When you are a childminder, by the very nature of your work it can be difficult to separate your profession from your passion. You may lose track of invoices because, between looking after children and juggling

the time to deal with them!

You may not have even thought about marketing your

is understandable -

childminders are in the same boat as you. What you must remember is that you are running a childcare business, and making sure you continue to fill places is important. By making your business more professional, we can help you attract new parents more easily in the future and give you advice on how to take the headache out of managing your accounts and more.

Keep track of your finances! 1

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Aim to set aside some time at least once per week to run through your finances. Ideally, this should be in a quiet area of the house where you can concentrate. If your family have a habit of disturbing you, let them know how important it is for you to be left alone at this time. Keeping accurate and detailed records of your finances will make it easier to manage your business, and will also lighten the load for when you have to file a Tax Return.

It would be beneficial for you to set up a bank account for your childminding business which is kept separate from your family or personal account. That way, money from parents cannot get mixed up with your personal finances and it will be easier to track.

If you are not very savvy with your finances, HMRC run an e-Learning course to help childminders manage business expenses, tax and national insurance. You can access this in the comfort of your own home, and run through the course at your own pace and in your own time.

Develop your t ra in ing/qual i f icat ions 2

What should you do if you are worried about a child in your care and who should you inform? Knowing this vital information is very important part of your profession. To enhance your existing knowledge and expertise, you should attend a course such as a Level 1 Safeguarding Children.

Once completed, you should attend regular refresher courses to make sure that you are up to date with the latest changes in childcare law.

An additional benefit of attending childcare courses and being seen to be well qualified to look after children is that you enhance your

appear more professional to new parents and you could even justify charging slightly higher fees than your unqualified competitors.

Do your insurance homework 3

Having insurance is a requirement at all times whilst you are a registered childminder, but there are some other insurance providers that you may not have thought to inform that you are running a childminding business.

If you own a car and intend to take children out in it, you will need to check that your current insurance policy covers you for Class 1 Business Insurance. This may cost you more money on your annual premium, but at least you will know that you are fully covered.

Tell your household insurance provider that your house is being used

event that you need to make a claim on your home insurance. On a similar vein, let your mortgage provider know that you are a childminder as there may be a clause in your contract saying they need to be informed if you run a business from the home.

Think of ways to advert ise !

4

Effective marketing of your childcare business is one of the essential tools that you will need in order to continue to fill current childcare places and ensure that you will continue to attract new parents in the future. There are many different ways to do this from setting up your own website, word of mouth, adverts in the local press or parish newsletter, using social media and having good quality signage outside your premises.

You will need to evaluate the cost and the benefits of each marketing tool for instance, using social media such as Twitter or Facebook to advertise your services will be free and reach a wide audience; but because of the nature of your childcare business, would it be better to target people in the parish area as they are local and more likely to use your services?

Create profess ional looking invoices !

5

Some childminders scribble how much money is due and give parents the amount on a piece of paper. Does this sound like you? This practise should be minimized because a slip of paper is so easy for parents to lose or forget. It is also difficult for you to keep track of your own business finances this way.

It is much more professional for parents to be invoiced electronically. You can invest some money in some relatively inexpensive childminder software and send invoices to parents at the touch of a button. No more build up of arrears, no need to have that awkward conversation with parents about late fees....You will be able to see at a glance who owes you money and take action promptly.

Bui ld a websi te for your business 6

way to market your business to a wide and accessible audience. Over 80% of parents will conduct web searches to find childcare providers and if you

chunk of potential parents who will never even see your name.

Not only do websites generate leads for your childcare business but you can also use it to show parents your history and childcare qualifications, as well as updating them on the activities their children get up to when they leave them in your care. This broadens the line of communication and can help strengthen the relationship between you and existing parents.

Prepare for Ofsted inspect ions 7

All childminders get a visit within 6-7 months of setting up their business, and then again every three years. These inspections typically last 2-3 hours. The inspector will telephone childminders to give them notice a few days before they intend to inspect, although the actual date of the inspection will not be given.

assessed on when the inspector comes knocking, the Ofsted website is a good place to start. They have published a guide assessed on, and how the inspection will take place.

Keep detai led records of 8

You should already be keeping some form of records or notes to show that you understand and meet the requirements of the EYFS in your setting. You should demonstrate that you effectively monitor the delivery of the educational programmes, planning and assessment, and the

identified and met through timely intervention.

also be used to assess you as part of your Ofsted inspection. It you type these onto a computer or invest in childminding software to do this, rather than making your notes by hand - you will have a permanent, professional looking and indelible way of preserving these records. This will look much more professional to the Ofsted inspector rather than showing them a scruffy old notebook!

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