Childminders from across the county will be in Penrith this Saturday (22 April 2006) for the third annual conference organised to assist them in their role as quality childcare providers.
Over a hundred childminders will be at the conference which covers all sorts of issues, including child protection for childminders, running a childminding business, play activities, and yoga and relaxation techniques for young children.
The conference gives people an opportunity to meet other childminders as well as Cumbria County Council's Sure Start team, which has organised the event. There will also be exhibitions from the council's library service, Fire and Rescue and the National Child Minders Association.
Last year's conference was hailed as a great success by delegates, who described it as interesting, well organised, and a great way of meeting other childminders and discussing issues with them.
Dareneth Cook is a development worker with Cumbria Sure Start and one of the organisers of the conference. She said:
"Childminders often feel isolated and some even leave the profession because of this. Delegates at previous conferences have told us that they really appreciate an opportunity to share ideas and best practice.
"The conference also offers a great opportunity to catch up with the very latest thinking on training.
"We need to ensure that we retain quality childminders to meet the needs of parents and children in Cumbria, and this is one way that we have found to be both popular and successful."