Nursery World - Government 'pushed' for action to prevent the number of childminders falling to just 1,000

There are calls for urgent Government action to stop the decline in childminders as research suggests just 1,000 will be left in England by 2035.

PACEY has launched a childminder manifesto

The Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) is using Childminding Week 2024 (11-17 May) to raise the profile of childminders and lobby for urgent Government action to help retain childminders whose numbers have dwindled for years.

PACEY has started a social media campaign, #IAmAChildminder, encouraging childminders to share how their everyday work impacts families.

To push for Government action, it has launched a new manifesto for childminders, setting out key policy ‘asks’, underpinned by a strategic long-term vision for the sector, to prevent the number of childminders falling to 1,000 in England in 11 years’ time, from a high of 60,000. The calculation by PACEY is based upon childminder numbers continuing to decline at the current rate.

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