Become a childminder

A childminder is a person who works with children for more than two hours a day in their own home* and receives payment. From 1st November 2024 childminders can also operate solely from non-domestic premises. 

Be your own boss, choose your own hours, work from home, enable your career to fit around your commitments and caring for your family. All while supporting the children you care for in your local community grow and develop.

Please note: The childminder grant mentioned in the video is for new childminders only. These are individuals who are either registering as a childminder for the first time, or those who have previously registered as a childminder but de-registered for at least 12 months before their current registration.

New childminders who have applied for the childminder start-up grant will need to finalise their Ofsted or Childminder Agency registration by 31 March 2025. However, the Department for Education (DfE) recognise that in some circumstances childminder registration may be delayed due to registration checks (for example, GP health checks) taking longer than expected. Therefore, an applicant who has submitted their registration to Ofsted or a Childminder Agency by 3 January 2025 will still be eligible for the grant if completion of their registration is delayed beyond 31 March 2025 for reasons relating to the completion of registration checks. In these cases, the DfE will require Ofsted or the Childminder Agency to confirm that a registration has been delayed for these reasons.