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Registered Childminder
Anne Ryan is living in Wicklow and is one of the 74 Tusla registered childminders in Ireland. Originally from Scotland, Anne moved to Ireland 15 years ago.
Anne says “My husband is from Wicklow and one of the reasons we decided to settle here was because it was so easy to be a childminder.
I’d always worked in the industry but at the time in Scotland, there were so many rules and regulations, it was nearly impossible to be a childminder. Within a week of moving here, I was minding children, I did find it a bit bizarre.”
Anne says in order to strengthen her CV, she became a member of Childminders Ireland, which required her to be Garda vetted and complete first aid training, amongst other requirements. Since moving to Ireland, Anne has minded more than 20 children. In 2019, she decided to register with Tusla.
“In the early years, I was busy raising my own children so I was never minding more than three others. Now they are older, I’m able to take on more children.”
Anne says demand for childminders in her area, especially a registered childminder is very high. “I constantly have a waiting list. At the moment, I won’t have a space to take on another child until September 2023.”
What’s interesting is Anne’s decision to register. “I wanted to do childminding as a business and keep everything above board.
But it’s not like parents were asking if I was registered, I think they are just desperate to get a minder. However, since I became registered, I have even more demand as I can offer the NCS. I have one Mum who drives 25 minutes each way because she can avail of the NCS.”
Anne started the process to register in June 2019 and was told it would take three months. She says the reality is, it took six months.
“In January 2020, after much correspondence, I was still waiting for my registration. I had to delay taking on some children because I couldn’t go up in numbers until it came through.
Parents were also waiting to avail of the NCS. Out of pure frustration, I took to Twitter and it was only then that I got a phone call full of apologies and I was registered by 10am the following morning.”
However, Anne says the whole process of registering was extremely tedious. “There were the things that I expected like Garda vetting and insurance. However, one of the most time-consuming things was presenting my childcare policies to Tusla.
Childminders need to be listened to if the action plan is to be successful
I already had about 10 policies such as a sickness policy, a feeding and mealtime policy etc. I submitted these to Tusla but they were rejected. There was so much back and forth that eventually, I just amended their sample policies. Finally, that got accepted.
The problem is now I have about 65 pages of policies and parents haven’t read them because its so time consuming. When it was my own simple 10 policies, everyone read them.
“In terms of training, I had to do first aid training, which was three full Saturdays. I also had to make changes to my home. I had inspections and the inspectors were very nice but they had to stick to the preschool regulations,
it hasn’t been adapted for the childminder setting. So one of the things I’ve had to do is put fire evacuation plans besides every door in my house. I have to laugh at that one because most of the children are under four and can’t read. And the parents do the collections at the door because of COVID so its not like they are even used.
“Also it was determined that the dividing wall between our house and the neighbours wasn’t high enough so we ended up having to put a fence on top of the wall.”
Anne says because she was registered just before the pandemic, she was eligible for a variety of grants. “I have gotten funding towards PPE and an outdoor grant which allowed us to build an outdoor shelter in the garden for the kids to play in. Overall, I’ve gotten about €5,500 in government grants.”
Having been through the whole process, Anne says that the current system is tailored for the creche system.
“In developing the National Action Plan for Childminding, it is essential to talk to childminders about their jobs. In fact, I think someone needs to come into my house for a whole week to see childminders in action and really understand what is involved. Childminders need to be listened to if the action plan is to be successful.”
Childminder
Deirdre O’Leary* lives on a dairy farm in Co Limerick and has been childminding for 12 years.
Currently, like thousands of other childminders in Ireland, she is not registered with Tusla as she does not meet the requirements.
Deirdre says, “Over my 12 years childminding, I never minded enough children at one time to be eligible to register with Tusla.
Even if I could, I’m not sure I would have (if it wasn’t compulsory). I never looked at childminding as a long-term thing, it was just the way it worked out.
“I took on the first little boy, Thomas, when my own kids were in school. His mother was returning to work and was let ?down at the last minute so I offered to help.
When she had another baby, I took him and it just went like that. Thomas and his brother came everywhere with me, [such as] to the school when I was collecting my own kids.
Then parents would approach me asking would I be interested in minding their children.
“Over the years, I’ve minded 11 children, Thomas was with me the longest, from when he was a small baby until he was 12. But I never had a plan, I just looked at each school term and thought, am I happy to keep going?
