Nearly 8,000 childminders left the profession in the 19 months to December 2008 - a fall of 11 per cent.
Many have blamed the drop on the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), which came into force last September. The new curriculum for under-fives has been criticised for being target-driven and too focused on paperwork instead of play.
But Liz Bayram, chief executive of the National Childminding Association (NCMA), is reluctant to lay the blame solely at the door of the curriculum. "The drop in figures is clearly mirroring a drop in group settings, such as nurseries," she says. "So while we can see the EYFS is having an impact on some childminders, the current climate must also be considered."
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