Where are all the childminders?

[hollyberrytree]

The last childminder in my village is closing down at the end of term. When my children went to her, they were 4 to pick from and it’s a pretty small village
She was telling me that child minder numbers have halved. And I couldn’t quite believe it so I googled!
60,000 childminders in 2009. In 2018 there were 36,500 childminders in England. By 2025 there were 22300. What’s even more concerning is the age profile. 80% of childminders are now aged 40 or over, and 47% are over 50.
She said her job has become increasingly difficult. The paperwork, inspections, regulations, responsibility. She was told off by Ofsted for allowing another toddler go into the room where she was changing a nappy. Talking about 2 children under 2 years old.

I’ve often thought you’re either a parent that likes the idea of a nursery or one that prefers childminders.
Childminders provide something that nurseries often can’t: small, home-based care, flexibility for parents, continuity of care and mixed-age family environments and wrap around care for school age. It suited my family.

I think these figures should concern anyone who values having genuine choice in childcare. All childcare workers in nurseries and childminders are the unsung heros.

She said her job has become increasingly difficult. The paperwork, inspections, regulations, responsibility.

Isnt that the answer together with a low pay and you need a house big enough for childminding? Housing is expensive in 2026.

Plus the baby bust.

Agree - it’s got too much to make it worthwhile sadly.

My childminder got shut down by Ofsted because her 15 y/o DD was caught vaping at school with her mates. Ofsted decided that she should have informed them about this and then decided that she couldn’t run a CM service with a “smoker” on the premises even though the DD had never vaped at the house. 6 weeks of no income or certainty while they investigated. They eventually relented but a load of her clients made other arrangements because it looks unreliable. It’s total bullshit the standards childminders are held to.

And a lot parents expect way more than of a CM they did only a few years ago. I would expect it to be quite hard work. Easier to work in a nursery with more staff and for a compagny.

@SNESRainbowRoad. There was something similar in our village. Another childminder had a son who was a bit of a teenage tearaway and Ofsted shut her down while they investigated. Nothing he did had any impact on her work. She was closed down and despite the parents who used her writing to Ofsted she was without any income while they did whatever and she never got back running properly.

Ofsted.

This is why the woman who was my childminder and her daughter stopped after more than 40 years of running the business from their family home. People expecting a personalised nanny type service from a childminder.

The housing point is important.

In a lot of areas, having a spacious enough home is out of reach for younger generations in a way that it wasn't even a decade or two ago. It doesn't surprise me that people in a job that requires space in your home are disproportionately those old enough to have bought a while back.

I hadn’t give thought to physical space.
i suppose any young mum who thinks about childminding as a career these days maybe be in a smaller space.

I think this has a massive impact. I might have thought about it but we live in a 2 bed flat so it’s a non starter! Of the mums with under 5’s I know only 1 would have a house with enough space really and that’s because both parents are in well paid jobs- if one gave that up to childmind they wouldn’t be able to afford that house I suspect.
Obviously they don’t need to be a mum of under 5’s that’s just where most of the mums I know fall as my own is a pre schooler.

I'm a childminder and I know probably 20+ more locally. All are over 40 (some only just!) and have been doing it 10 plus years. I can't remember the last time I met a newby.

@Nickyknackeredwhats the answer? Are the childminders becoming extinct? Do they stop when their kids go to school? Or is it Ofsted?
My old childminder said it kept her young after her kids grew up but in the end I think it was Ofsted that broke her.

Ofsted. Known a few people who used to do childminding who said they wouldn't touch it now. Same reason so many schools are losing good staff.

Edit-and no, I'm not one of them, and I never was. It upsets me as a parent, that box ticking is seen as more important than children.

We've lost 6 childminders in our town in the last 5 years that I know of. We have another 3 running reduced services from this year.

1 has gone part time, offering only Monday - Wednesday care. The other 2 are not taking any new mindees. One is seeing the youngest of her mindees to 5 when they can attend wraparound at the village school she does drop off and pick up for and then finishing. The other has refused all mindees under 4 and now only offers before and after school care for school age children.

They were all regulars at our playgroup and the 3 who are running reduced services still come. All have cited the same reasons: government funding, paperwork, parent expectations, regulations and inspections and Ofsted. They are all seasoned childminders, the youngest is late 40s and all have been at it for decades.

