Welcome

This newsletter is sent to you by the National Childminding Association (NCMA), a charity and professional association. We believe every child should reach their full potential. Since 1977 we have worked with registered childminders and nannies, as well as other individuals and organisations such as local and national government, to ensure families in every community in England and Wales have access to high-quality, home-based childcare, play, learning and family support.

Get ready for National Childminding Week

It’s time to get ready for National Childminding Week, which will be taking place from 13 to 20 June. It's the annual opportunity to celebrate childminding and tell everyone what a fantastic job childminders do every day to provide quality childcare for children and families.

This year's National Childminding Week theme is all about celebrating what's great about being in a home-based setting. For more details about the week, including a promotional poster to download, go to www.ncma.org.uk/ncmw

Don’t forget to send NCMA your photos and stories of events that you have held during the week, and we will publish a selection of them in our membership magazine, Who Minds? Email them to whominds@ncma.org.uk before Monday 29 June.

What’s your setting like?

We all know that childminders offer a unique service in a home-based setting, but what do these settings look like? What makes your childminding setting special and unique? How do you use your home to offer the children you care for a home-from-home experience?

NCMA would like to hear about your home and what makes it special in our online survey. All NCMA members who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win one of 10 Three Little Pigs Story Telling Houses from Step by Step, each worth £19.95.

To complete the survey, go to www.ncma.org.uk/survey

Consultation on free-entitlement

The government is committed to extending the free entitlement to early years education for 3- and 4-year-olds to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks per year by Septemebr 2010.

The Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is consulting on the code of practice for extending the free entitlement and they want to hear from parents, childcare providers, local authorities and others to ensure they have an informed response.

Childcare and Nursery Show

Be sure to visit the NCMA stand if you are planning to attend the Childcare and Nursery Show. It is taking place at London Olympia Two on 26 and 27 June 2009, and is aimed at all childcare professionals.  

For more details of the show go to www.nurseryshow.co.uk

Community fundraising

Sue Smith is a quality-assured childminder who runs her own childminding practice in Ely, Cambridgeshire. In March 2009, Sue decided that she would like to get her minded children involved in a community event and raise some money for charity in the process.  

Sue explains, “I wanted to help the children to think about other children who may be less fortunate, so I decided to organise a bag packing event at a local supermarket in aid of East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH).”  

Sue spoke to the parents about her idea, and got permission for each of her minded children aged over 8-years-old to spend two hours on a Saturday helping to pack bags.  It was an initiative that was warmly received, “the response from the children and their parents was really great”, says Sue, “and it also provided an opportunity to have discussions with the children about children who have a life-threatening illness – it was an interesting time of reflection for each child at my setting.”  

The day turned into a real community event, with Sue and 16 of her minded children offering to help shoppers to have their bags packed for them at each checkout in exchange for a small donation to EACH.  The event was a great success, as Sue explains, “we were delighted to have raised £772 at the end of the day. It gave the children a real boost to feel that they had contributed to supporting a local charity.”

And EACH is just as pleased, as Nicky, a fundraiser for the charity, explains, “our aim is to enhance quality of life and offer support to the children and families that need it. We can only provide this care with the help of the public and the generosity of people like Sue and the children helping her.” 

Sue is now looking to the next event that she can organise with her minded children, “it was a great way to raise the profile of childminding in the local community, and I would recommend it to other childminders out there.”