Working as a childminder over the past year-and-a-bit has been a huge challenge - there's nothing quite like the responsibility of keeping innocent young children safe, happy and stimulated during a pandemic, amid ever-changing rules and alongside worries about your own loved ones.
The good news is, we now have some clarity - the government has just published updates to the current Covid guidelines for early years settings.
The revised guidelines should come in to effect on ‘Freedom Day’ (19th July 2021) if the current roadmap doesn’t change.
You can read the full details here.
But the main changes childminders should be aware of are:
Visitors to your setting will no longer have to wear a face mask (if you're happy with this, of course).
Parent and toddler groups are back on with unlimited numbers and singing allowed again (good news for anyone who finds it hard to stop little ones from belting out The Wheels on the Bus...).
Indoors and outdoors trips are all back on the cards, so you can start planning your summer.
You can revert back to your pre-pandemic pick up and drop off routine if you wish to.
Children are able to attend more than one setting.
Obviously these plans and dates are all subject to change, but we'll do our best to keep you updated. We also understand that some people might be feeling anxious about reverting completely back to normal, so please don't feel like you have to do anything differently if you're not comfortable - just make sure the families you work with are clear about how you're running your setting.