Develop your childcare skills

As well as the training that childcarers must take as part of their registration or approval, we recommend that childcare professionals continue their training throughout their career, increasing their confidence and skills and offering a quality service for the families they work with.

PACEY offers a range of free and discounted online training courses. All the courses are tailored to the needs of childcare and early years professionals. We can also run training courses on behalf of local authorities, group settings and children's centres.

There may be courses and one-day training sessions that can help give you new ideas and help you to extend the services you offer. These sessions are usually arranged locally and might cover essential knowledge such as child protection or inclusion, or help extend your experience in areas such as messy play and communication and language.

Childcarers in Wales

Contact PACEY Cymru to find out what types of training are available in your area.

PACEY Cymru can run training courses on behalf of local authorities, childminding groups and children's centres. We also offer a range of short online courses and can deliver our workshops online through webinars. Find out more about PACEY in Wales here.

Continuing professional development

Many childminders choose to extend their practice by taking part in continuous professional development (CPD) courses and one-day training sessions. These can help give you new ideas and help you to extend the services you offer.

The first place to start is with the free training offered as part of your PACEY membership. All members have access to free online training courses, plus a CPD log to record your learning. There are also training courses and e-learning sessions provided by partner organisations to help you develop your skills.

CEY smart

CEY smart is an online training offering short, 10-15 minute courses that can be done on any device, at any time - exclusive and free for PACEY members.

The content and structure of the training puts the child at the centre of the learning - so everything can be directly applied to your setting and the children in your care. We've filmed with practitioners, children and parents at a variety of real settings, to demonstrate examples from actual practice. Each course links theory and practice together in an accessible and meaningful way.

Not a member? Find out more about membership.