I think any working parent will be able to relate to just how stressful finding childcare for your little ones can be. I was really fortunate when I initially returned to work having had Noah, because my Mum (a qualified nursery nurse herself) was able to take the reigns so I didn't have those worries. But having worked as a Nursery Nurse myself too, I have seen the toll it takes on parents when they're trying to find the right form of childcare that suits their family best. These days people work all manner of hours and honestly it's so hard to find what you need, there isn't any childcare manual sadly, although I like to think that Childcare.co.uk is probably the closest thing to that.
I'm sure most parents out there have heard of the Childcare.co.uk website, however if you haven't, it's basically a really savvy search engine dedicated to Childcare professionals. It covers everything from Nannies, tutors, childminders to nurseries and babysitters, the whole spectrum is on there so I am absolutely sure everyone can find what they need without having to venture off elsewhere. Even that alone sounds pretty fantastic right? But no, Childcare have thought of so much more than that, before even having to contact anyone or view a profile, a simple search for a Childminder for example, will bring up everything from how many reviews they have, how much they charge and how fast they will reply. I found that so incredibly useful to have that information at my disposal with just a few clicks.
The website itself is easy to use and navigate, although I have browsed it before, I had zero problems getting stuck into some searches and I'm confident I'd be able to find exactly what I'm looking for in under five minutes. With options to 'like' certain professionals that appear in the search results, it makes it so easy to curate a shortlist and work from there, no additional pen and paper to hand needed here. I live in what most people would deem pretty rural, however in even a five mile radius, Childcare.co.uk found over 141 childcare providers. I think that's fantastic, as without the site and just google alone, I only found fourteen - it really is doing all of that hard work for you. With over two million users on site, it's easy to see why it wasn't hard to find what I needed.
A few other features that I hadn't noticed across similar sites, is links to providers social medias, I think this is a fantastic option and I personally felt at ease knowing a provider felt open enough to connect theirs to the website. When it came to childminders and babysitters, I found this aspect great as there often wasn't as many personal reviews, so it was nice to have a quick glance across to ensure their professional profile wasn't too misleading. There are even availability charts so off the bat you know if you're looking for evenings or over night help, you can see within a few clicks who offers this, so you aren't wasting your time.
Childcare.co.uk is free to register too, so no join up fee and they have built in a messaging system so you can fire away any queries to the professional you're interested in and receive a response without having to give out your number or email address. It's a wonderful idea and helps you keep that secure barrier so you're not getting any unwanted follow ups and simply just keeping everyone safe online. Providers are able to have their CRB and registration details uploaded, so instantly on searches you can see if they have given them - I found this fantastic and just another way of making life easier for us parents, as it saves us asking. For me and I'm sure so many parents will resonate with how daunting it can be going into new childcare settings, not knowing what to expect and especially if it's your first child, really not knowing the right questions to answer. I loved that the website had live reviews posted from other parents, it meant you could get a really good secondhand view of them and if there is anything you're unsure about, you can always use the handy messaging tool.
As parents we really trust very few with our little ones, and rightly so, but there is a reason that over two million trust Childcare.co.uk to source what is best for their family.
*This is a review in collaboration with Childcare.co.uk however all views are my own.
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