Children's centres
Registered
childminders are ideally placed to work closely with
children's centres. They can benefit from the centre's
facilities and staff support, and the centre will reach even more
children. When childminding is integrated into children’s centres,
local families can benefit from both home and centre-based
childcare, depending on the needs of their children.
NCMA can help you integrate the work of childminders with your
children’s centre.
Government guidance says that "all centres must provide a
universal range of services including support to childminders via a
quality assured, coordinated network, but also to other
childminders in the area, for example by providing shared training
opportunities, loan of toys and equipment and by hosting drop-in
sessions".
So, if childminders aren't yet an integral part of your centre,
now's the time to start involvement. NCMA has put together a range
of resources to help you. Find out more about the ways NCMA can
support your children's centre over the next few pages.
Nursery World magazine's feature on childminders working with
children's centres illustrates the benefits of such
partnerships.