to groups like toddler groups or meet up with other child minders all the children will learn to socialise and co-operate with others.
I have written an earlier post about how child minders may spend their time here
PRE-SCHOOLS;
Pre-schools usually offer a child 2-3 sessions a week which may not accommodate working parents
Many pre-schools are held in rented church or village halls which are used by other groups this means that the staff need to set up and tidy away the equipment at the beginning and end of each session.
Just like many nurseries and child minders pre-schools accept the nursery education grant which offers so many free hours of education a week ( ask at individual setting about this scheme).
MONTESSORI NURSERIES;
Montessori groups have everything child sized; including the furniture, cutlery, toys and bathroom facilities.
NANNIES/AU PARS;
Nannies and au pars will look after children in the parents home. A nanny is trained to look after children and will sometimes live with the family if that is needed, the most famous nannies are the Norland nannies.
Au pars are often younger than nannies and frequently travel from abroad to look after children in other countries
CRECHE;
A creche is held in the same building where the parent is.
I used a creche in the leisure centre for my son while I was using the gym for an hour.
I also helped to run a creche in the local children’s centre, the children were looked after while their parents were attending a course in the room next door.
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Sometimes a creche will be mobile and can come to you, I have heard of weddings hiring a mobile creche to keep the children entertained during the speeches.
Whichever kind of daycare you decide on ( you could use a combination of several, child minders will sometimes collect children from pre-schools and school nurseries, if required)try to visit as many as you can before making a decision and go with your gut instinct. Settings will have lots of paperwork to show you, for example, registration, insurance and first aid certificates. All types of daycare are registered and inspected by Ofsted early years.
I have written a similar post with more details on this topic here
As always comments/questions are welcome and please share on social media if you think others will benefit from reading this.
Until next time.
Karen
x
With 6 kids under 6 and working I certainly appreciated day care for my kids, I used a mix of nannies, preschool, nursery and playgroup over the years. Child minders were never an option as they weren’t allowed 3 under 1 which I had (triplets). I’m not sure how I’d have managed without the help they offered so I could work in the day and it was certainly good for my kids too #KCACOLS
With permission from Ofsted early years an experienced child minder could be given the registration to have more little ones because they don’t like to split siblings x
This is a fantastic post. Child care can be such a daunting task for new parents. This will really help people make sense of the different options and help them choose the one that fits their needs and the needs of their little one.
#KCACOLS
Yet another brilliant blog and such a big help to parents.
Thank you for the break down of the differences between being a child minder and running a daycare. I was curious about this! #KCACOLS
This is a very helpful and informative post and it will certainly benefit new parents who are looking at the different types of daycare available for their children . Pinned!
#kcacols
You may not believe this but when I became a mum I did not even think about childcare until my mum asked me what I planned just weeks before I started a new job when my son was 6 weeks old. Always good to have a good guide so you can make the right choices for your individual child and family #AnythingGoes
Great info here. I wish i had this post when deciding on childcare for my little one. Although i’m pretty happy with the nursery we chose. #StayClassyMama
So many options, It’s great to have different ways as each family and child has different needs. #StayClassyMama
This was really helpful as my son is due to start some form of childcareas i prepare to return bk to work. #kidsandkreativity
Great post to explain all the different ways you can have care for your child. Thank you #KCACOLS
This will be a very useful post for anyone new to childcare and trying to decide the best option for them! #KidsandKreativity
I was astonished at the high level of childcare provided by childminders: I had no idea it was so rigorous unitl my sister needed it for her children. Thanks for linking up with #globalblogging
Really useful guide to the diffefrent types of childcare available. Thanks for linking up with #stayclassymama
Useful overview of the different types of childcare. Our boy mainly went to a Waldorf (a.k.a. Steiner) kindergarten, which I suppose would be classed as a type of nursery. They had a fairly home-like, relaxed atmosphere, which we thought was good. And quite a lot of singing, crafts, nature play etc.x #KidsandKreativity
Really interesting, I always wondered what a Montessori school was. I don’t think there are many in Wales. Thanks for linking up with #kcacols, hope you can come back next time.
Useful post explaining the differences, but like you we preferred a childminders setting. We are still good friends with her and she has a wonderful relationship with her children past and present. #KidsandKreativity
This is a really interesting post, and useful for those that are embarking on childcare. Thanks for linking up with #KidsandKreativity, hope to see you back next time.