Essington Childminding

My co-childminder Clair has a space Monday - Thursday coming up soon…

Over the past few months the children have been busy exploring, learning and having lots of fun!

Our days have included celebrating Chinese New Year, enjoying trips to the library, farm, park, and visits to the National Trust, as well as spending time at some of our favourite local playgroups. Back at the setting the children have also been busy with mark making and lots of sensory and creative play.

As always, there’s too many adventures to add in one post but here’s a snapshot of some of our final winter adventures before welcoming spring🐣

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.

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Over the past few weeks we’ve had so many wonderful autumn adventures along with some Gruffalo fun!

We’ve been exploring the changing seasons — collecting colourful leaves, acorns, and pinecones, making autumn crafts, and enjoying lots of outdoor play. 🍁🍃

Our Gruffalo theme has been a big hit too! We’ve retold the story, used a variety of media to make some of the characters from the story; been to find the Gruffalo; and in our sensory play we even made ‘gruffalo crumble’ and baked our very own gruffalo’s claws 😋!

It’s been such a lovely mix of learning, creativity, and adventure both at home and out and about. ❤️

Here’s a peek at what we’ve been up to this month! Always too many photos - we just have too much fun to squeeze it all in 🙃!

September has been a really exciting time for Essington Childmimding…double the childminders, double the fun 🤩!!

🌟 OUTSTANDING! 🌟

I’m absolutely over the moon to share that I’ve been rated OUTSTANDING in all areas in my recent Ofsted inspection!✨

This recognition means the world to me, and I’m so proud of the nurturing, fun, and safe environment I’ve worked so hard to create. 💛

A huge thank you to the wonderful parents who have trusted me with their little ones — especially those who’ve been with me since the very start of this journey. Their support, kind words, and partnership mean everything!

And of course, to the amazing little people I have the privilege of caring for every day — they are the reason I do what I do. Watching them grow, learn, and shine is the best reward of all. 🌈👶🌻

Here’s to continuing this journey with love, laughter, and lots of learning. 🥰

Laura x

THIS SPACE HAS NOW BEEN FILLED. THE NEXT OPENING FOR A SPACE WILL BE SEPT 26, IF YOU ARE PLANNING AHEAD, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TO JOIN OUR WAITING LIST ☺️

🌟 RARE CHILDCARE SPACE AVAILABLE FROM SEPTEMBER 🌟

It’s not often a space becomes available, but we will have a space opening up in September!

🗓 Tuesdays & Thursdays
⏰ Full-day care only

Offering a warm, nurturing, home-from-home setting where children can play, explore, and thrive. We enjoy a rich variety of activities inspired by nature, the seasons, and the children’s own interests – with plenty of time outdoors, creative play, stories, and fun.

If you’re looking for a loving and enriching environment for your little one this autumn, please get in touch to arrange a visit or ask any questions.

This past month we’ve been busy little explorers! We’ve had wonderful adventures at the zoo, lots of fun at forest school and plenty of other outdoor escapades in between.🌲

We’ve been honing in on our fine motor skills too: including mark-making in sand; planting seeds, snipping away with scissors; and getting creative with whatever nature (or Lau Lau has to offer!) ✂️🍃🎨

Learning, laughter, and a good dose of mess – just the way we like it! 😄💛

Sharing this info as I think it’s important for parents / carers and anyone who is out and about with little ones to know:

Someone I know well was at Banners Gate park in Sutton Coldfield.

In the park there was her with her baby and child, another lady with a 2 year old girl and a couple (without a child). The couple acted very strangely, they attempted to talk to their children (both 2 years old) and videoed the 2 year olds on the woman’s phone (they think the woman was on a FaceTime call when she did it). The man made odd comments like ‘your girl doesn’t love me’ (about the two year old).

The two mums discreetly decided they needed to leave the park together and walked to their cars. One mum followed the other to her car and made sure her and the children got in safely and they agreed she would watch as the other woman went to the car.

The couple without a child followed them out of the park and walked towards the car where the mum was getting her little girl in. She put the little girl in her car seat, walked around to her own door and the man was there with a black box device trying to lock the mum out of her own car! Luckily the mum got in and drove away.

The mums called the police after they’d left and apparently police from different areas all looked for the suspects but couldn’t find them.

If something like this ever happens, call the police straight away and make sure you are all in the car safely together.

Please share to people you know who have young children.