Childminders

PACEY
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Careers in Childcare
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Childminders

“I love my job as a childminder and would not change it for the world, spending time with lots of fantastic children and helping them develop and grow.”

PACEY member

Want to learn more about becoming a childminder?

Discover all you need to know in our guide to childminding, including what childminders do, becoming a childminder and how much it costs.

What do childminders do?

Childminders offer professional home-from-home childcare and early education, looking after small groups of children of different ages and from different families.

Childminders are perfectly placed to support the early learning and development for children of all ages, working closely with parents to provide bespoke childcare.

When you’re working with small children, no two days will be the same. Childminders are also running small businesses, so each setting will be different, however, a childminder’s typical day is likely to include:

creative play, reading, mark-making, and storytelling with little ones, supporting early language development, and helping children develop their creativity and imagination

cooking with and for the children, providing valuable real-life learning experiences and healthy, nutritious meals and snacks

taking children to and from nursery, school or their other settings, activities and clubs, working with other childcare professionals and parents to provide a coordinated approach to supporting each individual child

observing children’s progress and working with parents to support their child’s ongoing learning and development.

Childminding is a dynamic and evolving career. Registered childminders are usually self-employed and run their own business. Many go on to expand their business and employ childminding assistants so they can care for more children at once.

When you’ve got your new business up and running, there are plenty of courses and training opportunities that will develop your knowledge and confidence.

Officially, if you are paid or rewarded to look after one or more children under the age of 8 in England and under 12 in Wales, for more than a total of two hours a day in a domestic setting (normally your own home) then you must register as a childminder.

In England, registered childminders are inspected by Ofsted. The Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspects childminders in Wales. Ofsted and CIW are there to ensure that childminders provide a safe and stimulating environment for the children that they care for.

Interested and want to know more?

The process you go through to register as a childminder will be different depending on whether you live in England or Wales. Find out everything you need to know about becoming a childminder in each.

Becoming a childminder in England

Becoming a childminder in Wales

Are you now a registered childminder?

Find out more about PACEY’s memberships that are tailored to support childminders and their childcare business with:

Insurance
Training
Advice
Products
Policy & updates

Professional Association For Childcare And Early Years (PACEY), Registered in England and Wales under No. 02060964. Registered Office: Northside House (Third Floor), 69 Tweedy Road, Bromley, Kent, BR1 3WA. PACEY is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Morton Michel Ltd for general insurance business and is authorised by them.

Morton Michel Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Firm reference No. 527300. Registered in England and Wales under No. 5120835. Registered Office: Rossington’s Business Park, West Carr Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 7SW. Morton Michel Ltd is part of the PIB Group. PACEY and Morton Michel Ltd are not part of the same corporate group.