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Working with babies means working closely with their families. Childminders tend to be particularly proud of having very close relationships with the families of the children they care for, offering flexible, personal provision (Papatheodorou and Luff, 2023; Aaronricks, 2023). Many childminders also work alongside assistants, extending this circle of care and creating a wider network of support for babies and their families. In fact, in 2025, about 41% of childminders worked with assistants (Coward, 2026).

In this blog post, we share our conversation with Lourdes Kerr, a former childminder of 14 years and current lecturer at Middlesex University. Together, we discover how high-quality baby provision happens when childminders, assistants and families come together to share knowledge, build relationships and place babies’ wellbeing at the centre of every decision.

Working with babies

Lourdes shared how much she loved caring for babies, describing their awe at discovering the world for the very first time. With babies especially, a childminder becomes part of the microsystem of the family, joining in that immediate circle of care surrounding the child. Lourdes’ pedagogy centred on respecting babies’ voices and always thinking about what the baby needed, following their cues and interests. Above all, Lourdes believed that babies should enjoy their time with her. She wanted her setting to be a place of laughter, dancing and play.

Lourdes described how she would encourage her assistants to listen to babies’ voices in practical, everyday ways, whether through asking for permission before picking up a baby or using the Leuven Scale to attune to the wellbeing of the children. When talking with her assistants about working with babies, she would ask them to gift children three things: Time, compassion, and a willingness to play.

Working with assistants

From the moment Lourdes set up her childminding provision, she knew she wanted to work with assistants. She felt it would help her avoid the isolation that is so common in the profession. She also wanted to share the responsibility of caring for children, believing that working alongside others would help lighten the load and sustain a positive working environment.

Across the 14 years Lourdes’ setting was open, she had 6 assistants, one of whom stayed with her for 12 years. While Lourdes took great care in managing her assistants, she always viewed herself as a hands-on member of the team. She cooked, changed nappies, and played with the children to model best practice and ensure her assistants felt valued at work.

Importantly, she would listen to her assistants’ ideas, taking their suggestions seriously. She described not always having the last word and wanting to be told when she was wrong. This approach empowered her assistants to have a sense of ownership over their provision and trust themselves when working with babies. In other words, their work ‘wasn’t just a ratio, but a purpose, and they knew they were doing something good for those babies and families.’

Working with families

Lourdes expressed the importance of conversations with families to the assistants: ‘Drop off is the foundation of how the day will go with babies.’ There was an expectation that they would have at least a five-minute conversation at drop off every day to understand how a baby was feeling when they came to the setting. Lourdes said, ‘We need to know if dad’s not home, if a sibling woke up in the middle of the night, if they’re not feeling well or had a busy weekend. Babies can’t talk, so we need to check in every day with the families.’ Lourdes shared that when the babies start talking, if the assistants asked a question that they thought a baby could respond to, they would get on their level and ask the child directly.

After these conversations took place, the assistants would communicate what they learned with Lourdes and the team, helping them make a plan for the day ahead. This approach meant that they could work in partnership with families. It was a genuine relationship where families’ and babies’ needs were cared for and respected.

Final thoughts

When childminders, assistants and families work in partnership, they create a complete circle of care that supports babies. Together, they build a shared understanding of each baby, drawing on the knowledge of assistants, the insights of families, and the observations and voices of the babies themselves. Here are a few questions to spark reflection about your practice:

• How do you ensure assistants feel valued and empowered as members of the team?
• How do you practically build relationships with families to develop a deeper understanding of the babies in your care? What does this look like day to day?

References

Aaronricks, K. (2023) “A childminder approach: recognising a distinctive home-based pedagogy”, Norland Educare Research Journal, 1(1). Available at: https://doi.org/10.60512/repository.norland.ac.uk.00000007

Coward, J. (2026) Registering a childminder assistant: what you need to know. Ofsted: Early Years. Available at: https://earlyyears.blog.gov.uk/2026/05/18/registering-a-childminder-assistant-what-you-need-to-know/ (Accessed: 13 August 2026).

Papatheodorou, T. and Luff, P. (2023) “Characteristics and qualities of home-based childcare: exploring the views of trained childminders and nannies,” Norland Educare Research Journal, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.60512/repository.norland.ac.uk.00000008.