Growing with PACEY

As an individual, it is important to not only look after the needs of the children in your care but to challenge and develop yourself as you grow as a childcare practitioner. We have highlighted some key links and factsheets from our website which will provide support to help develop yourself and your business.

Develop yourself

It is important as a childcare practitioner that you strive to be the best version of yourself and that your setting allows the right support for the children in your care. Your job is to help children learn, and you know that children are learning new things, all the time. We are here to help you learn new things too.

One thing is keeping up to date with regular changes to your home nation’s framework. This may seem daunting, but through PACEY membership, you can keep up to date, through manageable updates and professional development opportunities on the PACEY website and in MyPACEY.

Everything we do is designed to provide advice and support on how to implement the framework in your setting. Not only this, but with our learning and resources hubs we provide practice guides, factsheets and videos which include everything from support setting up a childminding business, to help preparing for an inspection. We always relate content to practice too, so you can be sure it is relevant to you and your daily role. Develop yourself and access our free CPD training on CEY smart available to all members.

Develop your childcare skills

As well as training that practitioners must take as part of their registration or approval, we recommend that you continue training throughout your career, increasing your confidence and skills and offering a quality service for the families you work with. This is all to ensure the importance of your professional development, with courses tailored to the needs of childcare and early years professionals. Find more information on how you can develop your childcare skills.

With PACEY membership you can access free training courses and add them to your continuous professional development (CPD) log. Take advantage of these free training courses in MyPACEY.

Catering for a child’s individual needs

We all know that children are all different and we have to cater towards their specific needs. Recognising and managing these needs can be challenging, but PACEY is here to help. Whether you have a child who needs help understanding their feelings, or you want to know how to best settle in a child new to your setting, you can view resources in MyPACEY as a member, which will help you meet the individual needs of the children in your care.

Working with other childminders

Childminding can be a lonely career, where for long periods of the day you’re the only adult in the house. But remember, you are not alone. Many childminders make sure that they get out and meet with other childcare professionals during the day, at playgroups, drop-ins, and visits to libraries and children’s centres. This is great for social communication, gaining tips and advice, as well as having great benefits for the children too. It allows them to meet and mix with other children of different ages, improving their communication and interactive skills. Working with a co-childminder or a childminding assistant can also be a great advantage in your setting. There's loads more information on working with others, including employing childminding assistants and how to buy contracts in our shop, as well as policies and procedures here.

Support for you

You’re busy looking after children and families in your setting, and may well be caring for a family at home as well. But who’s looking after you?

We're here to offer advice and support to our members, including our valuable legal helpline. Legal Plus is available exclusively to our childminder members and our general helpline is there for you Monday-Friday, 10am-3.30pm to help with any queries you might have. It is important to us that we help you answer any questions or worries you may have, however big or small. Find out more information on how we provide support for you.

Business Smart

Like children, a business will grow too. That’s why PACEY created Business Smart, developed by childminders for childminders. It is a collection of ideas, inspiration and tools to help new and existing childminders in England develop a sustainable business. This includes, starting out your business, marketing, business planning and finance. The best part is that it’s completely free! Access all our Business Smart resources here to help you grow your business.

PACEY blogs

We love sharing others' stories! Our blogs are packed with inspiration - grab a cuppa and have a read.

Top tips for childminders business owners – Hannah Martin is founder of a successful website, Talented Ladies Club, with daily business advice to all those ‘talented ladies and gents’ out there who are running childminding businesses.

Using Instagram to inspire others – Hannah decided to set up an Instagram page as a way to share her day with the parents of the children she cared for in her setting. It has now grown into a huge community of 13,000 followers. Read about her story and her tips if you are thinking of setting up your own Instagram page.

Chatting to Childminder of the Year, Joanne Marvell – At the Nursery World Awards 2018 held in London, Joanne Marvell became Childminder of the Year 2018. We spoke to Joanne about her win and what her plans are for the future. Read here for tips and advice to becoming a childminder. 

Catching up with Childminding Business of the Year, Pebbles Childcare – At the Nursery World Awards 2018 held in London, Pebbles Childcare became the first ever winners of the ‘Childminding Business of the Year’ award. We had a chat with the dream team, Chloe and Bridgit, about their win, business tips for other childminders and their plans for the future.

Five top tips for childminding in a small setting - "I live in a small house, and this isn't going to change anytime soon". Read Childminder, Layla Fitzwilliam Hall's five top tips for making the most of childminding from a small home.

 

Not yet a member of PACEY? See our membership packages and join today.