Choosing a childminder to provide care for your child has many benefits for both the child and the parents. In this article we will outline a few of the reasons of why a childminder can be a really beneficial influence in your child’s life, as well as why they can be a great choice for parents, too.
Child development, security and confidence
In an ideal world, parents would be able to choose to stay home with their children until they felt the child had reached an age that they were able to cope with being separated from them, but unfortunately this can’t always be possible. A childminder offers the child a real sense of safety and security because they can really get to know each other well. The child will not have to get to know a large amount of staff and be used to different people caring for her – instead they only have to settle in to a familiar home environment and one carer. Developmentally speaking this is very important – children need to be able to form secure attachments to their caregivers, and this can be hard if there are many different caregivers in the picture.
Convenience and flexibility
A childminder looks after children in their own home, and as such they can be very useful when trying to find care for children who are already at preschool or school. They generally will be happy to do pick-ups and drop-off’s from/to school and clubs, and some childminders will even pick up children from their homes and drop them back again if they are out and about at that time anyway. This can make life just that little bit easier for busy working parents. Additionally, special requirements (such as dietary needs) can be more easily managed in this kind of environment where care can be individualised.
Social benefits
Many parents worry that their children won’t get adequately socialised if they are not attending childcare in a group setting. In actual fact, large group settings can actually be damaging for confidence and social skills for some children. Research has shown that thrusting children into large groups before they are ready can make quite an impact on their emotional development. With a childminder, children will get to socialise in small groups in a familiar environment. They are able to get to know each other properly and will often become very good friends. Additionally, children will benefit from the opportunity to socialise with children of different age groups, which is a much more realistic form of socialisation – after all, apart from school, where else in life are we confined to groups of people of the same age as us?
Cost
Childminders are a very cost-effective choice for parents. Their cost will depend on their experience and any extras included but you can usually expect to pay somewhere between £4.50 and £5.50 per hour, depending on where you live. Some childminders will include the price of meals, snacks and drinks in their hourly rate, whereas others will charge extra. Additionally, childminders often get discounts for local child-friendly attractions, so excursions can be cheaper.
