I, (Lynn) have been an active member of The Wyre Forest Childminding Group since 1995 and Charlotte a member since September 2013. It is a friendly, support group for all registered childminders in our area. The Wyre Forest Childminding Group is a thriving group, which has being serving the community since 1987; we are one of the oldest groups in the country.
The group was originally set up by two Registered Childminders Penny Webb and Sheila Legelli who thought there was a need to have a support group where all childminders and their minded children could meet together and help, support and advice each other. This was just the start of the Wyre Forest Childminding Group. We started off in a small place called the Freda Eddy Centre with just a few boxes of toys, we now have at least forty regular members who all work hard to make the group a great success and a fun place for our children to play and learn. Through good members we grew from strength to strength promoting good quality childcare. It is now a thriving membership-based group that meets regularly throughout the week.
We are now at St Johns Hall on Habberley on Monday and Friday morning, our toy cupboards now are more like small rooms, with the most wonderful selection of toys and resources. These sessions are very relaxed, where you and your child/children can play with a wide selection of toys, resources and equipment, to suit all their ages and stages of development in completely safe child friendly environment.
Childminding can be a very challenging, but rewarding job but also very isolated if you do not become part of a group. By meeting with other childminders regularly helps me to reflect on my own practices and share and generate new ideas and information and support each other. It is also of great advantage to all the children as they can develop relationships and
interact with other childminders and play in large groups and with other childminded children so helping their development.
In 1998 two Registered Childminders Penny Webb and Joy Southwick started the Rainbow Group. This group runs on a Wednesdays and Thursdays each week, at St Peters Church Hall. The Wednesday group is run very much like a toddler group. The Thursday group runs in line with a curriculum theme where we have activities, games, structured play, interest table, story time, nursery rhymes, craft activities these sessions are run by individual members on a rota system.
Both groups come under the same umbrella and are used regularly by many-registered childminder’s in the Wyre Forest area.