Facts and Figures
The following are interesting facts and figures related to childminding.
UK Facts
- 319,200 children under eight years of age use a childminder.
Bedfordshire Childminders
- 89% of Bedfordshire childminders are over 30 years of age, and of those 58% are aged between 30-39 years.
- 70% of childminders childmind in excess of three years
- There are currently 700 childminders in Bedfordshire providing 2,900 places for children from 0-14 years old.
- 1 in 20 of childminders have registered premises accessible by wheelchair.
- There are 67 childminders in the LBCMA region, catering for over 320 children between 0 and 14 years.
- Average length of service for a childminder in Bedfordshire is:
2 years or less 30% 3-5 years 30% 6-10 years 29% 11-15 years 8% 16-20 years 3% - 42.6% of Bedfordshire childminders hold or are studying for additional childcare and education qualifications. This compares favorably with the 29% of childminders in England studying for the same qualifications. The LBCMA is helping to improve these figures by providing many opportunities for training, see our training page.
DfEE Report
In the DfEE Report on Demand for Childcare among Parents of Children aged 14 and Under in England and Wales: 91% of parents using childminders thought the standard of childcare "very good". This was the highest rating among all forms of formal care. 86% of parents using childminders thought the care provided was "very good value for money", compared with 67% of parents using nannies/au pairs and 64% of those using private nurseries.
EYDCP
There are childminding representatives on all 8 of the Local Partnership Forums of the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnership.
There are childminding representatives on both, the quality and training sub-group and the childcare sub-group formed by the EYDP.