In a bid to raise the number of registered childminders up from the current 518 to 600 within the next year, Wiltshire Council’s early years services is offering free information sessions for prospective childminders, along with an attractive package of support and training.
Angela Brennan, childcare coordinator for Wiltshire Council, told Nursery World, ‘Not only have we seen a drop in childminders in recent years, but we also have a number of developments taking place locally. We have an army base in Wiltshire, where troops are moving back from Germany so there will be an increase in the military population. And there are a number of housing developments taking place.
‘Obviously, this is on top of the 30 hours childcare so we want to ensure that we have sufficient childcare and we can give parents a diverse choice.’
So far, the response to the campaign, which involves advertising free information sessions on Twitter, Facebook and in libraries and children’s centres has been ‘extremely positive’, Angela Brennan said.
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