• Find an early years and childcare inspection report
• Understanding an early years and childcare inspection report
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted inspects
• Inspecting early years and childcare
• Types of early years and childcare Ofsted regulates
• Regulating early years and childcare; applying to be a provider
  • About the two early years and childcare registers
  • Registration not required
  • Before the registration process as a childminder
  • Registering as a childminder
  • After registration as a childminder
• Safeguarding children
• Children's centres
• About our survey reports
• How to complain

Before the registration process as a childminder

Before you apply to be a childminder, you can get guidance that will help you decide if you are suitable.

Your local authority or its family information service can help you; contact details are on the Family Information Service website, your local authority website ( A–Z of local authority websites) or in the telephone directory.

Local authorities have briefing sessions for prospective childminders, where you can find out if you are suited to childminding.

You can download a copy of a briefing presentation from our website.

If you do go on to apply, your local authority or its family information service can help you during the application process; it can also help with training, including first aid, and advice.

You will need to consider two key things about being a childminder.

• The ages of the children that you want to care for This will affect which registers you can apply to.

• Suitable premises If you are not going to use your own home, you will need to find another suitable home environment before you apply for registration.

The ages of the children you choose and the premises you have will help you decide which of our registers you apply to join: the Early Years Register and/or the Childcare Register.

Also if you want to work with three or more other people you must apply as childcare on domestic premises and not childminding. For further information go to the early years and childcare provider registration pages.