Childcare and Early Years

Registered childminders - services they offer and finding a registered childminder

Many childminders care for small numbers of children in their own home. 

Childminders may offer different types of childminding to suit your personal circumstances, examples of childcare include:

  • day care - this tends to be an ongoing service provided by a childminder during specific periods, such as the parents' working day or time at work
  • before school childminding - the childminder could collect your child before school e.g. at 7:30am to allow you to go to work. They then take your child to school
  • after school childminding - the childminder could collect your child at the end of the school day and then take them to their home to take care of them until you collect them e.g. school finishes at 3pm, your child is collected and then stays until you collect them at 5:45pm
  • holiday care - many childminders continue to offer care during holiday periods, such as summer holidays, which means you won’t need to make special arrangements. Childminders need holidays too, and may have children of their own so be sure to check in advance of holiday periods
  • overnight care - we live in a 24-hour society, and you may need to arrange overnight childcare to fit with your work. Childminders can offer overnight care (they must have Ofsted permission for children under 8)

If your child has any additional needs, then you may want to consider using a registered childminder on the Community Childminding Scheme. The Family Information Service can help you find a suitably trained childminder.

Find a childminder in Central Bedfordshire

Our Family Information Directory has details of approved childcare providers.

Search the Family Information Directory >>