Official figures point to the number of childminders as falling, but the National Childminding Association believes that the start-up grants and increased training opportunities now available are attracting new carers and should halt the decline.
It could be that some people who traditionally would have entered childminding are actually being put off by the new emphasis on professionalism, training and inspection by Ofsted. But the end result should be a sector that is more rewarding to work in, where the quality of care offered is higher.
What childminding doesn't need is for potential entrants to be put off by their experiences of trying to register, as one reader this week relates (see Letter, page 35). Let's hope that from September the Early Years Directorate can run this aspect of its work smoothly and efficiently. Childminders still need persuading that Ofsted isn't going to be a frightening presence battering at their doors.
