Ash & Claire Childminders

29/04/2026

A little update on the reality of being a childminder, and we are finally taking our fight straight to national television! 📺💭

I have some absolutely massive news to share with you all. BBC Breakfast is officially coming out to film us in person on Monday 11th May!
They will be joining us at our morning toddler group first, and then heading back to our home.

While they originally contacted me about the devastating ten percent wear and tear loss, I am making absolutely sure we cover the entire invisible load we all carry.
We will be discussing the frustrating new sleep guidance that simply does not suit every home environment, the wildly inconsistent Ofsted reviews, the totally broken funding system, and exactly why so many amazing professionals are running on empty and being forced to leave the sector.

I want to say a massive thank you to every single person who has commented and helped so far. Your real world experiences and honest reflections are exactly what convinced the producers to come out and film the true reality of our jobs. We do not do this alone, and I am so incredibly grateful for this wonderful community.

Finally, since the cameras will be at our toddler group on that Monday morning, I would absolutely love to invite any other childminders in the Basingstoke area to come along!

We are running a special messy play and art day, so it will look completely brilliant on television. Please drop me a direct message if you are local and want to join us.

Let us show the nation exactly what independent early years educators do every single day! ✨

28/04/2026

I had the absolute best little helper for our early morning admin today! ☕️📝

One of our lovely mindees arrives a bit before the rest of the children, so I was using the quiet time this morning to tackle some of that endless paperwork and sort out the sign in sheets for our toddler group.

She had a tablet available on the table. I know people have different views on screens, but we find them to be a fantastic educational tool when used in moderation for learning games. However, she had absolutely no interest in the tablet today!

Instead, she wanted to sit next to me and do some actual work. She grabbed a pen, paper and got completely stuck into her own very important admin.
In the early years world, this is absolute magic to see.

Children learn primarily by copying the adults around them. By watching me write and focus, she naturally wanted to mimic that exact behaviour. This kind of role play and early mark making is a massive step in developing those fine motor skills she will eventually need for writing at school.

Plus, it was just brilliant company for my morning paperwork. Having a tiny coworker definitely makes doing the accounts a lot more fun. ✨

Who else has a little shadow at home who completely ignores their actual toys just to copy exactly what you are doing? Let me know in the comments! 👇

26/04/2026

A little weekend reflection on the reality of being a childminder 💭

​Most of you see the brilliant and fun parts of my job. The crafts, the smiles, the laughter, and the special trips Claire and I take the mindees on such as Legoland, theatre and zoos. As we cannot have children of our own, taking the mindees on these big adventures gives us the absolute best opportunity to bond and make amazing memories. Those special days out fill our hearts and I would not trade them for anything in the world.

​But I wanted to be totally transparent today and admit something. I am running on empty right now.

​Being a childminder, having a toddler group and a Squirrel Scouts volunteer is the most rewarding life I could ask for, but the invisible load is incredibly heavy. Recently we welcomed a beautiful 6 month old mindee into our setting. It is absolutely fantastic and I am soaking up every single milestone, but as anyone who has cared for a baby knows, it takes a massive amount of time, care, and hands on energy!

​Right now, on top of working 4 to 5 days a week, my plate looks like this:

​The Daily Grind:
Getting the house ready every single day takes so much energy before the children even arrive. I have to completely reset all the toys, prepare the activities, and make sure the space is completely safe and welcoming for the little ones. Plus the pickups and drop offs that mean my day starts early or finishes later.

​The Endless Paperwork:
Most people do not see the administrative side of early years care and community work, but it truly never stops. I have policies, risk assessments and more for childminding, and active planning for the toddler group, plus all the administrative duties and planning required to run the Squirrel Scouts safely. It takes up hours and hours of my evenings and weekends just to stay on top of the legal requirements.

​The Community Volunteering:
I spend my Sunday nights physically setting up the hall so our Monday morning toddler group is completely ready to go the second the parents arrive. Then there is planning and running the Squirrels on a Wednesday night, plus always being willing to step in and support other Scout groups in the local area when they desperately need extra adults to run safely.

​The Fight for Our Sector:
The early years sector is facing some really exhausting changes right now, and I am actively advocating for childminders behind the scenes. We are currently fighting against the massive loss of the 10% percent wear and tear allowance, which hits us incredibly hard financially. We are also actively confronting the DFE and government against better sleep policies and fairer conditions for everyone in the early years profession because our mindees deserve the absolute best care.

​The Studying and Training:
I am currently putting in the hours to work toward my AET award. Earning this qualification is absolutely vital to me because it means I will eventually be able to provide free or heavily discounted First Aid and Safeguarding training to my fellow childminders. So many early years educators are feeling the financial squeeze right now, and I want to do absolutely whatever I can to support our amazing childcare community.

