Little Giraffes Childminding

06/02/2026

💔 It isn’t a competition. It’s about understanding ‘your’ children and supporting them to learn in a way and at a pace that suits them, whilst keeping learning enjoyable and full of opportunities to explore. It’s about choosing a childcare setting that feels right for your family and what you value, somewhere your child will feel secure, happy, and able to thrive. We’re all early years practitioners working within the same Early Years Framework, with the shared goal of helping children grow and develop.
Let’s stop this constant tearing down of providers in an already broken system and support each other as the end goal is the same no matter what, healthy and happy children who are school ready whilst maintaining a childhood as we only get one shot at it!

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. 🌈🫶🏻❤️

06/09/2025

If you’re looking for some family fun then come along tomorrow to support Denmead Scout Group with their annual Dinosaur Derby. It’s great fun for all the family 0-99+