Childminders work across a range of hours, which is great if your working day doesn’t fit the 9 to 5, Monday to Friday pattern, or if you have children of different ages and you want them to be looked after together. You may also want your child to be cared for in a home environment.

A day in the life of a childminder provides an example of the kinds of activities your children will get up to when they are with a childminder.

No 2 days are the same though, as childminders also like to get out and about, attending library story times, visiting local toddler groups, parks and other fun places. We asked a local childminder what her week may involve.

• Monday morning: the children and I look forward to visiting a local toddler group where we catch up with our friends (other childminders and their children, along with some parents and carers and children from the local area; lots of fun for big and small
• Tuesday morning: today we are at the childminder group at the local children’s centre; it’s a small but friendly group. We enjoy exploring the toys and resources available, and reading stories together
• Wednesday afternoon: midweek means it's our visit to a weekly play session at the local church hall. This is a fantastic, lively session for children from babies to pre-school children and their parents and carers. There are lots of different toys available to play with, messy craft activities on offer (don’t worry Mum, we have our smocks on!), singing, and yummy refreshments
• Thursday morning: it’s back to the venue of our Monday toddler group. Some familiar faces from Monday, but a few new ones to, and the chance to play with our favourite toys. It’s our home away from home
• Friday: today is our home day. We play in the back garden, spend time reading stories together, enjoy dressing up, role play and possibly some baking

Here’s a video produced by Walsall FIS showing how childminders in Walsall provide an invaluable service to parents and carers.