I’ve always loved working with children. After I gained a level 3 diploma in early years education, it felt like the natural step to join a nursery. It wasn’t until my little girl came along and I began considering childcare options for her that I started to think about how I could do what I love in a way that felt right for me as a new parent.
Firstly, it dawned on me that childcare costs would likely swallow up my income, which felt odd given that I’d be paying others to do what I’m trained in and greatly enjoy. Secondly, and more importantly, it was frustrating to think that my daughter would be nearby – perhaps even on the other side of a wall – but not being cared for by me.
So I set about looking for alternatives, and that’s when I came across tiney, an early years education initiative designed to help people train as childminders and open nurseries in their own homes. I was immediately taken with the concept – I could look after my daughter alongside other children and create a loving, safe learning environment in my own home. Having signed up to their brilliant training programme, Mini Moon’s tiney Home Nursery was born in November 2020.
But, before pivoting from being a nursery room leader to an at-home childminder, I had lots of questions. What new regulations would I need to comply with? Would I be buried in admin? And, perhaps something we as early years professionals don’t like to think about, would it be lonely?
Thankfully, tiney took care of nearly everything, from making sure I had the right licenses and registrations to handling my paperwork via their app. They provided in-depth guidance and training on how to deliver best-in-class early years education. And through tiney I was able to meet other local childminders and create a really strong, supportive network of peers.
This community feeling even extends to the families of the children I care for. The nature of a smaller, more intimate home setting means I’m able to build a much greater personal connection with them than I could as a nursery room leader. And with the tiney app, I can share updates with parents on how their little ones are getting on throughout the day.
The family feel of my nursery doesn’t stop there; the business has been growing so successfully that my husband has recently decided to retrain as a childminder too, which is so exciting. Together we hope to expand the business even further and give more children a brilliant start in life.
Currently, I have ten children on my register and, before my husband decided to retrain in childcare too, employed an assistant to support me on the busier days. The tiney scheme has really supported the growth of Mini Moon’s, offering marketing tips, access to professional development opportunities, and hosting a dedicated page for my home nursery on their website.
And while financial gain was never the driving force for my career change (that was always my daughter), it’s certainly true to say that I’m better off financially. I now earn more than twice as much as I did as a nursery room leader. Lots of this is invested back into the business, such as providing high-quality food and daytrips for the children and tiney takes a small fee to cover things like insurance, ongoing training, and all the billing. But becoming a childminder has unlocked earning potential that I could only have dreamed of a few years ago.
One lovely added bonus is how much my daughter loves my new career too. She has constant playmates, fulfilled parents, and never a dull day. And I have the peace of mind knowing that she and the other wonderful children we care for are receiving an early years education that will help them to thrive as they move through life.
Find out more about tiney by clicking here.