Experience with childminder

@Enwi
Some childminders have the full senco training I've raised EHCPs, provide attention autism, signing and more. I'm portage trained with the full qualification, Elcan and Ecat qualified and much more.

@HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel
Just to say A qualified nursery nurse and most childminders have the same level qualification and many childminders have higher qualifications with lots of us having degrees as well as specialist training in various needs including language support.

@HeyDuggeesFavouriteSquirrel

I use a childminder for my 2 children she's had them both since they were about 1 as I had a year off work both times.

My childminder isn't based at her house and she has a big extension on the back (like a huge conservatory but with a proper roof)

She's a qualified nursery nurse and worked in nurseries for years but once she had her children decided to set up on her own and it's amazing and cheaper than a nursery

We are Nottinghamshire it's £35 per day, a nursery is nearer £55

It's very much home from home care and she does loads of great activities and even has banty hens for sippy eggs for breakfast

It was the best decision I've ever made

Just wanted to say that any of those settings - including just being at home with a nanny - will be helping your child’s speech development. I don’t think one option is going to be advantageous over another and I’m not aware of any evidence to suggest that children who attend nursery are more advance in their speech than children who attend other types of childcare, or that children who are at risk of a speech delay find it easier to catch up at nursery than elsewhere. So just pick whichever you like best and don’t worry about the speech aspect.

I think the setting you have looked at sounds perfect.
It's larger than a childminders home so more friends to make- but small enough to ensure his needs are closely met.

Go for it.

@zoeydollie not necessarily. She can remain registered as a childminder if she is still working some of her time at home, so long as she isn’t doing more then 50% in the premises.

OP, I’m a childminder so somewhat biased but as another poster has said lots of people are surprised to learn that a childminder is insured, Ofsted registered and inspected, first aid trained and qualified. We have to follow the same EYFS as nurseries and in fact, childminders have to be more qualified than most staff members at nursery do.

If your son has a speech delay then the sort of setting you’re suggesting sounds like the perfect option to me. Enough children that he is getting the key socialisation and formation of relationships outside of home that his nanny can’t offer alone, but equally he isn’t being thrust into a very large setting without the socialisation skills required to really settle.

Another thing to think about is ratios. Childminders usually have a ratio of 1:3 children, whereas a nursery is 1:4 at this age and then goes up to 1:8 or 1:13 depending on the staff’s qualifications in the room. In my experience children with a childminder usually have more one to one attention due to the smaller ratios.

A downside to consider is that unlike most nurseries, a childminder won’t have a SENCO department, should your son require more assistance in the future. With a supportive childminder and good healthcare professionals and communication between you all I don’t think this should be a problem, but it’s worth mentioning.

Good luck! It sounds like you’ve already had a positive experience so it won’t do any harm to enquire further x

If she is working from a rented commercial space rather than a home, then she is a nursery not a childminder and works to the same regulations as any other nursery, just small scale.

Most doctors and health visitors nd parents don't understand what childminders do working to the same standards (Eyfs) and often with the same qualifications as a nursery manager. I'm trained in portage, supporting early language, signing, a senco (having done the same training as nurser) I raise EHCPs and do referals to speech therapy. Many nurseries don't raise EHCPs leaving it until lo reaches full time school. Often children get on better having more individual tailored care and support.