Childcare Choices

Nanny, Au Pair, Childminder, Pre-School or Nursery? What makes them different and which type of childcare will be best for you and your child? 
Balancing what you want for your child, what you can afford, and whether a particular type of childcare will suit your work patterns and lifestyle is no easy task. This takes you through the options to make sure you get what's best for your child - and for you.

Options Much childcare is informal, provided by relatives and friends, but up to 30 per cent of parents now pay for childcare. The type of childcare you choose is likely to depend on various factors, not least on what is available locally. It's a good idea to start looking early - even before your child is born.

Full-time childcare
A nanny looks after your child in your own home. Many nannies live with you, although you can choose a daily nanny (who lives out) or a nanny share, where the nanny cares for children from more than one family. Childminders are self-employed and look after children - at most, three children under five, for example - in their own home. Day nurseries are run by private or voluntary organizations and tend to be open all day throughout the year.

Part-time childcare
Au pairs and "mother's helps" work in your home, and may live with you. They are likely to be less well qualified and experienced than nannies, so they are generally not suitable for looking after pre-school children full-time.
Nursery schools and classes - usually for three to five-year-olds - are often run by local authorities and sometimes attached to primary schools. They usually have the same opening times as the school, and places tend to be part-time.
Pre-schools or playgroups provide sessions of play for three to five-year-olds and usually open for just a few hours a day. They are run by qualified staff, often with the help of parents.
Out-of-school clubs provide supervision and play for school-age children before and after school, and during the holidays.

Day Nursery
Most nurseries are happy to offer part-time as well as full-time places. Day nurseries are an increasingly popular form of childcare. Last year the number of places in England rose by over 10 per cent to 250,000. But they're not available to everyone - a government report found that 86 per cent of rural parishes in England don't have a day nursery. Most day nurseries are professionally inspected and regulated, and if it is attached to a school it will be inspected along with the rest of the school by Her Majesty's Inspectors.
Most day nurseries are inspected annually by local authorities. Those that receive government funding also receive an inspection from a government schools' inspectorate, such as Ofsted.  The inspections ensure that certain standards are in place. Local authority inspections check that at least half the staff at day nurseries have relevant childcare qualifications, and that there are a certain number of staff for each child - at least one for every three children under two, for example.

Pros The activities and environment are designed with children in mind. Your child can mix with others. Nurseries are registered and inspected. If the nursery is eligible for government funding, there'll be free part-time places for four-year-olds and some three-year-olds.

Cons Private nurseries can be expensive, especially for more than one child. They are unlikely to take children when they are ill. There might be too much activity for very young children. They can be inflexible about the time you collect your children.

Childminders are one of the most popular forms of childcare - there are over 80,000 registered childminders in England alone, caring for more than 300,000 children. Childminders are registered and inspected. Anyone who is paid to look after children for more than two hours a day in their own home must be registered with their local authority. The local authority inspects childminders annually to check that they're suitable for the job and that the home is safe. If your childminder is a member of an approved childminding network, they can receive government funding for looking after three- and four-year-olds. This means your child can use their free early education place with a childminder. Local authorities set standards for the number of children a childminder can care for, this is usually between three and six, depending on the children's age. Only around a third of childminders have professional childcare qualifications, compared with around two-thirds of nursery staff. However, some may have attended courses for childminders run by a local authority.

Pros They can provide one-to-one care. They can be cheaper than nannies and nurseries. Hours can be flexible. They can care part-time when children are at school. They are registered and inspected. Three- and four-year-olds may receive free part-time places.
Cons Childminders may not look after children when they are ill. There are no training requirements. There may be fewer activities and less interaction with other children than there would be at a nursery.

 

Nanny  Rates for daily nannies in London are £150 to £300 net a week. Live-in nannies usually earn slightly less and rates outside London tend to be around £50 a week cheaper, too. When you employ a nanny, you have to pay tax and National Insurance. One of the problems with a nanny is that you can't guarantee continuity of care.
Pros Nannies can provide one-to-one care and many are highly qualified. Your child is cared for at home. You can share a nanny with another family to reduce costs.
Cons Nannies can be expensive if they're caring for only one child. They are not registered or inspected, and there are no training requirements. Privacy can be a problem if the nanny lives in. As the nanny's employer, you are responsible for National Insurance and other paperwork. Checking qualifications and references can be time-consuming.
Nanny Agencies can charge high fees - the equivalent of several weeks' of the nanny's pay, and you can't always rely on them to make all the necessary checks. The government is working on a code of practice for nanny agencies. Agencies signing up to the code would have to meet certain requirements, such as carrying out the relevant background checks, and checking qualifications. Unfortunately the code will be voluntary, so some agencies may still slip through the net.

