Starting a childcare or childminding business

Starting a childcare business is not just a matter of child's play! As with any business, there are a number of regulations which you will have to meet before you can open your doors to children. Ofsted inspects all childcare provision against standards which your business will have to meet and they will also expect you to comply with all other legislation such as meeting Environmental Health requirements; registering your business with HMRC(HM Revenue and Customs); and so on. Early Years Education and Childcare has a team of Development Officers(DOs) and Children's Centre Area Teachers (CCATs) who can help you will all aspects of registering your business with Ofsted and meeting Ofsted's National Standards for Day Care. You will get a useful overview by looking at the Operational Plan Guidance in the publications on the right.

You may find it useful to look at the sort of support we can offer by following the link 'Supporting Providers' in the navigation menu on this page.

Childminders also have to register with Ofsted and the Early Years Education and Childcare Team has developed a childminding support package. To help decide whether childminding is really for you, the team has developed two sessions: (1)Childminding Briefing Session followed by (2) a Registration Session. Both these sessions last 2 hours and usually take place in the evening from 7pm - 9pm. By attending these sessions you will find out all you need to know about becoming a registered childminder and how to register. You will also be told about the Childminder Start-Up Package which helps you with the costs of starting a childminding business.

Once you are registered as a childminder and have gained some qualifications and experience, you may like to consider joining the Shropshire Childminding Network. For further information about the network, follow the links on this page.

To book on to the Childminder Briefing Session or make contact with a Development Officer, please telephone Shropshire Children's Information Service on 01743 254400.

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