A varied and creative job for childminders

^{Interviews with childminders were published in the Fjarðarpósturinn on Thursday, 27 June 2019.}

In Hafnarfjörður, 35 childminders are employed, including two couples, and the town is keen to add more to this good and important group. The work of childminders is varied and creative and is fundamentally based on a good and trusting relationship between the child, the childminder and the parents. Daycare providers in Hafnarfjörður are self-employed but receive a licence to operate from their municipality, subject to certain conditions. The childcare representative for the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður oversees and supervises the activities of daycare providers, as well as providing them with day-to-day professional advice. The Fjallapósturinn newspaper paid a visit to four childminders with varying lengths of service. They all share a common bond: they are happy in their roles and cannot imagine doing any other job.

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„I have been very lucky“

Sigríður Jónsdóttir, who is always called Sigga, has worked as a day-care provider for 46 years and is 69 years old. She had lived at 3 Blómvang for a year when two other day-care providers on the same street encouraged her to join their group. Sigríður has no regrets and has enjoyed every moment with the children and getting to know their parents. A journalist paid a visit to Sigga's beautiful home, where the cheerful colour pink is very prominent.

^{Sigga in the living room of her home at Blómvang.}

When Sigríður decided to become a day-care provider, she was at home with three children of her own, aged between one and three years. „It was so much fun and the company of the other day-care providers was great, and I was on the board of the day-care providers“ association for many years. We also delivered all the post for the sisterhood at Víðistaðakirkja, which I have also been a part of for a long time. I have so many friends I've made through my work. I started the Mums' Morning group at Víðistaðakirkja 35 years ago and lent them things like toys. It's so rewarding to dress the confirmation children in their robes, and I've dressed children I used to look after. Now I'm babysitting the child of a woman I also looked after when she was little. I'm meeting my 'kids' at camping trips and in the outdoors, people who are in their forties today. Two of the ones I looked after are now studying to be chefs together," says Sigga, beaming.

Has fitted for several mayors

She recalls that in the past, her working day was for a time split into three shifts. „For example, I had one boy for seven years and he would have his dinner with me as well. In the 1990s, I looked after a child for a single mother who didn't know the child's father. She went to a funeral and there they met again and got together. Then everything went well. I think that's such a beautiful story. I've often been involved in all sorts of crises that these lovely children go through, and it's so good to be able to be there for them,“ says Sigga, adding that she is very organised. „The children almost never cry when they're with me and the settling-in goes like clockwork. The parents pop out for 40 minutes and everything is fine. I'm a great peacemaker and the parents are great friends of mine. There's always porridge at my place, and they get it even if they arrive too late. All sorts of things can come up and I have plenty of time. I've even babysat for a few mayors!“

Dressing up for a trip to Fjarðarkaup

Sigga says she always has her places filled a year in advance and, in the vast majority of cases, they are parents she knows. „I don't have a television because my husband and I have never had one. I think it's awful when children are given iPads and phones so young. They become so quickly addicted to it and I'm so worried about their eyesight.“ In addition to the sisterhood, Sigga is also a member of the equestrian club Sörli. „I know more people than many of the locals here. I'm from Akureyri myself. When I go to Fjarðarkaup, I get dressed up. I love that shop because it's like a community centre. I've been going there since it opened.“ When asked, Sigga says she encourages anyone interested in being a day-care provider to turn up for training and stay in good health. She herself can recall only nine or ten sick days since she started. „I think it's so important to be there for the parents, who, for example, don't get any winter holiday. I'm going to be a day-care provider for as long as I'm allowed and able. I know exactly what I'd be doing otherwise; a taxi driver for my grandchildren. This is much easier,“ she says, laughing.

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„Work rejuvenates a person.“

The couple, Karl Daníelsson and Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir, live by the Shipyard Pond and originally started as childminders in 2003 in Garðabær, and in Hafnarfjörður from 2005–2008, before moving to Grindavík for five years and then back to Hafnarfjörður. They say the work is extremely rewarding and creative, and that the working hours are good.

^{Karl and Ragnheiður at the kitchen table, where there's often great fun chatting and teaching the little ones to feed themselves.}

„The children are at such a wonderful age. We teach them to eat, walk and lots of other things, and they discover so much. We've had children as young as six months old up to two years, and we keep our group to a maximum of seven or eight so we can give them the best possible attention. We don't need any more than that. We start at 7:45 and are open until 16:15,“ says Karl. Ragnheiður adds that it depends on when children are born in the year as to when they get a place at a nursery school here in town. In Garðabær, on the other hand, children are taken from day-nannies with a short settling-in period and put straight into nursery school. They don't necessarily think that development is any better for the children.

Good working hours and good holidays

Karl says they meet a great many people and a wide range of parents, as well as grandparents. Ragnheiður says it's lovely to meet the children on the street; they remember her well and greet her by name. „It's both rewarding and creative. The working hours are good and we have our holidays. It's convenient in that respect. The job keeps you young, although it can be difficult at times.“ Many people are in their home at once when the settling-in period is taking place, but that passes. „We've tried to manage it so that not everyone is settling in at the same time. It's such a fixed point for the children to come here for the routine that they're often dead tired on Mondays and need a lot of sleep. We just let them do that. They know what to expect when they come here.“ The couple agree that the work is rewarding for people of their age, in their sixties and over. „You feel rejuvenated just by sitting on the floor and playing. We're called Grandma and Grandpa. This job is also good for young women who want to be at home for their own children. Our daughter, who's turning 18, always has us at home and has helped us too, and the children adore her. People are very welcome to ring us, the childminders, and ask for more information about the job.“

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First and foremost, good organisation and warmth

Ásdís Jóhannesdóttir has been a childminder since 2011 and has been the chairperson of the childminders' association in Hafnarfjörður since March. She lives on the third floor of a block of flats on Suðurvangur. Ásdís was at home with her younger child after maternity leave when she decided to take the plunge and apply to become a childminder.

^{Ásdís is well organised, for example, with a compartment for each child.}

„I couldn't get a job anywhere and my son couldn't get a place at nursery,“ she says, adding that she then went on a relevant course with the City of Hafnarfjörður. When asked, Ásdís says the most rewarding part of the job is getting to know all these children and their parents. „It's also a great privilege and a perk to be able to be at home and greet my children when they come home from school. To be there for them.“ Ásdís's children are 9 and 11 years old.

^{The group with Ásdís at the moment. Photo published with the parents' permission. (Photo/Ásdís)}

Different people with all sorts of strengths

Ásdís says the children in her care are at such a wonderful age and are taking so many first steps in life, such as starting to talk. It's so much fun to witness and they are also so capable. When asked what sort of people are best suited to being a childminder, Ásdís says it's precisely good to have a variety of people in the role, each with their own strengths. „What it takes to be a good childminder is, first and foremost, good organisation and warmth. And not being shy about setting boundaries and having discipline. The children in my care only go into certain areas of the flat because they know that's where they're allowed to go.“ Ásdís encourages kind-hearted men and women of all ages to give it a go, especially those who have young children of their own. „Anyone interested in becoming a day-care provider and wanting to know more about the job is welcome to get in touch with me.“

All further information about the work of childminders can be found Here