Nursery World - Strength in numbers

Are carers being put off childminding, or are more people being attracted into it by new policies? Annette Rawstrone gets the picture Increased training opportunities, start-up grants and the introduction of childminding networks all add up to a time of great investment in childminding, yet latest figures suggest that the number of childminders at work is still dropping. Are childminders really on the decline, or are they simply gearing up to enter a new stage of professionalism?

Increased training opportunities, start-up grants and the introduction of childminding networks all add up to a time of great investment in childminding, yet latest figures suggest that the number of childminders at work is still dropping. Are childminders really on the decline, or are they simply gearing up to enter a new stage of professionalism?

Recent Government statistics show that last year alone the number of childminders fell by 3,300 from 75,600 to 72,300, resulting in 15,800 fewer childcare places.

Peter Moss, professor of early childhood provision at the Thomas Coram Research Unit at London's Institute of Education, suggests that the apparent decline could be due to better paid-jobs on offer.

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