Birmingham Childminders: In the Spotlight

Photo of a childminder and two young children tending to their veg patch in setting.

Written by Safiaya Abowath-Tulloch, Early Years Consultant (EYC) for Inclusion

Hello Birmingham Childminders! In July, we held our last virtual Childminder Network meeting for the 2022/23 academic year and allowed members to share the BRILLIANT work they do across Birmingham.

This edition of the blog ‘In the Spotlight’ celebrates the work of three Network members:

Jo Tambie
Enayat Mohamed
Judith Cooper

They’ve captured their work and kindly shared photos and a written summary of the impact their strategies/activities have had on children’s learning and development.

Jo Tambie: Our Fruit and Veg Patch

This is our fruit and veg patch, the children in our setting grew their own. The aim of this activity was for children to:

Eat more fruits and vegetables and learn about nutrition
Develop patience, responsibility, and curiosity
Improve fine and gross motor skills
Develop new vocabulary

The children regularly monitored the fruits and vegetables. This learning opportunity provided them further insight into the whole growing process and respect for nature whilst learning to take care of the produce.

Once the fruits and vegetables were ready to eat we made a delicious salad for lunch!

Enayat Mohamed: Speech, Language & Communication Interventions

I would like to share an example of an intervention employed within my setting surrounding speech, language and communication.

A three-year-old child recently started at my setting, transitioning from another setting. During the initial transition meeting, Mum expressed concerns about her son’s lack of speech and language. I advised Mum that I would carry out observations and should concerns arise, there would be an option to make a health referral to the Speech, Language and Communication Team.

During the observation, I observed the child pointed at objects and nodded when spoken to by my assistant; this was captured, recorded, and shared with Mum.

From the findings of the observation, my assistant and I discussed suitable strategies to support the child, these included:

One-to-one interventions
Group activities with his peers
Setting up activities according to the child’s likes and dislikes
Using flashcards with pictures and words
Phonetically sounding out words
Using keys words in Arabic to communicate with the child
Praise and encouragement
Differentiated stories and rhymes
Regular progress updates to Mum with follow–up activities for Mum to employ

Through employing the above strategies, and by the end of the first term, Mum and I noticed a difference in the child’s speech and language and confidently began to communicate clearly.

We continued to work with Mum and gradually differentiated the support interventions according to the needs of the child. This impacted positively, particularly on his social and emotional development, as well as the other areas of development. We are very confident that he is ready to start school and will have no communication barriers to excel and develop.

Judith Cooper: Communication Slips

I recently started using ‘Communication Slips’ to communicate with the parents.

I send the slips home for parents to complete and record useful key information about what the children have been doing at home. When the parents return the Communication Slips, the feedback gives an update on key events taking place with the child, consequently informing future planning, and putting relevant support strategies in place.

The impact of using the Communication Slips is that I know the child better and solidify partnership working with the parents. Furthermore, this supports the planning for the children’s next steps and targets more accurately and confidently.

Submit your own story for ‘In the Spotlight’

We all know how important Childminders are to children, families, and the early years sector. Every month we would like to feature a childminder in our blog so that our partner colleagues, neighbouring services, and the whole sector can see the amazing work that childminders do.

If you would like to share your story and be featured in a future blog, please email the following information to Safiaya Abowath-Tulloch (safiaya.abowath@birmingham.gov.uk):

Name
How long have you been a childminder?
How would you describe yourself in three words? 
What does your childminding setting offer?
What has been your biggest personal achievement and what has been your biggest achievement as a childminder?
Why did you decide to become a childminder?
What do you want parents and professionals to know about childminding?
Who do you look up to and why?
What does Birmingham mean to you?

Please include a photograph of yourself to accompany your submission.

Disability Access Fund (DAF)

Providers taking three and four-year-olds that are eligible for the DAF will be entitled to receive a one-off payment of £828 per financial year. The DAF is not based on an hourly rate and is an additional entitlement.

For further information, visit the Birmingham City Council website.

Future Network Meetings

Every two months, we hold a virtual ‘Teams’ network meeting. These meetings are an opportunity for childminders across the city to meet up, offer peer support, and share ideas and information. The meetings also regularly have guest speakers from other sectors to share information and processes with the childminders.

Upcoming childminder network meeting dates are listed below. If you would like to attend, please register via the link(s) in the relevant meeting listing(s).

Events