Nursery World - Brett Wigdortz: Childminder agencies as agents of change

Childminder agencies are key to reversing the exodus of childminders from the profession but are held back by misconceptions and bad policy, says Brett Wigdortz

Brett Wigdortz: 'We must work harder to provide better information on the different options for childminders'

Last month, the Department for Education released its Survey of Childcare and Early Years Providers. The survey touched on issues such as rising costs, but I was struck by the misconceptions about childminder agencies (CMAs).

Between 2000 and 2022, national childminder numbers dropped from 78,000 to 23,400. That's staggering. The only area of the market that is gaining numbers is CMAs. And yet misunderstandings about CMAs continue to be widespread.

The survey highlighted a number of areas where the perceived wisdom doesn’t match up with reality. A large majority (67 per cent) of childminders surveyed, for example, said they had considered joining an agency but decided against it due to higher fees. This is despite CMA-registered practitioners typically earning more overall. Tiney childminders, for example, earn 17 per cent more on average than their Ofsted-registered peers.

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