Nanny

definition

A childminder is a person who works in child day care. The activities of a childminder are essentially the care, upbringing and education of children. Facilities in which day care is provided by the childminder are, for example, the childminder's own household, the household of custodians such as parents, or rented premises.

What is a childminder?

In principle, a childminder is a woman who takes care of children who are not her job. There are also child minders, but very few in Germany. Day care by a childminder is a form of care that is very similar to a family, hence the name “daycare” or “daycare”.

Day care is an increasingly popular alternative to conventional day care centers. A childminder usually looks after up to five children between the ages of one and three years. The care often takes place in the home of the child minder, which makes the day care very personal. The fact that a childminder looks after significantly fewer children than in a daycare center means that the children receive better, more personal care.

There are also child minders who rent rooms for day care or look after children in the parents' home. Child minders are qualified specialists who are regularly checked by public authorities. A childminder is only allowed to work under certain conditions, so that the safety corresponds to that in daycare centers. A child-safe household is an essential prerequisite for working as a childminder.

This includes child safety devices on sockets, stair gates, inaccessible bodies of water, medicines and cleaning products, raised door handles, secured devices and many other safety aspects. A child minder is in close contact with the children she looks after. In such a small group she has the opportunity to respond more to the individual needs of the children compared to kindergarten.

A childminder can observe the children, find out interests and support the children personally. The tasks of a childminder are extensive and include playing, preparing meals, exploring nature, walking, singing, making music and various educational activities such as teaching how to wash your hands, brush your teeth, put on shoes and much more.

Are you still not sure whether you need a childminder or daycare? You can find the answer to this question and much more at: Daycare or childminder - which type of care is right for my child?

What is the daily routine with a childminder?

A big advantage of day care is the flexibility with regard to the care times of many child minders. That is why child minders are very suitable for parents who have different working hours. A daily routine for a childminder can look like this:

7:00 am - 8:00 am Arrival of the children at the childminder

8:00 am - 8:45 am hand washing, breakfast

8:45 - 9:00 a.m. common welcome round for all children

9 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Activities according to weather conditions: walks, exploring nature, visits to the playground, games in the house, singing, painting, making music

11:45 am - 12:00 pm hand washing

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. (joint) preparation of lunch, lunch,

Clear the table, load the dishwasher

1:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Washing hands, brushing teeth

1:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Nap, afternoon rest

3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Getting dressed, picking up parents

From 3:15 p.m. snack, games (play equipment, sandpit, etc.)

until the parents are picked up

How many children can a childminder look after?

A childminder can look after up to five children. That doesn't mean that one childminder has to look after five children. She can decide for herself how many children she wants to take care of. According to this, there are child minders who only look after one or two children intensively and there are child minders who look after five small children. The childminder receives permission to look after up to five children from the youth welfare office.

What if my child is sick?

In principle, there is a care contract for every child care provided by a childminder, which defines aspects such as the child's illness or the childminder. A childminder who takes care of more than one child has responsibility for all children. That means that she has to protect healthy children from infection.

That is why most child minders do not look after sick children and, in cases of acute illness, ask the parents to pick up the affected child. Highly contagious diseases that children definitely need to stay at home for include whooping cough, measles, scabies and chickenpox.

Even if they vomit, have diarrhea, fever or lice, children usually have to stay away from the care center. In addition, a common reason for child minders is that sick children belong in their own bed and feel more comfortable at home with their parents. In individual cases, a childminder can also take care of sick children.

If the parents are very busy at work and the caring childminder is only looking after one small child, the childminder may be able to take care of the sick child. Depending on the care contract, the degree of infection and the severity of the disease, child minders can act individually when a child is sick. However, it is often the case that the children stay at home or have to be picked up.

The next topic may also be of interest to you: Three days of fever - is that dangerous?

When will my child be allowed to go to childcare again?

When a sick child can be looked after by the childminder again depends on various factors. On the one hand, the clinical picture plays a role. There are teething troubles that subside quickly, others cause problems for one to two weeks. Depending on the cause of the disease, the children are also infectious differently.

If a childminder takes care of several children, she usually does not take in a child who is currently highly contagious, in order to protect the healthy children. The care contract that the parents of the sick child concluded with the childminder prior to the care plays an important role.

Aspects related to illness can be determined there, such as freedom from fever for two days or the like. In the case of highly infectious diseases such as whooping cough, measles, chickenpox and scabies, toddlers usually have to stay at home until the symptoms have completely healed. If the child catches a cold, in most cases children with coughs and snotty noses can come to the childminder as long as they feel comfortable there despite the symptoms.

What if the childminder is sick?

