Childminding Week 2025
This year, Childminding Week will take place from 10 to 16 May 2025.
The theme for 2025 is ‘Unsung Childcare Heroes’
Building on the success of last year’s childminding week, we want to use #ChildmindingWeek25 to raise awareness of childminders, celebrate the incredible work they do, build a sense of community and involve more sector stakeholders.
Theme
Competition
Regional Awards
Socials
Events
Further resources
Unsung Childcare Heroes
We’re using the theme #UnsungChildcareHeroes to highlight that childminders are not always acknowledged for their pivotal role in the childcare and early years sector.
Childminders support children, families and communities in unique ways
Childminders support disadvantaged children and are often best placed to provide care and education for children with SEND / ALNÂ
Childminders provide good quality childcare and education to ALL
Yet, they are not given the respect, praise or recognition they deserve. Â
PACEY is on a mission to change all that and Childminding Week is just the start!
Social Media Competition
This Childminding Week, we know many of you will be sharing your celebrations, photos and activities online. We’d love to highlight the incredible, often unseen work you do every day. We’re hosting a social media competition with the chance to win a host of prizes. Here’s how to take part…
1
Take a photo that shows one of the many things you do as a childminder that most people would not be aware of or that goes unnoticed.
2
Share it on your favourite social media channels.
3
Use the hashtags #ChildmindingWeek25 and #UnsungChildcareHeroes
4
Don’t forget to tag @CoramPACEY so we can see your post!
At the end of the week, we’ll pick one winner at random who will receive an amazing package of prizes:
*A suite of business products from the Coram PACEY shop
*£50 voucher to spend at Early Years Direct
*£50 The Dining Out gift card
*1 year PACEY Practitioner membership (This can either be gifted to a Friend or added to your own membership when it is due to renew)
Events
Monday 12th May
Roundtable for MPs at the House of Commons ‘Childminding: An Endangered Profession – How can government reverse the decline?’
We’ve invited MPs to join and contribute insights on how we can better support and grow this essential part of the early years workforce.
Maya Ellis MP will chair the discussion with speakers including Helen Donohoe (Coram PACEY), Catherine McLeod (Dingley’s Promise) and Lauren Fabianski (the Early Education and Childcare Coalition).
Whilst you can not book onto this event, we will keep you updated on all that was discussed.
Tuesday 13 May, 11am
Local Authority Forum (England)Â
Hosted by PACEY Chief Exec, Helen Donohoe, we’ll be sitting down with local authority representatives from across the country to speak about the work they do to recruit, retain and stabilise the number of childminders in their area.
Tuesday 13th May, 3pm
Local Authority Forum (Wales)Â
PACEY Cymru are hosting a virtual local authority forum from 3pm-4.30pm on Tuesday 13 May. This is an opportunity for staff from local authority teams to join us to hear about and discuss state of the childminding sector in Wales, key challenges and opportunities, sharing positive practice and celebrating together and focus going forward for 2025.
Thursday 15 May, 7pm
PACEY Live webinar- From forging an influential career to igniting a superpowerÂ
Help us celebrate childminding week by joining us on Thursday 15 May for an evening of treasured conversation and inspirational stories.  Â
We will hear from Laura Henry-Allain, Lucy Lewin and Cheryl Warren about how their childhoods inspired lifelong careers in the early years and paved the way for them to discover different specialisms.Â
Regional Childminder Awards 2025
We want to recognise and celebrate the very best childminders. Those who make a difference to the lives of the children they care for, who set the bar high and are an inspiration to all in the profession. Â
We had some fantastic entries last year, some truly incredible childminders who go above and beyond to support children and their families. Each regional winner was automatically entered into our Childminder of the Year award at our annual conference. We are pleased to say that Amanda Calloway was the recipient of the Childminder of the Years award 2024.
Pictured: Amanda Calloway, Winner of Regional Childminder of the Year 2024 (North Wales)
Pictured: Alison Burt- Ryan, Winner of Longevity Award 2024. Claire Protheroe, Head of Contracts and Projects PACEY. Amanda Calloway, Winner of Childminder of the Year Award 2024.
Who will be our regional winners this year?
**The awards are now closed for entries**
The winners from each region will be chosen by our panel of judges w/c 28 April and the winners will then be announced during Childminding Week (10- 16 May). Regional Childminder Award winners will be entered into our Childminder of the Year award at the PACEY conference in the Autumn. Â
Further resources to support the childminding community
(Wales- English translation)
(Wales- Welsh translation)
Latest News
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Socials
Get your daily does of all that's going on in the childcare and early years sector
Get ready and help spread the word
Please help us spread the word before, during and after Childminding Week to help spread the word!
Download our social images to share on social media using hashtags:
#ChildmindingWeek25
#UnsungChildcareHeroes