Kickstart Your Childminding Business With a Garden Room

11-03-2024

Thinking about becoming a childminder? Amazing! There are government incentives which can support you to make this rewarding career possible! Not sure you have enough space at home? No problem. A garden room is the perfect way to create additional space at your property without costly and time-consuming renovations. At Cabin Master, we offer finance options so you can kickstart your childminding business with ease. Let's discuss everything you need to know..

Starting a Childminding Business

Thinking about becoming a childminder? What a rewarding career! You can make a difference to the lives of young children every day, helping to give them the best start in life, all from the comfort of your own home. You will become your own boss. But what's involved?

Childminders offer professional home-away-from-home childcare. They look after small groups of children of different ages. They work closely with parents and carers to provide bespoke care. Some childminders may offer wraparound childcare. This means looking after children of all ages before and after school, and during the school holidays.

A typical day is likely to include:

Encouraging children’s development using creative play, reading and storytelling
Cooking with and for the children, providing healthy, nutritious meals and snacks
Taking the children to and from nursery or school
Monitoring the children’s progress
Working with parents and carers to support their child’s ongoing learning and development
Safeguarding the children and ensuring their welfare

What do you need to become a childminder?

You must Register as a childminder either with Ofsted or a childminder agency

Pass an enhanced DBS check (as will anyone aged 16 or over who lives with you or works in your home regularly)

Paediatric first aid and child protection training
References
A health declaration form

What grants are available for new childminders?

The government offers a childminder start-up grant. In order to receive this grant, you must work as a childminder in England and have completed your Ofsted or childminder agency registration before applying. This grant is for new childminders only. If you registered with Ofsted or a childminder agency before 15 March 2023 and you are still registered, you’re not eligible.

You’ll get different amounts of money depending on which register you joined. The amounts reflect the different costs of registering.

If you registered with:

Ofsted, you’ll get £600
a childminder agency, you’ll get 2 payments totalling £1,200: £600 when you register and £600 when you start childminding your first child.

You can only receive one childminder start-up grant. If you registered on or after 1 January 2024, you must apply within two months of your registration date.

How much space at home do you need to become a childminder?

According to Ofsted, these are the indoor space requirements for childminders:

Children under two years: 3.5m² per child
Two-year-olds: 2.5m² per child
Children aged three to five years: 2.3m² per child

How will a Garden Room help?

Struggling to find enough space at home for your childminding business? At Cabin Master, we design and install bespoke garden rooms to suit the space available in your garden and the needs of your business. In fact, our garden rooms can be as large as 30m² and also contain a small kitchen area and toilet!

What are some of the many benefits of investing in a garden room for your childminder start up?

Increase your available space at home so the children have plenty of room to move, grow and play!
Contain the 'mess' from the rest of your house. You can also store equipment, crafts, activities, toys and other items in your garden room.
Give the children a naturally bright space with relaxing views of your garden. If you opt for our bi-fold door option, you will be able to open them out and create a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor play, allowing the children to immerse themselves in nature.
Your garden room can be designed with a kitchen area and toilet should you wish, providing facilities for snack/meal preparation or accessible toileting for the little ones!

Financing your garden room

We understand that not everyone kickstarting their business with a garden room will have enough in the savings pot to pay upfront. That's why we have finance options available to help make it possible! Pay for your new garden room over time and let your childminding business flourish. Check out our information on financing your garden room here.