Kirsty's Childminding Ltd Ofsted registered

09/09/2026

Wow, what a busy summer we’ve had — isn’t it always? ☀️

We’ve enjoyed lots of wonderful adventures, including trips to the zoo, farm, beach and local museums, as well as plenty of picnics in the park and even a train ride! 🚂

Now that we’re settling back into our school routine, I’d like to wish all the children starting a new school or moving into a new class the very best of luck. I can’t wait to hear all about your new adventures! 💛

12/06/2026

We took part in the Barnardos Big Toddle again this year. The children did so well. We raised £100 for charity and had lots of fun as well. A big thank you to anyone who sponsored us. If anyone else would like to donate, here's the link https://www.justgiving.com/page/kirstys?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL

12/06/2026

We have enjoyed watching our caterpillars turn into butterflies this year

12/06/2026

Been a bit quiet on here recently, but here are some pictures of what we have been up to. We have been in a music group, roleplay centres in the park, and just having fun together

13/05/2026

Happy Childminder Appreciation Week 💖
I feel incredibly grateful to the families who trust me to care for their children each day. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your little ones’ lives, watching them learn, grow and thrive ❤️
Childminding is so much more than “just babysitting”, it’s nurturing, teaching, supporting, safeguarding and creating a home from home environment where children feel safe, happy and valued 🌈
To all fellow childminders and to the wonderful parents who support us along the way, thank you. Your kindness and appreciation mean more than you know 💕

26/04/2026

We’re taking part in the Barnardo’s Big Toddle between 8th and 14th June!

The children will run at East Park, followed by a picnic 🧺. All children will get the chance to take part, no matter which days they attend.

We’re raising money to support vulnerable children and families, and any donation—big or small—really does make a difference.

If you’d like to support us, you can donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/kirstys?utm_medium=FA&utm_source=CL

Thank you so much for your support 💛

Help raise money to support Barnardo's

25/04/2026

It really hit me when I saw everything written down like this. When you’re in the middle of it, you keep going updating policies, completing training, adapting routines without always realising quite how much is changing all at once.
The reality is, this has been a significant period of change for childminders. Much of it happens outside of working hours, alongside long days caring for and supporting children.
Despite this, the focus in my setting remains exactly where it should be on the children. Their care, development and well-being will always come first.
Behind the scenes, there is a huge amount of work that goes into ensuring everything is up to date, safe, and meets requirements. Like many others in the sector, I will continue to adapt and do my best but it’s important to acknowledge the scale of what’s being asked.

Let that sink in…just 7 months and childminders have gone through:

*Early years foundation stage welfare requirements changes(safer eating, safeguarding every 2 years, DSL requirement, personal care requirements and more) Sept 2025

*Funding expansion Sept 2025

*Statutory nutrition guidance -Sept 2025

*Voluntary charges for consumables for funded childcare change - Jan 2026

*Ofsted Inspection Framework November 2025

*Climate action Plans-December 2025

*Ventilation and air quality guidance- Feb 2026

*Screen time guidance-March 2026

*Working together to safeguard children document update March -2026

*minimum wage update for those who employ assistants -April 2026

*Ofsted inspection cycle change- -April 2026

*Making Tax Digital - April 2026

*Wear and tear allowance removed in line with MTD -April 2026

*CAF funding ended (for those with SEND holiday care) and replaced with SACIF- April 2026

*School transition guidance -April 2026

*Safer Sleep email and then clarifying guidance a couple of weeks later -April 2026

This is a lot for any work place.
Let alone remembering that most of us work on our own.

Many of these changes are not minor.
They involve new training, updated policies, different admin systems plus reconsideration of financial sustainability and in some cases having to purchase new equipment.

And this is all around our job of actually caring for and educating young children for often over 40 hours a week, which is exhausting and comes with a huge amount of outside of hours work in itself.

Childminders are not imagining the strain.

Funded hours don’t cover our lost private time to do this work.

We can do it, but having space between updates or a good amount of notice rather than an immediate effect change with no prior discussion would go a long way!
If government departments could actually look ahead at the workload, because this is more than an update a month but also often happening all in one go…7 of the changes THIS MONTH ALONE.

We are real humans behind the work having to be at our best bright and early for little humans.

Plus funding should take into account the mandatory work being put upon us outside of contact time with children that we can’t add into our fee, Funding banning top up fees and limiting what we can charge for means we are working hundreds of unpaid hours, because none of this can be done when the children are in our care.

How we are surviving is magic in itself quite honestly, and still going above and beyond for the little ones in our care.

(Did I miss anything? I haven’t managed to even look at Scotland and Wales yet as, clearly I’ve been having to keep up on changes that affect me!)


Department for EducationUK Prime Minister

23/04/2026

We had a really nice day out yesterday at Bridlington Birds of Prey & Animal Park. We will definitely be back

11/02/2026

We had lots of fun trying new things for Chinese New Year, and the children did a great job of trying new foods and finding what they liked

06/02/2026

Sharing this powerful post from a fellow childminder.
This narrative is concerning, and our sector must speak up — not to divide, but to protect the value of all early years professionals.
Childminders follow the EYFS, build secure attachments, and prepare children for far more than just school.
Early years work best when we stand together. 🤍

A fellow childminder brought this to my attention today and it made my stomach drop…

Seeing a nursery publicly claim that childminders ‘cannot prepare children for school’ — is not just inaccurate, it’s damaging. 🤯

What makes this particularly concerning is that this messaging comes from a nursery group, meaning it risks shaping perceptions of childminding on a national scale. 😳

And yes, I’m calling it out.

Because childminders don’t just prepare children for school… We lay the foundations that will carry them far beyond any school gate.

We prepare them to feel safe away from their parents.
To build secure attachments.
To communicate their needs.
To regulate big emotions.
To problem-solve, to wait, to take turns, to negotiate, to recover when things don’t go their way.
We prepare them to walk into a classroom knowing who they are — not just how to sit in one.

The idea that small, relationship-led settings somehow limit children is a tired and uninformed narrative. Research, practice, and lived experience tell us the opposite: children thrive when they feel known, seen, and emotionally secure. That is not a weakness of childminding — it is one of our greatest strengths. 🙌

What concerns me most is the division this kind of messaging creates.

Nurseries and childminders are not competitors
in a playground argument. We are part of the same early years sector, doing the same vital work under different models. When one arm of the sector is publicly diminished, we all lose. 😣

So let me be very clear:
Childminders are professionals.
We follow the EYFS. We observe, assess, scaffold learning, and support transitions.
We work in partnership with families, schools, and the wider early years community to support each child’s journey.
And we do it with heart, skill, and intention. 🤩

To any nursery — or organisation — that feels the need to put childminders down to elevate themselves: do better. Children deserve better. And this sector deserves unity, not hierarchy.

We are not “less than”.
We are not a stepping stone.
We are educators.
We are professionals.
And we are preparing children for far more than school — we are preparing them for life. 💗

Whatever role you play in early years — or if you care about children at all — please share this message…
Division weakens us. Unity strengthens children.
Let’s change the narrative — together. 🌈🫶🏻❤️