Out of school clubs Childcare for school-age children is a growing area. Out-of-school clubs and play schemes can be an ideal option for parents whose working hours don't tie in with school opening times. There are now around 5,500 out-of-school clubs in the UK, and this number is expected to rise to around 20,000 over the next four years, with the help of National Lottery money. Typical prices for out-of-school clubs are 30 per week in term time, and 60 to 70 in the holidays. Clubs are often held on school premises, but run independently. Around two-thirds of clubs are run by voluntary organisations, sometimes formed by parents who see a need for one for their own children. Parents can form a management committee, which then employs professional childcare workers. The Kids' Club Network can tell you more about setting up a club Clubs that look after children under eight and are open for more than two hours a day and more than six days a year must be registered with and inspected by the local authority.
Half of a club's staff members must hold a relevant childcare qualification. 

Picking the Right Childcare
Personal recommendation from other parents is a good place to start when looking for someone to care for your children. But for many people, this simply isn't an option. Here's how to go about finding the right carer.
Getting information
Your local authority social services department has lists of registered childcare providers, including childminders, nurseries and after-school clubs. Also contact your local Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership (called simply Childcare Partnership in Scotland and Northern Ireland), which is co-ordinated by your local authority and brings together childcare providers to plan childcare in your area. Partnerships also run a service called Childcare Link to provide information and advice for parents about what's available locally. In England and Scotland, you can call Childcare Link on 0800 096 0296 to find your local partnership
Visits and interviews
Always visit prospective childcare providers, preferably when there are other children around (though this won't normally be possible with a nanny). Look for safe, clean and bright premises; a good selection of toys, materials and activities; and enthusiastic, friendly and caring staff who welcome you and your child.
Ask about training and experience, how they plan the day, and whether there is anywhere for younger children to rest. Ask to see the registration certificate, inspection reports and insurance certificates, where applicable, and try to obtain confidential references from at least two other sets of parents.
With nannies, you'll have to take more responsibility for checking their suitability. Ask for proof of identity, a full employment history and qualification certificates. You can't check another person's police record, but you can ask a nanny to organize their own police check and provide you with details
You should have a written contract, which specifies hours, pay and arrangements for holiday and illness. It's a good idea to arrange a trial period for childcare to allow your child to settle in. For more information about choosing and interviewing childcare providers, see the booklet, "Check out childcare", from the Daycare Trust.

Employing child carers
Childminders are self-employed, so manage their own tax affairs. Nannies, however, are employed by you, so you need to deduct the tax and National Insurance (NI) from their wages, and make the employer's NI contribution. For more information, contact your local Inland Revenue office or phone the Inland Revenue Employers Helpline on 0845 607 0143. Nannies who live out are covered by minimum wage rules. This means that you must pay them at the legal minimum wage.  The Professional Association of Nursery Nurses can also offer guidance on paying a nanny.

Security

Regulations The checks that are made on childcare providers depend on the type of childcare and who runs it. Childminders, playgroups, pre-schools, day nurseries and out-of-school clubs are inspected by their area's local authority each year. The inspection covers the maintenance and safety of the premises, the space available, and the number, experience and qualifications of the staff. Childcare settings that receive government funding for three- and four-year-olds are inspected by the government's school inspectorates. Nannies, and any childcare solely for children over eight, or for less than two hours a day, aren't registered or inspected at all. Different inspection bodies look for different things - for example, different staff-child ratios - so it can be hard to know exactly what has been checked. And some providers are inspected twice, for example, by the local authority and by Ofsted. The government is planning to change this in England by bringing childcare registration and inspection under one regulatory framework, supervised by a new arm of Ofsted. This will ensure that standards are consistent across different childcare settings. However, nannies will remain unregulated under the new system.
Quality schemes
You might find certain quality schemes helpful when you're choosing childcare. Look for pre-schools accredited by the Pre-schools Learning Alliance, out-of-school clubs with a Kids' Clubs Network's Aiming High quality kitemark, or childminding networks approved by the National Childminding Association. The National Day Nurseries Association is currently developing a quality scheme for day nurseries.
Other guarantees
The Protection of Children Act 1999 will create a list of people in England and Wales who are unsuitable to work with children.
Statutory bodies and private employment agencies must then consult this list before employing somebody to work with children. A new Criminal Records Bureau is also being set up to make it easier for employers to check the criminal background of childcare workers, but this probably won't be in place for another three years.
Help from employers
The government is trying to encourage employers to develop family-friendly working policies. Workplace nurseries aren't feasible for smaller organisations, but there are other things that employers can do, from telling employees about the Childcare Tax Credit, to providing flexible working hours and helping with the cost of nursery places. Daycare Trust produces a book, "Families that Work", which explains the business benefits of family-friendly policies.