Mind That Childminder

In this episode, your host and colleague Charlotte will be chatting with you about music in the early years and answering the question "Is singing with children enough?" This episode looks at music development as it's own set of developmental milestones and helps even the least musical of childminders realise you can deliver great musical education without being able to play and inst...

Your host and colleague Charlotte chats through 'school readiness' and shares a shocking discovery in the research! This episode will help you gain a realistic view around this hot topic in the media, and gives you some things to consider about what school readiness might even mean to people in different roles. Audio credit : Cute Avalanche YouTube audio libraryReferences:https://beststart...

Listening to this episode will help you feel supported on how to process and get through a crisis, particularly as a Childminder where children are often entwined with our home and home life. Your host and colleague Charlotte is joined by fellow Childminder and the creator of Nurture Co. - Emma to support you through things that you might come across during a crisis. Find out more about Nurture Co...

Your host and colleague Charlotte is giving you a behind the scenes peek into the life of podcasting. Keeping it real that mistakes happen even if they are edited out for full episodes! Expect some smiles, earworms and good old human error in this mini episode! Music credit : Cute Avalanche- YouTube Audio Library

In this episode, your host and colleague Charlotte is taking a reflective stance on how joy could be found in your Childminding setting and beyond. After this episode you should gain lots of ideas about how to find joy whilst staying authentic to who you are, and how this could trickle into your Childminding setting. Charlotte also considers the qualities/attributes of children's entertainment...

In this episode, your colleague and host Charlotte is joined by sustainability industry professional Amy Nicholass to make your role as a sustainability lead make sense. You will come away with an understanding of what to put in a climate action plan that makes sense for your setting and feel inspired about how little actions make a huge difference to the climate as well as the habits you will be...

Join your host and colleague Charlotte as she welcomes her first ever guest to discuss all things nutrition! Make the nutrition guidance 2025 more achievable for yourself by joining this conversation with registered dietician Dalia Weinreb as topics such as the importance of good nutrition, menu planning and tips for picky eaters are all covered in less than an hour! For more of Dalia's work: http...

In this episode we are going to have a little look into outdoor requirements for Childminders, as well as thinking about some research that impacts our every day lives. We are going to shout about how Childminders have a really unique opportunity to be outdoors with children but also how to become just a little bit more outdoorsy ourselves. This episode will also have you wondering with your host...

In this episode Charlotte talks you through why sleep is so important for everyone and gives you the reasons of why it is vital to share research backed information with families. Charlotte also talks about the sweet spot that Childminders are in being both professionals but also having the vibe of being an informal advice giver, and why we have to use that position of power wisely when we are wor...

Childminders are in an exceptional position to bring young children into the community. This episode gives you research backed definitions of community and why it's so valuable. Charlotte discusses why she thinks young children are at risk of not being members of their communities and how to ensure they don't miss out! Charlotte also shares ideas with you so you can create opportunities for your o...

It's time that Childminders recognise their amazing and varied skills! In this episode we are having a conversation about the skills you use every day and how valuing these will help you to feel happier both in and out of work. Why can inspections feel jarring? How can skills be of value if no one else is talking about them? How does speaking kindly to yourself help protect you? All these question...

Your host and colleague is here keeping it real with a blooper reel. Hopefully it will keep you smiling until the next full episode! Enjoy!

Potty training has been something that has popped up in lots of media sources recently. Find out why is is such a hot topic, get support in thinking about what a childminder's role in potty training could be and also feel validated about any concerns you might have about it. We are banishing the shame about bodies and bodily functions and digging into the vocabulary and research, so be brave and l...

Is there more than one way to be a childminder? What childminding styles are out there? Am I doing it wrong if I am not childminding in the same way as I see other childminders online or in my local area? Let's find out together! Grab that cuppa or stick on those headphones to do the chores as we get stuck into chatting about independent childminding, childminder agencies and lots of different app...

What is a 'sense of wonder' anyway? Let's delve into it together, and along the way find out about some research, how it links to frameworks in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. We'll also chat about ideas on how a sense of wonder might appear in your setting and how childminders are perfectly placed to support this approach! EYFS https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65aa5e2...

Childminding can be an isolating job, and lots of people leave the profession because of it. But it doesn't have to be that way! In this episode you will get much needed validation for your feelings of isolation and some tips from your host and colleague Charlotte (BA hons Early Years and Childminder of the Year 2023), about how to conquer some of those feelings of isolation. Links to things m...