Careering ahead

11 August 2004

Childminders' growing professionalism has given them the green light to becoming more involved in delivering the Government's ambitious childcare initiatives. Mary Evans reports Once upon a time, childminders were sometimes seen as the poor relation of the early years sector, offering little more than glorified babysitting, but like Cinderella their status has been transformed. They are now widely regarded as an increasingly professional part of the childcare workforce with a major role to play in delivering the Government's ambitious childcare and early education programme.

Once upon a time, childminders were sometimes seen as the poor relation of the early years sector, offering little more than glorified babysitting, but like Cinderella their status has been transformed. They are now widely regarded as an increasingly professional part of the childcare workforce with a major role to play in delivering the Government's ambitious childcare and early education programme.

The vehicle for change has not been a fairytale coach, but the development of quality assured childminding networks which have raised the status of childminders within the sector, with parents, other agencies and crucially among childminders themselves.

The network scheme was launched by the National Childminding Association (NCMA) in 1998 and since then more than 140 networks have gained approval, while nearly 100 more are in the approval process. Networks are formal groups of registered childminders who are assessed, recruited and monitored by a paid co-ordinator. They work to the standards of the NCMA's Children Come First quality assurance scheme.

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