Over The Rainbow Childminding

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"I pay more to park my car in a car park than the government gives us [in funding] to provide early years education for three- and four-year-olds, for example. There's something fundamentally flawed here."

Yesterday our CEO Neil Leitch spoke to BBC London about early years setting closures. You can watch the full interview here from 9:45 onwards: https://bbc.in/4djjpIC

After hearing yet another story about a child in a coma after choking on a grape I feel a lot of people still don't know the dangers of this favourite fruit. So I'm posting this to encourage everyone to always cut grapes in half (lengthways) before letting your child eat them. It doesn't matter what age they are or how good at chewing they are, grapes are the perfect size to completely block a child's windpipe and once it's lodged there its almost impossible to get out and blocks their whole airway..... doing such a simple thing could potentially prevent such an awful situation. Please spread the word x

For local parents ❤️

Check out this amazing set up for Katie's Baby Steps group at Dartford Family Hub👶

Baby Steps is run weekly on a Wednesday between 10-11.30am at Dartford Family Hub on Oakfield Lane. This group is free to attend for parents with babies who are not yet walking.

We hope to see you in one of our sessions soon 🙂

Discover Sutton-at-Hone Primary - Where Children Learn, Love & Grow Together ✨

At Sutton-at-Hone, your child will be joining more than just a school - they will become part of a caring community rooted in Christian values. Here, every child is known, nurtured and supported to grow in confidence and kindness. 💛

Join us for our Open Days to:
• Meet our friendly teachers and leadership team
• See our Early Years provision in action
• Experience life at Sutton-at-Hone, where values like respect, compassion and responsibility guide everything we do

Dates & Times:
Tuesday 4 November (09:30)
Thursday 20 November (09:30)
Tuesday 13 January (09:30)

📞 Reserve your place today by calling or emailing our office - spaces are limited!

✨ Sutton-at-Hone: where your child’s journey begins in a warm, supportive, faith-based environment, and every child is encouraged to thrive.

A good read and well said 👏🏻

Right, so now I’m doing all the official stuff, I felt like I had to share a post about the government’s 'free childcare' — because it’s not exactly what it seems.

Now, I’m not pretending to be an expert on the funding side of things (I’m only just getting to grips with it myself... even though I was reminding parents about it just the other day 🫣).

But the more I’ve learned, the more I’ve felt like I just had to say something.

I’ve got children, and I know about the cost of childcare..it was eye-watering.

When my circumstances changed last year and I needed a new provider, I was excited by the prospect of “free childcare.” In fact, it was this promise that made me feel able to consider increasing my workload.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered I was still going to have to pay my child’s childcare provider. I was taken aback. I’ll be honest — my first thought was: “How dare they charge me? The government is providing this — they know what they’re doing — so it should be free!”

But the more I’ve found out about funding, the clearer it’s become:
➡️ For some age brackets, the government is actually paying providers less than it costs to deliver the care and education.
➡️ On top of that, providers aren’t allowed to force parents to make up the shortfall.
➡️ Voluntary contributions can be requested, but only to cover additional costs such as meals, snacks, or sun cream. Providers can’t add a surplus to make up the funding gap. And parents can refuse to pay this if they provide their own — which many are doing. After all, why would they pay when they’ve been told it’s free?
➡️ It’s a complex and time-consuming process to ensure all forms are completed correctly — yet despite receiving funding from the government for this, local authorities don’t pass on any additional pay to reflect the extra admin burden.

Not many of us know about this — the government has done a brilliant job of keeping this hush hush whilst making providers look like the greedy ones, haven’t they?!
I fell for it too — until I realised they were being forced to deliver care at a loss when caring for certain aged-children.

Put it this way: can you imagine having to do your job for around 30% less pay — with no reduction in hours or expectations? That’s exactly what the government is asking childcare providers to do in some circumstances. The cheek of it!

🍦 For example: imagine it costs you about 80p to make an ice cream. You sell it for £1 to cover your costs (…those of us in the childcare — oh, I mean the ice cream — biz have never been in it for the money 😂).

