If you want to be a childminder, you’ll need to do specific childminder courses to become qualified, which we’ll cover in this article. Which courses you choose, and how much you pay, first depends on how you’d like to register.
Looking for a free childcare course?
Ofsted-registered or childminder agency?
Before you start a childminder course, you first need to decide whether to register with an accredited childminder agency like Koru Kids, or directly with Ofsted.
If you decide to register directly with Ofsted, you must pay for and take responsibility for all of your own training. This training will need to prepare you for your Ofsted inspection visit – and it’s not always clear exactly what they’re looking for.
In comparison, a good childminding agency should help you get the training you need, and may even provide it all for you. If you register with Koru Kids for example, all your training and registration resources are in one place. We cover all the costs of your training, support and set-up—worth over £3,000 in your first year. That’s one of the biggest advantages to becoming a childminder with an Ofsted-registered agency.
We’ve written a whole article about the differences between becoming an Ofsted-registered childminder or registering with an agency—you can read it here. But, it’s worth noting that apart from having to source and pay for your own training, it can take months to schedule an Ofsted inspection visit, delaying your launch. At Koru Kids we can have you up and running in as little as 8 weeks.
What childminder courses do I need to complete?
To become a qualified childminder, you need to pass these courses:
- Safeguarding training course
- Paediatric first aid course
You will also need extensive knowledge in the EYFS and food hygiene as a childminder, so it’s recommended that you take a:
- Childminder course that meets the Early Years Foundation Stage (and your local council’s) standards
- Food hygiene training course
You can find these courses through a number of providers, but it’s difficult to tell if they’re actually what you need. The content of some childminder courses might not be suitable for Ofsted, and the costs vary hugely. Choosing the best childminder course, at a fair price, can be confusing.
What is included in the Koru Kids childminder training course?
We’ve designed our childminder training to give you the tools to be outstanding at your job. You’ll cover the legal requirements to become a childminder, and anything else we’ve learned is important to help you bring up great kids. By the end of your pre-registration training, you’ll be ready to for your childminder registration visit with one of our friendly assessors. Then, we’ll deliver post-registration training to help your business thrive. And you’ll be ready to welcome families into your home nursery!
We also offer a FREE introductory online childcare course, which you can take before you even apply.
Then, if you’re accepted on to our training programme, these are some of the modules your childminder course will cover:
Paediatric first aid training
As a childminder you’ll have primary responsibility for the children in your care. Despite best intentions and best efforts, accidents do happen, so it’s crucial that you’re well prepared. A paediatric first aid course should give you the skills and confidence to keep your children safe. Our 12 hour course is split into 6 hours of online learning and 6 hours of in-person practical training. You’ll cover things like burns, seizures, choking, and minor injuries (cuddles also help with those).
Read more about our paediatric first aid training for childminders here.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) training
One of your most important roles as a childminder is to deliver the EYFS—making sure children develop and flourish. Our EYFS training course covers the 7 key areas of learning; how to deliver these in practice, and how to track the progress of children in your care:
- Personal, social and emotional development
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the world
- Expressive arts and design
Before your registration visit, we give you the grounding in the EYFS you need to pass to become a childminder. After you’ve got that visit out of the way, we give you a further course on Quality Teaching—deepening your knowledge. And our seasonal activity cards show you what areas a certain EYFS activity will support, too.
Safeguarding training
Childminders occupy a unique position. Because you’ll be with the same children every day, you’ll be able to spot any patterns or risks of harm. That’s why safeguarding training for childminders is so important. You will develop the skills and confidence to identify risk factors and take action where a child’s welfare may be in jeopardy.
Read more about safeguarding training in this article.
Food hygiene training
Keeping the children in your care fed and watered will be a regular (and hopefully enjoyable) feature of your day! A good childminder food hygiene course will make sure you’re aware of the latest guidance on how to prepare food safely and avoid any risk of contamination or food poisoning.
These are the basics, but to help you feel right at home in the kitchen, ready to fill hungry tummies with yummy home-cooked food, we also deliver a post-registration course around planning and preparing meals in your setting.
How to run a business training
This training isn’t required by Ofsted, so you may not have considered it if you’re going it alone. We think it’s vital – it can be really daunting to start your own business, so we’ll give you comprehensive training on how to take care of the paperwork, finances, records and more. It’s more than just the training, too. We will do lots of the ongoing admin for you, staying on-hand for constant guidance. That level of business support means less time worrying and more time focussing on the kids!
Safe sleep training
Childminders should take a safe sleep course so they can oversee healthy nap times. Making sure that babies and young children sleep safely can dramatically reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Our safe sleep training takes you through the latest guidance and advice around sleep hygiene.
Behaviour management training
Looking after a number of children at different ages and stages (who aren’t your own kids) can be a challenge. We know you’ll want your Home Nursery to be a calm and happy environment, but how do you achieve that? Behaviour management training will give you the skills and confidence to positively influence the behaviour of the children you care for. And yes, that means effectively dealing with tantrums.
Outdoor learning training
This is definitely not required by Ofsted, but our research-backed learning ethos is outdoor-first. We know children learn best when they get plenty of fresh air and the opportunity to explore their local area on a daily basis. They’ll also be healthier and sleep better if they regularly play outside. We include outdoor learning in our childminder course so you can confidently lead daily adventures in the big wide world.
How to wow parents
Not required by Ofsted but very, very useful; this training – unique to Koru Kids – shares our wisdom about what parents look for in childcare. We help you see things through their eyes, so you can prepare your setting – and give parent tours like a boss.
Home set-up training
Again—not required by Ofsted (who leave you wondering what you’re meant to do and what good looks like) – Koru Kids will give you detailed and specific guidance on setting up your home for childminding. You’ll learn how to create a fantastic, enabling environment for children, without spending the earth. We even have a dedicate home set-up team that will come out and help you prepare your home.
How can I find the best childminder course near me?
If you’re looking for the courses you need to become a registered childminder with Ofsted, there’s no central location for everything you need. You might want to approach your local council, or browse course providers online. Finding a childminder course that fulfils Ofsted’s requirements can be tricky, so take your time.
Alternatively, registering with Koru Kids (an Ofsted-registered agency) means the cost of all your training is covered, and you don’t have to find a childminder course yourself. We do all the hard work for you! You can read more about our childminder training package here.
And don’t forget our FREE introductory online childcare course, which is open to anyone, whether you apply to work in childcare with us or not.
Ongoing support for childminders
Becoming a registered childminder and running a successful Home Nursery involves a whole lot more than completing a childminder training course. To help your business flourish, we provide additional support at every step. That includes:
- Promoting you to the thousands of families that already know and love Koru Kids to help you fill your places as quickly as possible
- Helping you make your home safe for children, make efficient use of your space and make sure you have the right equipment and toys with our dedicated home set-up team
- If you need it, a £500 interest-free loan to help get your home set-up. More, under some circumstances.
- Giving you the tools and resources to make observations and track the development of children against the EYFS, approved by our team of friendly assessors
- Providing public liability insurance cover for you
- Putting in place policies and processes to keep you up-to-date with EYFS and Department for Education guidelines
- Taking care of invoicing and collecting payments from parents
- Making bookkeeping and accounting as easy as possible with an accountant to help you
- Access to a panel of experienced childcare professionals to answer any of your questions along the way
- Assisting with accessing government funding and subsidies
- Free ongoing training after you become a registered childminder, most of which is CPD accredited
Interested in becoming a childminder?
