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Fewer professional development opportunities for childminders

Research
Childminders are at risk of being left out warns new research, as it shows there are fewer professional development programmes aimed at them.
Childminders in Scotland, whose businesses have suffered during the pandemic, will be able to apply for government grants
PHOTO: Adobe Stock

A new practice review from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) looks at what professional development (PD) and support programmes are available to the early years sector in England. 

According to the EEF, ensuring all early years settings can access effective, evidence-informed PD opportunities is key to improving the quality of education and care, closing the disadvantage gap and helping every child get the best start in life. 

However its research reveals that childminders are far less frequently considered in the targeting and design of PD programmes. Just five of the 160 programmes identified in the review explicitly mentioned targeting childminders on their websites. The EEF says this raises concerns about ‘equitable access to relevant PD opportunities for this important part of the workforce’.

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