Summer is a great time for potty training, and if school is approaching in the autumn and your soon-to-be Reception child is still clinging stubbornly to nappies it’s the last real chance before September.
There are 3 things to consider before you start – age and readiness, timing, and method.
Risks, in general, are seen as a bad thing. Parents and child carers are told to minimise risks, to make things safer, to always be careful and pay attention, ready to swoop in the moment there’s danger. But what if this is a bad thing? Are we going to far?
Of course we don’t mean giving children uncooked chicken to eat, or letting them practice their new found cycling ability next to the river, we mean sensible risks. Perhaps instead of removing all the hazards teaching children to respect dangers and deal with them safely would help them lean. instead of hovering and catching children before they hit the ground allowing them to fall from a safe height and feel the effect of letting go and the point where they went too far.
Having a young child who won’t or can’t sleep can have a knock-on effect for the entire family.
Sleep problems for babies and young children are becoming more commonplace and routines can be extremely difficult to stick to, especially when you’re not around your child 24/7. That’s where a nanny can step in and help to keep the routine running smoothly so that everyone in the family stays fully rested.
Continue reading “Sleep Difficulties with Children – How a Nanny Can Help”
Childminders take care of children in their own homes, so it’s important that your home is not only child-friendly and safe, but also suitable for childcare. Ensuring your home is correctly set up will make your life easier, and more enjoyable for the children in your care.
Following is a list of ideas you may like to use to help your home function as an efficient, yet still a home-from-home, childcare setting.
You may not have thought much about your toilet facilities before setting up as a childminder, but it is something that will need your attention. As a childminder, you will be looking after children of different age groups whose toileting needs may be different to one another.
Young children tend to come with a lot of extra baggage. Spare clothes, changing bags, sunblock, umbrellas and special toys may all be spending the day at your house too. When you find yourself minding three or four children, things can get pretty cluttered and crowded as you can probably imagine! Not all of us are lucky enough to live in large houses where a whole room can be dedicated to storing the children’s things, so you will need to be creative. A good way for childminders to get around this is purchasing some inexpensive plastic storage tubs and allocating one to each child you regularly care for. These can be placed in a row somewhere in the house and will help you stay organised. It will become part of the child’s routine to put any item they need to keep safe in the box, and to collect the contents of the box before leaving.
Younger children will probably require special plates, cups and cutlery to help them feed themselves. If you can, dedicating a separate cupboard to these things will make your life a lot easier when it’s lunchtime or snack time.
Overall, the most important thing to remember is to stay organised. The old saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place”, is very apt for those who are providing childcare in their homes. A little forward planning will make your life exponentially easier.
The criteria for 30 hours for funded childcare, is that you must earn £131.36 a week which equates to 16 hours at the national minimum wage or Living Wage.
The 30 hours a week is for 38 weeks of the year and is for children who are aged 3 or 4 this equates to 1,140 hours per year.
You will not be able to claim this, if you or your partner has a taxable income of over £100,000, the child does not usually live with you, if the child is fostered or if you are from outside the EEA and it states you can’t access public funds on your UK residence card.
To register for funded childcare or for more questions:
https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/
These are some of the most common terms used in payroll.
Gross pay – this is the pay before deductions for tax, national insurance, pension and student loans. The gross pay includes overtime, commission, bonuses, statutory payments and any other taxable income.
Net Pay – This is what nanny takes home in her pocket.
Tax – Deducted based on nanny’s tax code which determines nanny’s tax free allowance and then any earnings above the tax free allowance is deducted at 20%.
NI – National Insurance. There are 3 types of NI for PAYE.
Employees NI deducted from nanny’s gross wage at 12% on earnings above £166.00 per week.
Employer’s NI on top of nanny’s gross wage paid at 13.8% on earnings above £166.00 per week.
Class 1A NICS, this is a yearly payment for any benefits in kind nanny may have had for the previous tax year.
SMP – statutory maternity pay. Nanny is entitled to 39 paid weeks of leave providing she meets the criteria. Nanny is allowed a further 13 weeks unpaid
SPP – statutory paternity pay. Nanny entitled to 2 weeks of statutory pay.
SSP – statutory sick pay. Nanny will get SSP after 4 consecutive working days of sickness
P60 – Nanny will be given this form at the end of the tax year to show her annual pay, tax, NI and statutory payments, she then keeps this for her own records.
P45 – When nanny leaves your employment, a P45 will be issued with her leaving date, tax code, if a student loan has been deducted and total gross and tax to date in that tax year, she then gives this form to her next employer.
Childcare vouchers will cease from the 5th October 2018 and thereafter the Tax-Free Childcare scheme will take over.
You can get up to £500 every 3 months (£2,000 a year) for each of your children to help with the costs of childcare.
If you get Tax-Free Childcare, the government will pay £2 for every £8 you pay your childcare provider via an online account.
https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/tax-free-childcare
You can get Tax-Free Childcare if you and your partner (if applicable) are –
in employment or getting parental leave, sick leave or annual leave
each earning at least the National Minimum Wage or Living Wage for 16 hours a week – this is £131.36 if you’re 25 or over
This earnings limit does not apply if you’re self-employed and started your business less than 12 months ago.
Your child must be 11 or under and usually live with you. They stop being eligible on 1 September after their 11th birthday.
Adopted children are eligible, but foster children are not.
If your child is disabled, you may get up to £4,000 a year until they’re 17. They’re eligible for this if they –
get Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment
are registered as blind or severely sight-impaired
You’re not eligible if either you or your partner has a taxable income over £100,000.
Your childcare provider must be signed up to the scheme before you can pay them and benefit from Tax-Free Childcare.
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is a government body which processes criminal record checks that prevent unsuitable people from working with children and other vulnerable groups.
There are three types of checks –
Standard check shows spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings.
Enhanced check shows the same as standard and any information held by local police that’s considered relevant to the role.
Enhanced check with barred lists shows the same as enhanced check plus whether applicant is on the list of people on the list barred from doing the role.
These usually take around 8 weeks.
Cost of a DBS check –
Standard £26.00
Enhanced £44.00
Enhanced with Barred lists £44.00
Nannyjob are always keen to discover great ideas to encourage child development and we are really impressed with these fantastic My Mood Stars. The idea was thought up by former Childminder Wendy Elizabeth White and in the early stages of development her keen needlework skills came in very handy! Each yellow star filled with cotton depicts an emotion. There is sad, happy, angry, scared, shy, silly, surprised and sleepy. We all know that the ability to express and control our emotions and to recognise them in others is an essential skill. However, for some children trying to communicate feelings can be difficult and frustrating.
Self-confident children in touch with their feelings find it easier to flourish in social situations. Indeed personal, social and emotional development and communication are key aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage in the UK. Children who understand and can express and manage their own emotions, as well as those around them, are more likely to develop a positive sense of self and be assured and inquisitive learners and these Mood Stars are a great way to encourage conversation and expression with your little ones. For more information please visit.
www.mymoodstars.co.uk
Twitter – www.twitter.com/mymoodstars
Facebook – www.facebook.com/mymoodstars
Instagram – www.instagram.com/mymoodstars41
It is critically important that those who are involved in bringing up children, whether it’s the parent, nanny, teacher or other family members, influence children’s character in a positive way. Supporting children with solving simple problems, for example, building a toy, doing a jigsaw or getting dressed, by not rushing them and showing that you trust their abilities is an excellent way to build their character. Remember good character is taught and caught! If you would like to learn more about this take a look at these great courses bought to you in partnership with Little Ones Training and Education.https://www.littleoneslondon.co.uk/…/early-years-care-educa…
Get 10% Discount with us by using the code: nannyjob
