Become a childminder - the childminder training

We explain what you need to be a childminder & Bring daycare. In addition to appropriate training, there are many other points to consider. On this page you will find the most important topics you should know to work as day care for one or more families:

How can I become a childminder??

In principle, both women and men can become childminders. The fact that men can be trained as day carers is still the exception, but is becoming more and more common in the course of slowly changing social structures. Due to current decisions in day care for children, the same conditions and possibilities apply for day fathers as for a child minder.

The legal provisions of the Eighth Book of the Social Code for Children and Youth Welfare (SGB VIII – Children and Youth Welfare Act) and the regulations of the responsible federal state in which you are based serve as the basis for childcare. Experience shows that there are very different additional regulations in different countries. Our tip: For further information, contacting a regional youth welfare office should help.

A job in day care for children requires a nursing permit and aptitude test from the responsible youth welfare office. The legislator is clear here:

A person who wants to take care of one or more children outside the legal guardian’s household for part of the day and for more than 15 hours a week for a fee for more than three months requires permission.

Source: SG8, § 43 Childcare permit

What are the requirements??

personality

The first requirement is, of course, your own health and personal attitude to such a responsible task as childcare is. Children are not only cute and not only need to be provided with food and clothing, but also need loving care and honest attention. Officially one speaks of "personality, professional competence and willingness to cooperate" for the activity in the care.

Those who have little fun finding their way into a child-friendly everyday life should rethink their decision to be trained as a childminder. In this case, the authorities can provide helpful advice and support your own decision. The contact person at the certification body needs credible motivation to care for and loving contact with children without physical and mental violence. One or more one-on-one interviews are required to determine suitability.

The individual characteristics of one’s own personality should match the profile of childcare. Especially for education the small child should be a role model.

physical and mental resilience
reliability
responsibility
organizational capacity
ability to cooperate
stability

Professional knowledge

In addition, the future childminder should show willingness to "actively deal with technical questions, to cooperate with the specialist support, with other professional professions and other day carers".

Do I need training in a certain profession?

No. There is no specific childminder training. Everyone can be trained as a childminder, no matter what profession he / she previously practiced. The prerequisite for taking in day-care children is the acquisition of a childminder qualification. The only requirement is in-depth knowledge of the requirements of day care for children. However, these can be acquired in qualified courses.

Who needs this certification?

According to § 43 SGB VIII everyone needs the children

outside the parents’ home (legal guardians)
during part of the day
more than 15 hours a week
for a fee
wants to look after this permit, which is issued by the youth welfare offices, for longer than three months.

This qualification is a measure that is offered by the youth welfare office and, after successful completion, leads to permission to take in and look after daycare children. There is a certificate of participation certifying that you have attended conscientiously.

If you can demonstrate a pedagogical qualification, the course at the youth welfare office can also be dispensed with in individual cases.

With this certificate, a childminder is given permission to look after up to five children at the same time. If you want to look after more than five children at the same time, you need additional educational training. Here, too, the youth welfare office provides information about the opportunities for further training and additional courses that can be attended. Youth welfare offices limit the nursing permit to 5 years and it is also a police one
Certificate of good conduct required. Working as a childminder can be carried out as a salaried job or as self-employed work.

Where can I get my training??

The training offered by the childminder training extends over several weeks and amounts to 160 lessons. During this time, interested parties are provided with all the basics about nursing and pedagogical skills that are necessary to work as a caregiver for children. It also doesn’t matter whether you want to start your own qualification afterwards or whether you want to be mediated by the youth welfare office in the future.

A good general education and an impeccable reputation are, in addition to an impeccable childminder training, also prerequisites for working in day care.

What other preparations and conditions do I need??

In addition to the personal requirements for a childminder in child day care, factual and organizational issues must also be taken into account. § 23 SGB VIII speaks of: "child-friendly premises".

Child-friendly rooms and equipment

If you have successfully completed the qualification measure, the environment in which the day children will be staying has to be designed accordingly. That means that your own apartment or house must be child-friendly and the day care household should be suitable for the care of children.

Sufficient play and rest opportunities must be created, food preparation must be secured and sources of danger must be eliminated. In detail means the:

Child-friendly premises:

enough space for play opportunities,
a stimulating design,
suitable employment materials,
accident-preventing and good hygienic conditions
a place to sleep, especially for small children
Possibility of playing and experiencing in nature, in the forest or in parks

Exact details differ from state to state.

The youth welfare office also comes to your home for this, checks and advises on possible improvements. Always remember: The more satisfied parents and children are with your offer, the faster you can earn a good reputation. Word of mouth is the best and cheapest advertisement out there.

Prepare a nice home for “your” day children and give them everything you would give their own children. In some federal states, care does not necessarily have to take place in the daycare person’s own household. You can also switch to other suitable rooms if they meet the requirements. You can also get some tips for furniture here.

If conversion measures or larger purchases are possible for your start as a childminder, it may make sense to discuss subsidies for start-ups or a microcredit. You may be able to use grants to support your capital for expanding the place of care. Funding should always be on a solid footing.

Suitable play and employment opportunities

Toys and employment materials are subject to higher requirements in childcare than in the private sector. Parents should place special emphasis on whether sufficient age-appropriate toys are available for the children. The cost of toys and the general equipment of the day care rooms should not be underestimated.

Particular emphasis should be placed on toys that promote early childhood education.

We have also put together some tips for excursions here.

Accident-preventing and good hygienic conditions

So please check whether your premises meet the requirements or whether you are ready and able to make the necessary changes. This includes not only adequate equipment for their day children, but in addition to cooking facilities, items such as cleaning the rooms, toys and child safety in the equipment. Stricter requirements have been in effect here for some years.

Tax information

The income as childminder is income from self-employment that is subject to income tax and generally has effects on social security law. Day care workers must inform themselves accordingly. Sick people are important issues in this context- & and long-term care insurance, operating expense reports, taxes and social security obligations.

According to § 6 GewO, the activity in child day care is not a commercial enterprise. It is therefore not necessary to register with the trade office.

further education

Being a childminder also requires a lot of educational knowledge. Be happy and with all your heart and inquire again and again about further training opportunities to make your offer more and more attractive for the children. Check with mother & Father of the child according to special guidelines in education. Then you are a real help in everyday life. Working in childcare is more than just a job, because many nannies are almost part of the family.

Conclusion:

Childcare and childcare activities are linked to strict federal and state requirements. Without certification at the local youth welfare office is not Nursing permit possible. If you would like to look after children more than 15 hours a week for a fee for more than three months, you should contact the contact person at the youth welfare office.

Do you have another question? Write us a comment!