​I want to be absolutely clear. I do not want anything to change. I love my job. I love children in general. I love the chaos, the community, and the absolute joy these kids bring to my life every single day.

​I also know I do not do this alone. I am so incredibly grateful for my wonderful wife Claire, who helps me shoulder this massive load and makes those special days out possible. I also have to give a massive shoutout to my amazing leaders at Squirrels. I literally could not do Wednesday nights without you all.

​I am sharing this because I know so many other educators, childminders, and parents are probably feeling the exact same burnout. I just realized lately that between all these wonderful things, I have zero time left for myself to just breathe.

​So if I seem a bit tired at the door lately or take a little longer to reply to a message, please bear with me! I am just doing my absolute best to keep all these brilliant plates spinning. Sending love to you all, and thank you for trusting us with your little ones. ✨

​

26/04/2026

If anyone wants to come out next weekend to support our scouts

Come along and enjoy a day of fun and games while helping to raise money for our young people to attend a District camp.

25/04/2026

Yesterday was not our first visit to Legoland this year! 🎢

We have actually been twice before, although we definitely did not have the beautiful sunny weather we had yesterday! Here are some brilliant pictures from our previous visits that we wanted to finally share. 📸

It is always so lovely to be able to do these special days out with the mindees. Taking them on these big adventures really separates us from other early years settings, and it gives us the absolute best opportunity to bond and make amazing memories with our little ones. 🧱✨

24/04/2026

As promised, here are the photos from our fantastic day out at Legoland! 🧱🎢

We spent hours just exploring the park, and the mindees had the absolute best time. They were so incredibly brave on the rides and did a brilliant job practicing all their waiting and walking skills today.

What a perfect way to finish off our week! ✨

24/04/2026

We have made it to Legoland! 🧱🎢

The mindees are absolutely buzzing, but big days out like this are about so much more than just the rides.

They are brilliant opportunities to practice huge life skills! Today is all about learning to wait nicely, keeping up with lots of walking, and finding the courage to be brave.

Lots of pictures to come later! Have a fantastic Friday everyone! ☀️

21/04/2026

What a fantastic morning we have had in the garden today!

We set the children up for some brilliant water fun and spent hours just splashing around our outdoor play area. The mindees had the absolute best time exploring the homemade monster truck slide. They loved practicing their pouring skills with the water buckets, racing their cars down the long pipes, and splashing freely around the water tables.

14/04/2026

Bonjour from Disneyland Paris! 🇫🇷✨

Today we are celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary!
You all know how much we love a Disney holiday, but believe it or not, this is our very first time celebrating our anniversary right here by the castle.

We are taking a well earned break to enjoy the rides, eat some wonderful food, and celebrate eight amazing years of marriage together.

Wishing all our lovely families a brilliant week. See you all soon!

09/04/2026

What a fantastic morning we have had at The Vyne in Basingstoke! ☀️
We took the children out for some brilliant Easter fun and spent hours just running around the beautiful national heritage grounds. The mindees had the absolute best time exploring all the different activities. They loved practicing their throwing skills with the giant Easter eggs, making music on the outdoor sound boards, and running freely through the stunning gardens.

07/04/2026

What an absolutely incredible day we have had! ☀️

Claire and I took five of our wonderful mindees for a massive day out at 4 Kingdoms Adventure Farm. We actually both used to work there back in the day, so it was a lot of fun to return as visitors and show the children all the best spots!

We were so lucky to have a beautifully sunny day for exploring. The children had the most magical time petting the friendly rabbits and guinea pigs, and we even had a very exciting meet and greet with Peter Rabbit and the Easter Bunny! 🐰

We spent hours spotting all the different animals and doing so much playing across the park. However, there was one clear winner for the day. The Safari train was an absolute massive hit with the children, so much so that we ended up going on the ride five separate times! 🚂🦒

Days like this, out in the fresh air and learning through active play, are exactly why we love what we do.

05/04/2026

Happy Easter to all our incredible mindees and their families! 🐰🐣

Today also marks two and a half years since we first opened ✨

We have had the most fantastic first week of the Easter holidays. Here are some wonderful pictures of all the adventures we have been up to:
🐰 Exploring and spotting all the incredible animals over at Whipsnade Zoo!
🐣 Our brilliant trip out to Cholderton Rare Breeds Farm.
🐰 Joining in all the fun at the local Easter event at Brookvale Hall.
🐣 Completing the very special Peter Rabbit trail at Milestones Museum.

A massive thank you to all the families who have supported us over the last two and a half years. We love what we do, and we absolutely love the community we have built together.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend!