A Portsoy childminder is “over the moon” after being named one of the best childcare providers in Scotland.
Of 270 Care Inspectorate reports published in the last month, only Welly Walkers Childminding in Portsoy received an overall grading of ‘Excellent’.
Christine Mathieson runs the service herself, currently looking after nine kids.
Inspectors visited unannounced earlier this month, grading the service in four areas.
Welly Walkers received two ‘Excellent’s and two ‘Very Good’s, with an overall mark of ‘Excellent’ – a rare occurrence with only a handful of facilities hitting those heights each year.
Asked how she had turned her childminding business into one of Scotland’s best, Christine replied: “By being a little bit obsessed with my work.
“As many self-employed people out there will know, it does take over your life a little bit.
“But it’s all for the good of the children who are using the service. That’s what all the training courses and the changes to the way you do things are for.”
Portsoy childminder ‘couldn’t sleep’ after inspection
She added: “When the inspector left after her visit I couldn’t sleep!
“It’s a daunting experience when you’ve got someone inspecting you and you’re a lone worker.
“You’re trying to do your job while someone else is watching every move you make, looking at all your paperwork.
“So it was more of a relief than anything, when I read the report.
“But yes, absolutely delighted that the inspectors could see what I was trying to do for the children.
“I was particularly pleased to receive an ‘Excellent’ for ‘Nurturing care and support’ and ‘Play and learning’.
“As soon as I found out they both got ‘Excellent’ I was over the moon, because that’s really the core of it, isn’t it? That’s what it’s all about.
“They’re learning, they’re playing, and they feel safe. And they feel empowered to do things and to help themselves without having to ask an adult all the time.”
‘Children don’t benefit from being in a confined room all day’
The Portsoy childminder feels it’s more important than ever to offer care, comfort and support to under-5s, given more and more households have two working parents.
“We try to do what a mum and dad would ideally like to be doing with their children if they didn’t have to work,” said Christine.
“So taking them to groups, socialising, going to residential care homes, the café, just being part of the community is a huge thing with me.
“I don’t believe any human being, be it an adult or a child, benefits from being in a confined room for up to 10 hours a day.
“I don’t think that’s good for anybody’s wellbeing. It’s important for children to be out and to be seen in their community.”
Changing the perception of childminders
Christine thinks many parents don’t realise the options they have when it comes to returning to work.
She feels there’s an assumption that council-run nurseries are the be-all and end-all of childcare.
With a glowing Care Inspectorate report behind her, she told parents that their kids can thrive in other environments.
“There’s still this perception that childminders are just childminders, or babysitters.
“We’re slowly but surely changing that perception.
“It’s important that parents know that there are choices out there, there are options, when it comes to their funded ELC [Early Learning and Childcare].
“You don’t necessarily have to go to a local authority nursery that’s attached to a primary school.
“Sometimes these kids don’t see mum and dad from first thing in the morning until they go to bed at night.
“That’s a long time, and they need to form attachments to somebody. I don’t think a child can do that with another 30 children.”
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