You don’t need any prior qualifications or experience to set yourself up as a childminder. All you’ll need is to complete a registration process that ensures safety and quality of care for the children you’ll look after.
Someone registered to provide paid childcare from their own home for children under 8 years old. They usually work alone or with up to two other childminders.
Childminder Grants Scheme
Any childminder who completes registration between 15 March 2023 and 31 March 2025 is eligible to claim a £600 start-up grant. You must be a registered childminder before you apply. Apply now
Although registering as a childminder is a simple process there are a number of steps you’ll need to complete.
The entire process may take a few months. As with any business, there are costs involved in becoming a registered childminder. There are no grants available to help with start up costs, but keep receipts for all that you spend as you will be able to add them as expenses for tax purposes once you are registered.
If you register with a childminding agency, they will determine their own costs.
Cost: £35.00 or £103.00 depending on which registers you join
For each person over 16 who lives or works in your home.
Cost: £48 per person
Ofsted strongly recommend that each person also signs up for the DBS Update Service which will allow future employers to check the persons DBS status without them having to undergo more DBS checks.
Annual fee: £13
Needs to be in place before you can apply to Ofsted.
Approximate cost: £100
Meeting the requirements of the EYFS and equipping you to start your own childminding business.
Cost: £175 (Childminding UK Online Childminder Introductory Training course)
Has to be in place as soon as you register even if you don’t have minded children. Childminding UK works closely with Morton Michel who offer a comprehensive policy for childminders.
Cost: £59.50 (discounted by £6.55 for Childminding UK members)
Some companies charge additional premiums to include business use or contents cover if you are childminding.
Cost: Varies
Fire detection and control equipment such as a fire blanket and at least one smoke alarm on each floor of your home and appropriate first aid kit(s) must be provided.
Cost: Varies
GP fee for Health Declaration form.
Cost: Varies greatly as each surgery decides their own fees
Costs will vary depending on your individual circumstances and what you have already.
Cost: Varies
Extra child car seats, double buggy or travel cot etc.
Cost: Varies
Improvements to house and garden to ensure safety (e.g. repair existing fencing in garden).
Cost: Varies
You may choose to purchase some childminding resources such as policies and procedures.
Cost: Varies
Ofsted may also recommend some other actions that you need to take before they will register you which may cost you money.
Cost: Varies
Childminders care for children on domestic premises. This is in someone’s home (usually the childminder’s own home) but it can be someone else’s home. It is not usually the home of one of the children. As such you must ensure you’ll be allowed to operate your business from your home prior to registering.
If you live in rented accomodation you need to check the terms of your agreement to see if you are allowed to operate a childminding business from home. You will certainly need your landlords/leaseholders written permission.
There may be a clause in the agreement that states you can't operate a business from the house, but the landlord/leasholder can change this if they choose to.
A conversation explaining the registration requirements and risk assessment alongside what insurances are in place can help a landlord/leaseholder see that there isn’t a huge increased risk to allowing a person to childmind from the property. It is recommended that you discuss this directly with the landlord/leaseholder and not their agent.
There is tenants insurance for fixtures and fittings that a childminder can purchase to help reassure a landlord/leasholder their property is covered by insurance and allay any fears about extra damage to the property.
If you are allowed to childmind from the property expect to provide any extra safety equipment needed (fire blanket, stair gates) yourself and make good any fixing or holes made as a result before you move out.
If the landlord/leaseholder still insists you can't childmind from their property, there is nothing else you can do as it is their choice whether they allow childminding or not.
If there is a mortgage on the property, there may be a clause that says a business can’t be run from the property, but childminding businesses are often looked at slightly differently to any other business and may excluded from this.
Any childminder who completes registration between 15 March 2023 and 31 March 2025 is eligible to claim a £600 start-up grant.
You must be a registered childminder before you apply.
It depends on how old the qualification is and what training you’ve completed since.
Courses completed since 2008 will have included the EYFS. Safeguarding Training needs completing every 2 years. Some qualifications do not include specific childminding business information (such as tax and insurance information, interviewing with parents, balancing the needs of your family and your childminding, marketing your business) as they are for the general childcare workforce.
You could consider completing the individual modules you’re missing rather than the entire course.
Childminders can care for no more than 6 children under 8 years old. These numbers include a childminders own children and any children they are responsible for (such as foster children). Of the six only three can be younger than 5* and only one can be under a year old.
Occasionally variations to the numbers are allowed. For example if caring for twin babies. But the total number of minded children under 8 years cannot exceed the legal limit of 6. Additionally you may look after up to 6 children under 5 years old provided 3 of them only attend before or after school or during the holidays.
*up until 31st August following their 5th Birthday
Northamptonshire residents may be entitled to funding from the UK Posterity Fund, to attend an information session about working in childcare and receive funded and supported Introductory or Common Core Training through Childminding UK. Sessions will start in September.
If you think you are eligible, please contact [email protected] or call 01536 210 685 for a no obligation discussion.
