In Scotland a  proportion of children under age 3 are cared for by childminders.

Childminders are an important element of the funded Early Learning and childcare offer in Scotland. Childminders offer care and learning for children in their own home, in generally small groups with no more than six children. Childminders look after children of all ages; for example in a single setting a childminder could be caring for an infant, young children under 5 years of age, alongside older children of school age.

The most recent published Care Inspectorate data shows that 32,700 children were registered to receive childcare from childminders in 2018, representing 13% of childcare provision in Scotland.

Objectives and accessibility

The earliest years of life are crucial for every child, and evidence tells us that if the early learning and childcare (ELC) offer is to help children fulfil their potential and contribute to closing the poverty-related attainment gap, it has to be of high quality. That it is why quality is at the heart of the expansion in funded early learning and childcare entitlement for all 3 and 4 years, and eligible 2 year olds, to 1140 hours from August 2021.

To ensure that the funded ELC entitlement is delivered in high quality settings, the sector is working towards the introduction of Funding Follows the Child. Funding follows the child is provider neutral and is underpinned by a National Standard that all providers delivering the funded hours will have to meet – regardless of whether they are in the public, private, third sector, or childminders. This will provide reassurance to parents and carers that any provider offering the funded hours will be able to offer their child a high quality ELC experience. The introduction of the National Standard has meant that, for the first time, childminders delivering the funded hours must hold or be working towards an appropriate qualification at SCQF level 7. It will also place choice in parents' and carers' hands, enabling them to access their child's funded entitlement from any ELC provider that meets the National Standard. This provides an opportunity for more childminders to offer the funded ELC entitlement. 

In the light of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 1140 expansion, the Scottish Government published interim guidance on Funding Follows the Child in August 2020. As progress is made towards the full expansion the Scottish Government will communicate clearly with the sector and with parents about plans to progress to the full implementation of Funding Follows the Child and the National Standard. 

A new Childminding Action Plan has been published, setting out the Scottish Government’s vision for the sector and the actions to support it that are being taken now and into the future. These include:

• development of flexible, tailored learning models to better support childminders to access continued professional learning
• research into trends within the childminding workforce to better inform future actions to support the growth of the sector
• work collaboratively across the sector to identify and deliver ways in which childminders can be better enabled to participate in the opportunity to provide the funded early learning and childcare (ELC) entitlement.

Requirements for childminders

The legal entitlement to ECEC for all children aged 3 and over applies to all forms of regulated ECEC provision, including home-based childminders.