Is this working? It was so I continued and a lot of that is because of the children. The way I look at it is when I take on a child, they become part of my home, part of our family, especially the kids I have long term.
So yes, it is a job, of course it is but its more than that. You have a relationship with these children, with these families. You become emotionally involved.”
Deirdre also says the fact that she is not registered and as a result cannot offer the NCS has never been an issue.
“In my area, creche spaces are limited so often parents are desperate ?to get a childminder. The NCS doesn’t even come into it.”
Making big changes to my house or a significant investment of time would be a deal breaker
The National Action Plan for Childminding will require all childminders to register by 2028. Deirdre says she will only be registering if it works for her set up.
“If I have to do it, of course I will but it depends on what is required. I’m getting older now and if it is a huge investment of time and money, I will probably just stop childminding.
“I don’t mind doing courses such as first aid if it isn’t too time consuming. And I do think it is important for childminders, especially young graduates to undertake courses and training because entrusting your child with someone is a huge responsibility.
However, I believe the amount of training required should be reflective of the childminders experience. I have raised three children of my own and have minded 11 children over the years. That has to be taken into consideration.”
Discussing the inspection part of the action plan, Deirdre says, “Again, I have no problem with inspections in theory but there needs to be a common-sense approach. I have safety proofed my house the same way I did for my own children.
There are safety locks on the cupboards of my cleaning products and sharp items, I have gotten rid of trip hazards etc. But I don’t run a creche, this is my lovely family home and the rules should be reflective of that.
“Making big changes to my house or a significant investment of time would be a deal breaker. If that’s the case, I think I would just stop childminding, as would many other childminders my age, which is a pity because ultimately, its parents that will suffer.”
*Name changed for privacy reasons.
Two weeks ago, Irish Country Living’s childcare survey gave the views of 270 parents. In the comments section, there were many comments about childminders in Ireland. Here are the diverse views of some of our readers.
“I am a self-employed childminder. I am registered, insured and pay PRSI/Tax. Crèches are not the only option for parents. The media needs to educate themselves on what’s available - childminding in your own home is not the ‘Black Market’ of options available. In fact, it’s a niche market which offers premium care for children.
“I had an amazing childminder who unfortunately got very sick and passed away recently. She was like a second mother to my children and her house was like their own. We have a lovely lady now but an adjustment for everyone and more expensive.”
“Our childminder is lovely but she gets cash in hand so no policy around this which means she can increase fees at any time.”
“I am commenting as a childcare provider and parent. My role as a childminder gave me the opportunity to be at home with my children. In the media reports, it saddens me to see parents talking about lack of creche spaces and that they are forced to turn to the unregulated, unregistered, money in the pocket, black market that is childminders. There is so little knowledge out there on the role we play in the care of children.
“We can’t avail of government funding as we use a private childminder.”
“We have always chosen a childminder over a creche. With three children, it gives us more flexibility and its less expensive.”
“There needs to be an honest conversation about childminders and the role they play in caring for children, especially those under one. Many operate without paying tax, insurance or registering with the relevant authorities. As I said, an honest conversation has to be had about the vast majority who are operating in the black market.”
“I have two children, three and six months. My three-year-old goes to a childminder in rural Laois. She is Tusla registered, therefore, we can avail of the NCS. Costs vary each year, according to the child’s age. I have paid from €65 per week to my current rate of €98.75 per week. I am very lucky to have affordable childcare in the area as I would be unable to afford to pay a childminder at €5 per hour for a 40-hour week. Although I am currently on maternity leave, I decided to continue to pay for childcare to keep his place for when I return to work.”
“Rural independent childcare providers ensure the sustainability of the rural economy. I could not have worked (part-time) for the last 16 years without our wonderful childminder, worth every cent paid and more.”
“I am a single mam of one. I have a good job. However, as my child is with a childminder (which is my personal choice), I do not receive any compensation from the NCS. There were no registered childminders in the area for me to contact. After paying €1,300 a month in childcare, my mortgage, car loan, bills and medical insurance, I have €60 per week to spend on food and leisure. It’s time the government acknowledged the struggle parents face.”
“There is a huge lack of knowledge, understanding and recognition of childminders in Ireland. Like many other childminders, who open their doors every morning with a smile on their face to care for children in their home, I am waiting for the change that is coming, the recognition. Despite the fact that the National Childminding Action Plan is being rolled out, the media seem to have little or no regard in the service we provide to thousands of families.”
Read more Childminder sector set to change
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