Then the government steps in: “Great news! Everyone gets 30 free strawberry ice creams a week. We’ll only pay you… 50p each for making and selling those though. And we won’t pay you any more for organising the complex admin tasks that enable you to provide these free ice creams either”.

Now, maths has never been my strong point, but that’s a substantial loss on those ice creams. Plus more work for the very hard working ice cream makers.

What can you do?
🍓 Stop selling strawberry ice creams?
That would be unfair to the strawberry lovers wouldn’t it?
🎲 Hope enough people buy other flavours?
Maybe things will balance out? It’s a gamble, and it rarely works out that neatly.
💸 Charge more for the other flavours?
You try, but customers only show up once the free strawberry ones start being handed out.
🧊 Quit altogether?
But this is your livelihood. You’re good at it. If you leave, your skills go with you — and less experienced ice cream makers take your place. Over time, the quality drops. And eventually there won’t be any ice cream makers/fools left to run this type of business!
🙅‍♀️ Ask for a top-up?
Nope. Customers get annoyed ("It’s supposed to be free!") — and you’ve been told you’re absolutely not allowed to ask anyway.
🍫 Charge for toppings?
You can — but only at cost. No margin, no profit. Just more admin.
👜 Watch as people bring their own toppings?
Because they were told it’s free, and they’re doing what they can to avoid extra charges.

There’s only so long you can keep going like this before your business melts away.

In what world is this OK?!

But this is the reality of childcare right now.
(…uh hem… seriously starting to reconsider my career choices! 😂)
This childcare — it’s NOT free. It’s underfunded. And the people keeping it all going are the providers who love and care for our children — but who are being put in an impossible position.

I anticipate having to ask for a voluntary contribution when I start childminding — but I am concerned I’ll be seen as “money hungry.” The reality is, I’m just trying to make the business viable and pay the bills, while providing the level of childcare I know is needed — and that children deserve.

Quite honestly, why should childcare providers be put in this position at all?

I hope that when a childcare provider mentions a voluntary contribution, you’ll be able to pay it happily, knowing you’re still getting a substantial discount on the quality care of your most precious thing.

No setting should be forced to make up the shortfall just so your household finances are better off.

Paying this fee ensures the care provided is top tier — exactly what your little one deserves — and it supports the people nurturing the next generation to keep doing what they do best: helping our children learn, grow, and develop into well-rounded adults.

Try to remember: despite what the government wants you to believe, it’s funded childcare — not free childcare.

And they really should start advertising it as that.

I don’t usually post personal things on my business page but the past couple of years have been incredibly tough for our family, with two of my nieces being diagnosed with breast cancer just 18 months apart. It’s been a huge reminder of how precious life is ❤️.

Life can throw some really difficult challenges, but I want to give something back and do my part to make a difference. So, on the 20th of September (two weeks today!!) I’ll be walking a FULL MARATHON to raise money for Breast Cancer UK. It won’t be easy, but after watching how brave my nieces have been – never complaining, always fighting with so much strength – I know I have the best inspiration to keep me going. They are my heroes, my role models, and I love them more than words can say 💕💕.

I’m also so proud that my Freddie has decided to join me in this challenge too. 💖

I know times are tough for many right now, but if you’re able to spare a donation, no matter how small, it would mean the world. Every pound helps us get closer to kicking cancer’s butt! Thank you so much for your support 🩷🩷

My mini me joining me on a walk this morning- she managed to complete 8 miles! 👏🏻 🥰

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/kirstys-team-366

✨ Spaces Available- September 2026 ✨

For the first time in 3 years, I am opening up my waiting list.

Are you looking for a warm, nurturing, and Montessori-inspired setting for your little one?

At Over The Rainbow Childminding (Dartford), I provide high-quality care and education for children aged 0–5 years, Tuesday to Thursday.

✅ Ofsted Outstanding 🌟
✅ Experienced, Level 4 Qualified Childminder
✅ Montessori-Inspired Learning
✅ SENCO Experience
✅ Safe, Caring & Homely Environment

📍 Located in Hawley, near Dartford
📧 [email protected]

Spaces are limited – secure your child’s place now for September 2026! 🌈 💜