Childminders used to be an "at home" environment for childcare.
Pretty much replicating what a SAHP would do - so some days taking the children to playgroup, some days taking them to the boring supermarket or paying bills at the Post Office.
Now it's all Ofsted, paperwork and a strict "curriculum" to follow.
Essentially they are now very small nurseries.
Many childminders don't want to run a nursery.

Ofsted is a huge issue. It has led to the teacher retainment crisis and is also affecting the childcare sector.

As parents we really need to be pressuring our MPs and campaigning for a proper look into Ofsted and review how fit for purpose it is. They seriously impact the mental health of education professionals throughout the country (sometimes leading to suicide). It was always meant to be a critical friend who helped with improvement. In many cases it has become an aggressive bully and stick to force education establishments to bend to government will regardless of if it in best interests of our children.

My sister worked as a CM for almost 40 years. The Ofsted requirements got worse and worse. Instead of being a lovely 'Mumsy' person looking after children she was suddenly expected to go to college and do an NVQ 3 in childcare, which she did, but which took a lot of evening time up.

She was then stopped from cooking the children their tea - proper home cooked meals - because she didn't have an 'industrial' stainless steel kitchen so couldn't sell food. (She used to charge £1 for those who stayed for their tea). She then had huge, huge amounts of paperwork to fill in, and requirements to meet and was once criticised for not having any ethnic minority children in an area that is rural and white British.

It all got too much for her and she eventually retired from it, even though she was always rated as Good. There was always something else they suggested could be improved upon and for what she was earning it was far too much.

I worked as a teacher and couldn't believe the ridiculous amount of evidence she had to produce to show that pre-schoolers were 'making progress'. I'm used to Ofsted's bullshit and it was just as bad for CMs as teachers.

I knew a fabulous lady who had done childminding for 30 years. She stopped because of regulations. It took over her life, took all the joy and fun out of it, and took a wonderful person away from a very fulfilling career. So sad for all the children who didn’t get to grow up under her loving and experienced eyes.

It’s definitely Ofsted breaking me. They dream up new rules every five minutes, expecting new policies and new equipment to be in place there and then. The standards they hold us to are madness - children expected to cut their own food, pour their own drinks, be completely independent before 3. I was downgraded for not doing spelling and homework.

We’re expected to be solely responsible for healthy eating, dental hygiene, potty training. We have to write a curriculum and be able to explain how each child is purposefully learning for every minute of the day - fun, wandering, chilling - nope!

My son went missing from school during the school day and the police were involved to find him. I got an inspection, the school didn’t even get a phonecall.

And the demands of parents can be mad too - some expect you to be on call 24/7 to discuss wellies, illness, extra hours.

And then the government wander in and call us free childcare and talk about how nurseries are the best start.

None of us have our own under 5s, most have teen/adult children now.

Ofsted yes in part, not just the inspections but its extremely intrusive on your family life and what they want to know.... far more than if I worked in a nursery.

Then there's DFE, recent changes to sleep policy and food that can be served...

Then there is HMRC- with making tax digital they've just taken away a lot of our tax breaks.

That's before you get in to funding and how difficult it is to deliver it in a way that the LA will accept but still works for your business.

Parents pay less than ever but expecting more and more. Birth rate has fallen, behaviour in children is worse.... I can see why many leave the job.

Personally it works for me and I love it but I can see why it might not.

I have often been tempted to set up as a CM but honestly would make no money without charging a lot more than people want to pay / can afford to pay so as I can’t live off thin air and am not a charity, it just isn’t viable… not to mention the hoops you have to jump through like OP already stated… why is the question not ‘how can we get things on a better keel so a CM’s day is back to being child focused and has a better work life balance without being paid a pittance’.

ofsted, but also the baby bust, plus more schools offering before /after school care and taking that valuable income. most childminders I knew used to have one or two extra children with their own kids, then do before/after school to bulk it up to a good wage.

Why is it concerning many are older than 40? I have ex colleagues who are experienced fantastic teachers who became childminders for a change in career from the pressure treadmill of working in schools. They're thriving and have to turn people away...

Nothing wrong with us being over 40 but we need the next generation to come along behind us otherwise there won't be any in 20 years.