Somerset Council is offering a "Golden Hello" grant worth £250 to those who would like to be a childminder. The £250 can be used to help with training and set up costs.

Childminding is a rewarding occupation for anyone who likes working with children.

The post is ideal for new parents who wish to spend more time fitting work around their own children. It can also be a useful first step into other childcare and education roles, and may also suit people leaving teaching or other education support roles, but who still want to work with children. Deciding your own working hours and charges means the role can be flexible.

The Council offers guidance and training to newly registered childminders and supports them through Ofsted registration and beyond.

Kate Haddrell from Frome began childminding in March 2020 after working in nurseries for 10 years. She said "Childminding has been a fantastic job alongside my family life. It has enabled me to not only earn more money than a career in a nursery, but also gives me the flexibility of being able to be there for my own children before and after school. Anyone who is thinking about a career in childminding, do it!"

Lucy Cross from Yeovil also became a childminder to work around family. She said "I trained to become a childminder when my own daughter was one, after I had gone back to work nights. I was missing out on so much time with my family and childminding was a great way to change this. Since then I have gone on to gain childcare qualifications and I work around my family's schedule rather than fitting family around work. I have never looked back since. I love being able to help the children prepare for the next chapter of their lives and watching them grow into confident, hilarious little people. I enjoy the flexibility of being able to take our learning outside and making every day different".

If you are looking for a change, would like to work from home and have a passion for supporting children to learn and grow through exciting play opportunities, why not consider childminding?

Councillor Tessa Munt, Executive Lead for Children and Families at Somerset Council said "I know that childminding is so important to many working families - as I had a brilliant childminder when my children were young. Jenny, my childminder, became my children's best friend and she helped us for nearly a decade. Childminders can make such a big difference to a young child's development, giving them skills for life, and be a massive support to the hard-working families around them."

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