Questions to ask
Read this page in
Welsh/Cymraeg
About the childminder
- How long have you been a childminder?
- What do you enjoy most about the job?
- Why did you decide to become a childminder?
- Are you a member of NCMA?
About their training
- What relevant qualifications do you have?
- What training have you done?
- Do you belong to a childminding group or network?
- Are you taking part in a quality assurance scheme?
- Have you had training in the EYFS (England only)?
About their setting
- How many other children do you look after, how old are they and
how long have you been looking after them?
- Do you have any children of your own? How old are they?
- Can you describe a typical childminding day or week?
- How do you make sure you keep a good working relationship with
parents?
- What arrangements do you have for meals and snacks?
- What do you consider unacceptable behaviour, and how do you
deal with it?
- Which festivals and special occasions do you celebrate and
how?
Getting out and about
- What would you do in an emergency involving yourself or one of
the children?
- Do you ever take the children out in the car, and if so, do you
have suitable insurance cover, seat belts and car seats for
this?
- Do you and the children regularly go on outings during the
week?
- Do you ever go on special trips out?
- Do you have pets or a garden?
- What do you do about holidays – both ours and yours?
Meeting registration requirements
- How do you make sure the individual needs of each child are
met?
- How do you support the EYFS (in England) or the Foundation
Phase (in Wales)?
- Can I see your registration and insurance certificates?
- Can I see your Ofsted or CSSIW inspection report?
- Can I see any references from parents?
Remember that if you phone during the day the childminder is
likely to have children around, so it's always ask if it’s a good
time to talk and keep your questions short. If the childminder
seems suitable, arrange a time and day to visit.