Welcome Childminders
Childminders offer children quality childcare in a home-from-home setting.
The Child Care Act 1991 has been amended to also include School age Childcare Regulations 2018 , and childminding services are also defined as:
‘a school age service …by a person who single-handedly takes care of school age children….’
A pre-school child is defined as being under six years of age, and not attending a national school or equivalent. A school age child is attending school.
For details about managing the impact of Coronavirus on your Childminding Service click here
Childminding Ireland offer brilliant support for you to become a Childminder and they suggest you should:-
- Decide how you want to run your Childminding service, full-time or part-time? What will your rates be? How many children can you mind?
- Get your home ready – Child proof the house and make sure you have enough toys and equipment!
- Find out if you should register with, Tusla or if you can notify your local Childcare Committee.
- You must register with Revenue as self-employed within a year of starting
- Get Garda Vetting as a Childminder. Parents expect it and evidence of Garda Vetting for Childminding is a mandatory requirement for registration with Tusla
- Make sure you have appropriate insurance
- Prepare simple advertising – advertise on Childminding Ireland’s website (free to members) or put a small ad in local shops, toddler groups or on Facebook. But remember, word of mouth often works best!
- Develop a working agreement to use with parents to help your arrangements run smoothly
- Hold interviews with parents. Use your working agreement to discuss the care needed and your approach to managing your service
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When COVID restrictions are lifted arrange for the child or children to come for some settling in visits before you sign an agreement and get going properly
National Childminding What is Continuous Provision
Action Plan (2021-2028)
Re-opening Advice from Childminding Ireland/ Infection Control Guidance Document
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DCEDIY Tip Sheets
Resources from NCN
Here are some useful free resources from Barnardos
Printables from enjoyplay.com
Health Promotion Resources
Outdoor Play from Play Scotland
Safe Sleep for Babies
It is not safe to place any baby on their side to sleep because they may roll onto their tummy. Babies who sleep on their tummies have a higher risk of cot death. Always lay babies to sleep on their back, with their feet to the foot of the cot.
To learn more about safe sleep positions for babies follow this link: www.mychild.ie
In Northern Ireland the organisation for Childminders is called NICMA you can use this site to download some excellent resources and see whats happening in terms of the profession of Childminding just across the border. Here is a video promoting mindfulness for Childminders in Northern Ireland, with the message that it is important to look after oneself before taking care of others