NICMA, the Northern Ireland Childminding
Association, works to support and develop registered home-based
childcare and provides a range of services to support Childminders,
parents and children. NICMA recently launched a new guide for parents who are
trying to find and select a childminder.
The publication of the booklet, Choosing a Childminder, follows the findings
of a recent local survey, commissioned by NICMA, which found that 30% of parents
questioned who had recently looked for childcare had found their search
difficult, with 17% describing their search as ‘very difficult’.
Registered childminding is the most popular form of childcare in Northern
Ireland - it accounts for 63% of full-time daycare places and 37% of all
childcare places here. But NICMA’s survey also revealed a strong preference
among Northern Ireland parents for word of mouth recommendations about childcare
providers. Parents were more wary about using formal sources of
information about childcare.
If you would like more information please contact:
NICMA, 16-18 Mill
Street, Newtownards, BT23 4LU
Phone: 028 9181 1015
Fax: 028 9182
0921
Email: info@nicma.org
www.nicma.org