If you’d prefer to discuss the process in person give us a call on 01536 210 685 and we will be happy to discuss your individual requirements.
Ofsted require these checks to be completed prior to registration to ensure the safety of children within your care.
There have been changes to the processing of DBS checks to ensure you’ll still be able to have these completed during the crisis.
You and anyone connected to your childminding business (including household members over the age of 16) must obtain an enhanced criminal record (DBS) check (with barred lists) before you can register. These cost £48 per person. Each person must apply for their own DBS check using the Ofsted DBS Application Portal.
Ofsted will only accept a DBS certificate within 3 months of the issue date. Because of this they strongly recommend that each person also apply for the DBS update service which costs £13.00 per year. This can be applied for on application or up to 30 days after you receive your certificate.
If you are applying to the Early Years Register you must complete a Health Declaration form. You’ll need to fill in parts A and B1 then print it off and take to your GP for approval and completion. Your surgery is likely to charge you for this service.
You do not need to have a physical examination or book an appointment with your GP to get this form completed. You can leave it with reception who will contact you once it is completed. If you have an ongoing medical condition you may wish to make an appointment with your GP to discuss the implications of carrying out a childminding role.
The training you need to complete depends on the ages of children you plan to care for and any previous early years training and experience you have. You’ll also need to be first aid trained.
If you don’t have any early years qualifications or experience, you'll need to complete a training course suitable for the ages you plan to care for.
If you’ll be caring for children aged 0-12, you’ll need to complete an introductory training course. There are many available but not all courses will contain all the content you’ll need for registration. You need to ensure you select a course that covers how to implement the Early years foundation stage statutory framework (EYFS). Our course covers all the requirements of the EYFS necessary for registration plus extra information to help you build a high quality and sustainable business.
If you’ll be caring for school children aged 5 and over only you’ll need at least a Level 2 qualification or training in the Common Core before registering. Completing this qualification allows you to register with Ofsted on the childcare register only (without the early years register). Our unique and comprehensive course covers all the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge and includes practical information to help you carry out your day to day responsibilities.
Funding for Northamptonshire residents
If you live in Northamptonshire, you may be entitled to funded Introductory or Common Core training. Find out more
New courseThis course is an option for those who would like to gain a Level 3 Award as part of their registration process. Includes our award winning Introductory Course.
The EYFS is essential for any new childminders who plan to care for children aged 0-5.
You must complete a full 12-hour Paediatric First Aid course prior to registering. The EYFS states training should be a nationally approved or accredited first aid qualification or one that is a member of a trade body with an approved monitoring scheme. You can attend the full 12 hours or choose a 'blended' course (6 hours online and 6 hours in the classroom). You must retake the course every 3 years.
If you have an early years qualification (such as a Level 3 or Higher Early Years Qualification) or experience and and are confident in your knowledge of the EYFS, there is no requirement for additional training in the EYFS. However, it’s worth considering how long ago you achieved your qualification and how much experience you have of working in an early years setting since then.
It’s also important to note that Childminder Introductory Training covers much more than just the EYFS. A childminder role is very different to working in other settings. Your existing qualification may not cover sector specific information, such as designated safeguarding lead or how to set up and run a childminding business. Our new course is specifically designed to cover sector specific parts of the role commonly missing from existing qualifications.
Top up your previous experience or training. The course includes sector specific topics not usually covered by other qualifications such as designated safeguarding lead and how to set up and run a childminder setting.
“100% recommend the childminding UK introductory course!! It is so straightforward informative without being overbearing and covers everything you need to know to get started.” Bethany
“The multiple choice tests I found were great as I haven't had to wait for an assessor to mark any coursework and it allowed me to complete the course in a much shorter time span” Satisfied learner
“Just finished the Common Core Training – thank you for giving such insightful and practical information- and the information about the Ofsted process is an added extra – thank you Childminding UK.” Satisfied learner
“Nothing is too much to ask from Childminding UK and they are both friendly and professional. Choosing their training is the best decision I ever made. It’s really reasonably priced, easy to complete and gives you everything you need.” Cathy
You’ll need to ensure you apply to the correct register(s). This depends on the age of the children you plan to look after, although many childminders register on both.
Coronavirus update from Ofsted
At the moment we're finding it difficult to collect our post. If we have previously asked you to post documents to us, please either scan or photograph them clearly and send them along with your unique reference number (URN) to [email protected] . This includes health declaration booklets.
This register is compulsory for childminders looking after children aged 0-5 (until the child has reached the end of the reception year in school). When joining this register you can also join the Childcare Register at no extra cost.
The Childcare Register has 2 parts. The Compulsory part covers childminders looking after school aged children between 5 and 8 years. The Voluntary part covers childminders caring for children over 8 years only.
If you plan to care for children of both ages you can be added to both registers. Join the Early Years Register and then choose to be added to the Childcare Register at no extra cost.
This information covers applicants living and working in England.
You may be looking for guidance on registering in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
In order to complete registration you’ll need the following:
