Michelle's Childminding Keynsham

Happy Mother's day to all my mindee mums past and present. Hope you have a good day 🌸

A very windy painting session for my little Picasso's this morning. Tried to get a nice photo of the canvases on the field but the wind wasn't on my side!!

I actually love these! 🎨

Signs of Spring are springing up everywhere!

Happy 3rd birthday M! 🎂🎈💗

Happy 3rd birthday R! 💙🎂

This is so wrong of the nursery to say this about Childminders!

I actually couldn't believe what I was reading.
Early years is hard work and we do our jobs because we want to give this age group the best start.

I've had pre schools and nurseries tell me I've sent children on to them that are independent and ready for their next chapter with them. They've thanked me for helping bring up children who can separate from their parents well, who are independent in their thinking and in their play.

Childminders are a hugely important part of their mindees lives and even as they grow up they remember the love and the adventures from the close bond we form.

No wonder so many are leaving the sector if this is the attitude being shared.

Today I’m furious. And I’m speaking up.

A nursery chain, Nurseries, has publicly posted reasons why parents should choose a nursery over a childminder. Not alongside. Not as one option. But instead of. And their reasoning? It’s everything I’ve been speaking about for the past two days.

They claim that higher numbers mean more social opportunities and access to diversity.
But childminders take children out into the real world. We visit parks, museums, concerts, shops, nature reserves. We meet people of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures, not just peers in one noisy room.

They say bigger groups increase learning opportunities.
But research shows that noise can impact a child’s ability to learn, regulate, and feel safe. Some children thrive in busy settings — absolutely. But many don’t. Many need quiet. Connection. Space to retreat and rejoin. That’s what we offer.

They say childminders can’t prepare children for school.
But let’s pause. These are very young children. Should we be preparing them for school — or for life? For toileting, dressing, eating, playing, wondering, imagining, problem-solving, relating. All of which we do, every single day, through play.

We don’t just prepare children for school.
We prepare them for being themselves.

So Nurseries — shame on you.
Not for celebrating your own model. But for diminishing ours.

Childminding is not second best.
It’s relational, responsive, rooted in real life.
And for many children — it’s exactly what they need.

There’s something happening quietly in the UK that should be making every single person stop and pay attention.

We are losing childminders.

Not slowly. Not “a few here and there”.

In England, registered childminders have dropped to around 25,000.
That’s 1,000 fewer in the last year alone.
And the long-term picture is even worse - we’ve gone from around 60,000 childminders in 2009 to under 25,000 today.

That isn’t a “shift in childcare trends.”
That’s a collapse of a whole part of the sector.

And what makes it heartbreaking is this:

Childminders aren’t leaving because they don’t care.
They’re leaving because they’ve been pushed to the edge.

These are the people who:
* provide a genuine home-from-home experience
* offer the flexibility families rely on
* know children inside out (their interests, their triggers, their routines, their confidence levels)
* build bonds that aren’t just “professional” - they’re secure and life-shaping
* support families through the hardest moments, not just the easy ones
* teach, nurture, guide, comfort, protect… and somehow still manage paperwork, admin, learning journeys, safeguarding, training, risk assessments and inspections on top

Childminders don’t do this job for the money.
They do it because they believe in giving children the best start.

So why are they disappearing?

Because the sector is being stretched to breaking point by:
constant change,
more demands,
more accountability,
more financial pressure,
…and honestly? not enough respect.

And while this is happening, it genuinely feels like the direction of travel is: children being “placed” into childcare that looks more like school, from as young as 9 months.

I’m sorry but… 9 months old.

That should make us all pause.

Because childcare isn’t just about getting parents back to work (as important as that is).
It’s about babies and toddlers being cared for in ways that are developmentally appropriate, nurturing, responsive, and safe.

And homebased childcare has always offered something incredibly special - yet it still isn’t valued the way it should be.

Parents choose childminders because they want:
✅ a smaller setting
✅ familiar routines
✅ stability
✅ flexible care
✅ a caregiver who knows their child deeply
✅ an environment that feels like home - not a production line

And yet… the people providing this essential care are being forced out.

Not because they don’t love the job.
But because loving the job is no longer enough to survive it.

If we lose childminders, families lose choice.
Communities lose support.
Children lose a beautiful, nurturing early experience.

And the early years sector, already on its knees loses even more of its foundation.

This matters.
More than most people realise.

January 🐦‍⬛

We are looking at signs of winter this month and talking a lot about the birds.

We have made bird feeders by spreading toilet roll tubes with lard and rolling them in seed.

We have had a bird hunt, checking off birds on our list and looking for bird nests in trees. Today we found 3!

We put on our coats to keep warm but noticed the birds have feathers to keep them warm.

Forever grateful for all the support from all the families I've worked with in 2025.

A challenging year personally, but work wise it's been a huge success and I cant wait for our 2026 adventures.

See you back from Monday 5th January. Happy new year xx

Happy 1st birthday F! 🧡🎁

We found the most perfect spot in Keynsham Memorial park to make our jingle wands today.

So many branches of christmas tree on the ground to use!

We sang and jingled (and jumped in puddles) back to the car.

🎶 Jingle Bells, jingle bells! 🎶