You may be able to get money to help with the cost of setting up as a childminder.

Childminder start-up grants provide eligible new childminders with a one-off payment. You do not have to pay the grant back.

Eligibility

You can apply for a start-up grant if you registered as a new childminder after 15 March 2023. You must:

• work as a childminder in England
• have completed your Ofsted or childminder agency (CMA) registration before applying

This grant is for new childminders only - these are individuals who are either registering as a childminder for the first time, or those individuals who have previously registered as a childminder but de-registered for at least 12 months before their current registration.

Nannies and nurseries are not eligible for a grant.

Childminders without domestic premises are eligible to apply for the grant.

If you are not registered as a childminder, you can find out more about becoming a childminder.

Registered with Ofsted

If you’re registered with Ofsted, you must be listed as a childminder on either the:

• early years register
• general childcare register

Registered with a childminder agency

If you’re registered with a childminder agency, you must:

• hold a current registration to get your first payment
• have started childminding your first child within 6 months of your registration date to get your second payment

What you’ll get

You’ll get different amounts of money depending on which register you joined. The amounts reflect the different costs of registering.

If you registered with:

• Ofsted, you’ll get £600
• a childminder agency, you’ll get 2 payments totalling £1,200:
  • £600 when you register
  • £600 when you start childminding your first child

You can only receive one childminder start-up grant.

When to apply

New childminders who wish to apply for the grant will need to finalise their Ofsted or CMA registration by 31 March 2025. New childminders must apply for the grant within 2 months of confirmation of their childminder registration date.

We recognise that in some circumstances childminder registration may be delayed due to registration checks (for example, GP health checks) taking longer than expected.

For this reason, an applicant who submits their registration to Ofsted or a CMA by 3 January 2025 will still be eligible to apply for the grant if completion of their registration is delayed beyond 31 March 2025 for reasons relating to the completion of registration checks. In these cases, we will require Ofsted or your CMA to confirm that your registration with them has been delayed for these reasons.

Note: applicants who begin their registration with Ofsted or a CMA after 3 January 2025 will still be eligible to apply for the grant as long as they finalise registration prior to 31 March 2025.

If you are a CMA-registered childminder, you must have started childminding your first child within 6 months of your registration date to get your second payment. If your registration is delayed beyond 31 March 2025 you must have started childminding by 30 September 2025 as this is the final date that second payments can be made.

How to apply

You’ll need:

• your contact details
• your National Insurance number
• details of your registered work address (if different from your home address)
• proof of your registered work address, such as a utility bill or a letter from HMRC
• to know your local authority area
• your childminder registration number and registration date
• details of the bank account you want the grant paying into
• a copy of a bank statement showing your current address

Most childminders will find out if they can receive a grant within 2 weeks of submitting their application.

Help with your application

If you need help with your application, contact the Ecorys support team at childmindergrants@ecorys.com.