Day mothers work with small children who touch many things in everyday life, put them in their mouths and spread and ingest pathogens. If a childminder takes care of sick children, she can very easily become infected and become sick herself. If a childminder falls ill, she is absent.

This means that a sick childminder does not have to work and take care of the children. The problem is that child minders often get sick and the Ministry of Family is overloaded and is not responsible for solving the problem. This means that no one works to find a replacement if the childminder falls ill.

If the childminder is sick, parents have to make sure that the children are well accommodated. Happy are those who have families, like grandparents who can take care of the children. Other families often have no choice but to take themselves off to look after their own toddlers if the childcare provider is absent.

Our next article could also be of interest to you: Care for children and babies

What are the costs for a childminder?

The cost of a childminder depends on the federal state, the parents' total income, the number of children and the hours of care. There are often very different rates for child minders. A childminder can receive between three and eight euros an hour. The Federal Association of Childminders recommends an hourly wage of € 5.50.

If a family earns around € 37,000 a year and needs care for 30 hours a week, the costs for the first 25 hours are € 5 per hour and the hours 26th to 30th are € 0.30 more per hour. This results in costs of € 506.00 per month, which are transferred to the youth welfare office and from there paid to the childminder.

Depending on the agreement with the childminder, additional costs may arise for weekend / night care, hygiene items or excursions. If meals are desired and / or necessary during childcare, the costs incurred will be settled directly with the childminder by the parents.

Who pays for a childminder?

The parents themselves bear the costs for childcare. The parental allowances are based on income, so that parents who earn less pay significantly less costs than parents who earn very well. In some federal states there are financial relief from the municipality or city.

In some federal states, childcare for parents is completely free of charge, for example in Hamburg. In North Rhine Westphalia, Hesse and Lower Saxony, the last year before starting school is also free of charge for parents. For parents with very low incomes, there is basically the possibility of economic youth welfare, which means that these parents may not have to pay anything and still receive childcare for their child.

You can read interesting information about raising children under: Educational Aid - What is it?

How do I know if my child is ready for childcare?

All children are different and require different amounts of time to be ready for childcare. Children also need different lengths of time in language development. In order for children to be able to express their wishes, it is extremely important that they can express themselves. A child does not need to be able to form complete sentences for this, but should be able to communicate what he currently needs.

The rule is that the child's first 1.5 years are important and formative for the parent-child relationship.In order to give a child to a childminder, there should be as stable a bond as possible between parent and child. You can also put your child in the care of a childminder earlier.

One advantage of the care is that the child gets to know new rules and structures and in most cases is cared for together with other children so that they learn to deal with other children. A trial week is an excellent way to see whether the child is really ready for a childminder.

You can first visit the childminder a few times for a few hours and, if that works well, give the child this care for a week. For some children, probationary care works very well; then they are usually ready for a childminder.

Other children may need more time to get used to the childminder. It can then be helpful to take the child to the childminder for a few hours over a longer period of time. In the beginning it can make sense for one parent to stay with it, then you can gradually test how it works when the childminder takes care of the children for one to two hours and eventually half a day.

If this is professionally possible, the child should be given the time they need to get used to.

What should be considered when choosing a childminder?

When choosing a childminder, it is extremely important that the childminder is empathetic and sensitive to the needs of the child. Loving care is the be-all and end-all for small children. There are also a few important aspects when choosing the right childminder:

• Does the child get enough rest, e.g. for the afternoon nap?

• Are there enough age-appropriate toys?

• Do the required care times match the times of the childminder?

• Does the childminder support my child's development?

• Is there an opportunity to play outside?

• What activities does the childminder plan with the children being looked after?

• What are the safety precautions regarding water, power sources, etc.?

• How does the group look in terms of number of children, genders, etc.?

• Is the childminder certified by the youth welfare office?

If you have a good feeling with a childminder, you should get the child used to the childminder in a contact and acclimatization phase in order to build a stable bond. A care contract is then concluded.

What qualifications does a childminder have to have?

In order to be allowed to work as a childminder, some training is necessary. More than 160 lessons include a preparatory course, a basic seminar and an advanced course on the tasks of a childminder. Part of the lesson are a presentation and a term paper as well as the writing of a concept.

Other qualifications of a host mother include participation in hygiene measures and a thorough first aid course for infants and young children. The training also includes a 60-hour internship. In order to work as a childminder, a clean police clearance certificate from the future childminder and, if a partner is available, from the partner is required.

When can a child be given to a childminder?

In principle, it is up to the child minders themselves to decide from what age they adopt children. The minimum age can vary from childminder to childminder. Many child minders look after children from six months, others even take care of babies.