Delegates at the National Childminding Association's annual general meeting in Eastbourne last weekend voted overwhelmingly in support of a proposal that the national standards should be amended to allow childminders to care for more than one child under the age of one.
Anne Bennett, the Manchester-based childminder who put forward the proposal, told Nursery World, 'We feel this is letting parents down and restricting their choice of childcare. Experienced childminders are contemplating leaving the profession because they cannot fill vacancies with other children.'
Under the current regulations, childminders can only care for more than one child under 12 months if the babies are twins or siblings. Ms Bennett pointed out that numerous experienced childminders had cared successfully for more than one child under the age of one before the regulations came into force, and that children often enjoyed being with others of the same age and formed lasting friendships with them.
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