Its all in the minder (From Western Telegraph)

Its all in the minder

Looking after other peoples children isnt the same as caring for your own - it requires a wide range of additional skills and knowledge.

To become a childminder you have to be prepared to provide a reliable, high quality service; work in harmony with parents; ensure that children are safe; and provide learning opportunities. The early learning stage is one of the most important in a childs life. It is a time when basic learning foundations are built to work towards their future education.

If parents work, they want to feel reassured that the person who takes responsibility for their child will offer them more then just baby-sitting duties.

What children are taught at this stage in their life could determine how far up the learning ladder they will eventually climb.

Childminding is the largest form of registered day-care and education provision for young children and of pre-school children in the UK, with 97 registered childminders in Pembrokeshire. Anyone who offers a childcare service in their home for children under the age of eight must, by law (The Children Act 1989), be registered with the inspection unit of their local authority. Information about how to do this can be obtained from social services.

Starting up as a childminder can also be quite expensive. A fee is payable with the application of registration, followed by a further annual fee. Toys, materials, buggies, stair gates and all the other essential Health and Safety items, also need to be obtained.

Most registered childminders charge the local going rate. In this area, it is usually between £2 - £2.50 per hour. This is a reasonable rate, considering that some childminders also have assistants, but it could work out to be expensive if you work the basic 40 hours a week on a minimum wage, or have more than one child. Many employers dont offer the facility of a crche and therefore childminders are often the only and best choice parents are left with.

I recently met up with two local childminders to find out exactly what their job entails and what they are doing to improve the quality of the service they offer.

Alison Palmer and Anne-Marie Hancock have both been in the childminding business for many years and have been working together to provide a Childminding Group. The group will meet once a month in comfortable surroundings, to talk about child-related subjects as well as just general conversation.

Alison said: Childminding can be quite a lonely occupation. You dont have much interaction with other adults. The group is a good way to get together with people in the same position as you.

Both women are also involved in running a local playgroup, held at St Marks School, Haverfordwest. The playgroup was set up after there was a fall in the number of children who attended a toddler group in the community centre. They have fitted in to the scheme a healthy eating session, which was funded by Pembrokeshire Health Alliance, where children are invited to tickle their taste buds with various kinds of healthy food, including fruit, bread and pasta. It is designed to encourage children to enjoy a healthier way of eating.

The playgroup has been awarded money from the Early Years Partnership and Pembrokeshire Association of Voluntary Services (PAVS), to help them with the cost of getting new toys for the different age groups. Anyone can go along to the playgroup, whether it be parents or childminders.

Anne-Marie was very fortunate to have been provided with funding and advice from the Pembrokeshire Action Team. The Action Team has been designed to offer support and advice to people who want to get back into work. The money awarded to Anne-Marie helped cover the cost of her National Childminding Association membership, insurance and ethnic minority materials.

Anne-Marie said: I like being involved with children and being part of teaching them their most informative skills. I like to think I have a positive influence on the children.

I only spent an hour with both Alison and Anne-Marie, but that was enough to convince me that there is definitely more to childminding than I thought.