Figures reveal drop in number of registered childminders

There were 58,603 registered childminders at the end of December last year, down on December 2008’s total of 60,545.

The National Childminding Association (NCMA) has blamed the recession and regulatory changes.

An NCMA spokeswoman said: "The Early Years Foundation Stage, which applied to childminders from 2008, has had an effect. Some felt overwhelmed by it at first."

Another factor has been a switch of status for some childminders, which has taken them out of the registered childminder figures.

From September 2008, childminders have been allowed to work in teams under the different status of domestic childcare providers. The latest figures show a rise from 68 to 102 such providers between December 2008 and December 2009. The NCMA points out that each domestic childcare provider can include around four to 10 childminders.

Both the NCMA and the Daycare Trust have called for more business support to help childminders cope with regulatory change and recession.

Alison Garnham, chief executive of Daycare Trust, said: "More support both through children’s centres and childminder networks is needed to make sure childminders get the help they need to stay in practice."