The draft national standards for under-eights daycare and childminding in England stated that childminders could look after no more than three children under school age (or under five), and no more than two of these children could be under two. I was quite happy to accept these proposed standards, even though they changed what we in Wiltshire had previously been allowed - two children under 18 months.
Imagine my surprise to read in the final standards that childminders are to be limited to one baby under a year old instead of two children under two. Why?
Many childminders will be put in difficulty because of this. Most children start in childcare before they are a year old, often at six months.
Next year, two children will leave me to start school at the same time, although there is nearly a year's age difference between them. But due to the new rule, I may be able to fill only one space instead of two and might have to wait many months until a child reaches her first birthday or until an older child requires a space.
Many childminders, including myself, have a mixture of full-and part-time children on our books. We already have to juggle days and hours to avoid having too many children, which can be difficult when parents get delayed at work or in traffic. Now we will also need to juggle ages as well as overlaps.
Why this change in the national standards? They will mean less choice for parents, some of whom like to choose a childminder who already has a child of similar age to their own. It could mean children having to change childminders when they have a new brother or sister, and there will be fewer childminders to choose from as fewer will have spaces for babies.
Childminders will have to turn parents away even though they have a space they can't fill - so either they put costs up or they will go out of business.
I'm asking the Government to bring back the 'two under two' rule. If not, the number of childminders will continue to decline simply because of red tape.
