Tips for Childcare Providers

You want your Childcare.co.uk profile to:

• Reflect you and the ways you work

• Inform parents about the positive comments from your latest inspection report

• Sing your praises - – highlight your unique selling points

• Keep you safe

• Promote yourself to parents who are looking for a childcare provider

How do you make sure that you present yourself in the best possible light?

You should spend some time thinking through about what to write in your Childcare.co.uk profile. For example, you need to give personal details about yourself while also keeping yourself safe, bearing in mind that you do not know who is reading your profile. You will find tips for staying safe online from Childcare.co.uk in the Safety Centre.

Your profile writing next steps might include:

Choose your screen name

Think carefully about your Childcare.co.uk screen name. Many childcare providers use an alias to help protect their anonymity online. However, if the alias links to another website or forum where you are talking in bad terms about a previous family for whom you have worked or if it is an inappropriate name then parents are unlikely to contact you. 

Add a photo

You must include a photo on your profile.  Make sure it shows you positively. Brush your hair and wear smart clothes - the Halloween party you went to last night might have been wonderful, but a photo of you dressed as a vampire on your Childcare.co.uk profile might worry some parents. Most mobile phones take ‘selfie’ photos that can be uploaded easily but do check that they are clear (not fuzzy).

It is important that your photo is of yourself only and does not contain other people or children. 

Qualifications and experience

To show yourself in the best possible light, you might want to include details about your previous childcare related experience, qualifications and recent professional development on your profile. Think of your profile as your boasting book – most parents want to know that their future childcarer is dedicated to improving in their role. Also, include details of your paediatric first aid certificate, understanding of children with special educational needs and / or disabilities, specialist training etc on your profile.

Upload your documents

You will need to upload at least one identify document for verification purposes but you can also upload other documents and certifications such as your DBS check, first aid certificate and Ofsted registration certificate. These documents are encrypted and stored securely. They are not shared with other members unless you specifically invite someone to view them. Information on the type of documents held are displayed on your profile which can help increase your trust and credibility with parents and reassure them that you are genuine and suitably qualified.

Talk about your strengths

Ask your current parents and childcare colleagues for a list of your strengths as an early years provider and use them as a starting point for your advertisement – for example, ‘My current parents say I am honest, reliable and have good time keeping and organisational skills’.

Parents (current and previous) might be happy to provide you with a reference which you can use to add quotes your profile. Then go on to include the things you enjoy doing with the children and the types of activities you plan for them - ‘I love cooking... taking children on varied outings... helping with homework as I am a part-time tutor... I speak Spanish as well as English...’ etc.

Don’t forget your wants and needs

What do you want and need from your future job? Some childminders, for example, might only have vacancies for a before and after school child; a nanny looking for a new family might need a live-in position. It is important that you are clear about your wants and needs as this will save time during the interview process. You might mention, for example:

• What sort of work you are looking for... part time, full time, nanny share etc;

• Your flexibility and availability - schools from which you collect etc.

• A brief note about why you are looking for a new childcare position - without breaking confidentiality;

• Commitment to following a particular ethos such as Montessori or Forest School;

• Preferred ages of children;

• When you are available to start working with a new family.

Proof read your profile

If you are unsure about how your advertisement reads to others, you might want to ask a friend, family member or colleague to proofread your profile before it goes ‘live’ on the Childcare.co.uk website. If you are not sure about spelling or punctuation, you can also use a free Google spell checker and read your profile out loud to yourself - does it sound right? Does it flow well? Are you proud of what you have written?

Making your profile stand out

Spend time tinkering with your profile - there are thousands of people advertising for work and you want families to spot you for the right reasons. Spread your profile out, using bullet points, paragraphs etc and keep sentences relatively short.

Be honest

The truth will out in the end, so make sure your profile reflects you and the ways you work. By all means look at other profiles for inspiration when writing your own, but do not plagiarise someone else’s profile or tell lies about your qualifications and experience.

Keep your profile updated

Remember to log in to your Childcare.co.uk account regularly and update your information to make sure it reflects your current availability. Parents are unlikely to contact you if your status says ‘no vacancies’ or 'not currently available' because you have forgotten to update your listing!

The search results on Childcare.co.uk are ordered in-part based upon the date of last login, so it is really important to login regularly to ensure that you stay towards the top of your local search results.

If you are about to go on holiday, remember to login to the Childcare.co.uk website and put a note on your profile saying when you are due to return. This will save parents contacting you while you are away and thinking that you are unreliable. Don’t forget to remove the message from your profile when you come back home and are ready to start advertising again!

Your Childcare.co.uk profile is a window into your world for new parents. It must be honest and well written and might meant the difference between new business using you or a colleague. It makes sense to spend time working on your profile to make it as professional as possible.

Reviews

Asking for a review from families that you have previously worked for is a great way of making your profile stand out from your competitors. Parents are more likely to trust a childcare provider who has one or more positive reviews.

Tips for Parents

Add Your Requirements

In order to help ensure you only receive enquiries from suitable childcare providers, please ensure your complete your profile to include details of your specific requirements.

You can select tags to show the type of childcare and tutor services that you are interested in such as a childminder, nanny, babysitter or nursery.

Stay Safe

Be careful about the information you choose to mention in your profile. It's not a good idea to mention your child's name or school. Don't provide any information that could personally identify you, your children or where you live.

You can read more about safety in our Safety Centre