The UK Government continues to make huge public investments supporting working families with their childcare needs. Childminders are seen as a vital part of meeting the need for more childcare places. At a recent Department for Education roadshow with childminders, early years minister Stephen Morgan said childminders ‘nurture and kindle those first interests and curiosity to start a lifelong love of learning’.
Currently childminders represent 48 per cent of providers, which sounds substantive. However, this equates to 12 per cent of all childcare places in England. Additionally, there has been a steady decline in childminders over the last decade.
Understanding what is currently happening with childminders is essential for meeting sufficiency in the sector. Recent figures from Ofsted show the attrition is caused by more childminders leaving the role than those choosing to register. Only 880 joined the sector in 2022, compared with 1,265 in 2021. Between March 2022 and 2023, numbers fell by 3,500 (11 per cent).
Childminding is under-researched compared with other forms of childcare provision. A new research study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, led by research experts at UCL Institute of Education, with the National Centre for Social Research, starts in May. This study builds on small-scale studies and will complement the DfE annual Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers. It will explore the benefits and challenges of working as a childminder and investigate the evidence base about the impact of childminding and characteristics that inform high-quality practice. It aims to address two key research questions:
- What does evidence say about the impact of childminding on development and educational attainment relative to other types of provision?
- What are the perceptions of childminders about the benefits and challenges of their work?
Childminders offer unique provision. It is also the only form of daycare that comes close to replicating a home environment. Research shows flexible childminding makes it attractive to parents. Childminders organise activities to encourage learning, which are often tailored to each child. These differences mean childminders can be more flexible in the service they provide. Flexibility is important as it means childminders can support the Government's desire to provide working parents with wrap-around care.
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