Childcare

Becoming a Childminder is a highly rewarding career and can be an incredibly fulfilling business opportunity, but you need to be determined and highly driven as there is a lot of preparation involved in setting up a childminding business.
Here are some top tips that we recommend for starting your own Childminding business:

Get your paperwork completed:
Running any business comes with various paperwork that has to be completed and kept up to date, this is no different when becoming a childminder! Ensuring you have the right experience, qualifications and are legally able to pursue this role is one of the first steps you should take. Register with the inspectorate body: To be a childminder you will need to register with Ofsted, their role is to make sure that your organisation provides the correct education, training, and care and that the children are provided with a safe and nurturing environment that young children need in their early years.

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Everyone remembers that old nursery rhyme where we sang "it's raining, it's pouring, and the old man is snoring". Well, I do anyway. Back then, infant school teachers or child care workers gave us activities that kept us occupied. Now, things are a little different. If it's raining outside, young children are more prone to spending time on a smartphone or tablet device. Whether it is an online video of Pepper Pig or playing candy crush. But as you may already know,  young children who spend too much time on a mobile or tablet device, are doing themselves more harm than good. So it is time we go back to basics, and introduce some exciting activities to keep children away from the screen and have some real fun.

1. Board Games....

Board games are an excellent way to bring children. It will keep them occupied, and it is a great way to pass the time. Be sure to have board games that are easy and simple. Ludo, snakes and ladders and draughts are excellent board games, and ...

 

As child care providers, you may have seen how quickly children become glued to a digital screen. First, there was the smartphone with its addictive gaming apps, then we saw tablets with its larger screen where children can play games or stream videos, and now, we see children becoming fully immersed inside a virtual world through VR headsets.

I remember when I was young, and I might be showing my age here, we didn't have this kind of technology and we spent most of our childhood outdoors. But now, as we are seeing a growing number of VR headsets on children, and this looks set to continue with the VR market set to be worth $15.6 billion (approx £12 billion).

Related Learning: Level 2 Certificate f.... ...

For me, the thought of children being looked after a robot can bring a shiver down my spine. I mean, it is definitely not humane, and neither is it normal. But similar to how robots have benefitted the elderly care sector, there is an argument which says that robots in child care can benefit the sector. In this article, I'll take a look at both sides of the argument. Related Learning: Level 2 Certificate for the Children & Young People's Workforce (RQF)

Why Are Robots Being Introduced?

Right now, robots are currently being tested.... ...

 One in three councils throughout the UK hire male child care workers in the sector. The female-dominated sector, of which 98% is female, has been encouraging more men to join the workforce in an effort to improve diversity.

But with such little uptake, what are the reasons as to why men don't pursue a career in childcare?

Male Child Care is Not Macho Enough

Diving into the realm of social gender stereotyping here, but the fact is, a lot of men don't see it as a “man's” job. Society has been conditioned to believe that men are the de-facto bread-winner, and women look after domestic affairs and the children. Thankfully this is changing, but not to a great extent.

But for men who want to look after children in a child care setting, a lo....

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Looking after a child who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) comes with its own unique set of challenges. There are no concrete rules for caring for a child that has  ADHD since each child is different. Some children might have a milder form of ADHD, others could present more severe symptoms. That said, children who have been diagnosed with ADHD can greatly benefit from a tailor-made approach.

What is ADHD?

ADHD is a commonly diagnosed mental disorder amongst children. Children who have been diagnosed with this medical condition show symptoms of hyperactivity and difficulty in paying attention. Some children with ADHD are unable to control ....

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The General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, went into effect in the UK on May 25, 2018. As of this writing, the first lawsuits under this new regulation have already been filed against Facebook and Google to the tune of USD 8.8 billion.   While these are multi-billion dollar companies that have come under the gun, it is prudent to consider how this law could change your nursery or childcare data intake and protection processes. Before this new law, information was regulated by the Data Protection Act of 1998. The GDPR also replaces the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations of 2003. It goes without saying that much has happened in the information technology sphere in the.... ...

Fortnite, as you may know, has become the hottest game of 2018 and has taken social media by storm. If you go on YouTube, you'll find a whole host of online videos of Fortnite players sharing their gameplay footage (for reasons that I don't know) and some of these videos have garnered over 7 million views.

However, as I was scrolling through these videos, I came across a video entitled “My 5 Year Old Little Sister Plays Fortnite For The First Time!”. The video has gained over 2 million views, and it got me thinking, should young children be playing Fortnite?

And if you're a childminder or work in child care, should you permit them to play it?

What is Fortnite? 

Originally released in July 2017 by Epic Games, Fortnite start....

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Have you ever wondered what childcare looks like in different countries around the world? Do you think we pay too much for our childcare here in the UK? In this post, we take a look at childcare in five different countries across the globe. Which of these countries do you think has the best childcare? 

1. USA

According to research from Care.com and New America back in 2016, the average cost of enrolling a child aged four or younger into full-time care in the US is approximately $9,589 per year (approx. £7,227).

Compare that to the UK where the average nursery pl

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• The different sectors and jobs in childcare
• Why it's a career industry worth joining
• The stigma surrounding men working in childcare
• Average earnings and working hours
• How you can progress in childcare
• What people working in childcare have to say

1. The Different Sectors of Childcare....

This industry has various sectors for people to work in. You could take on a role in Early Years, Residential Childcare or within Children and Young People's Workforce. You should, therefore, consider the kind of childcare work you want to get involved in and each sector has a ...