Council Nominated Childminder Wins PACEY Award
A local childminder who works closely with the Vale of Glamorgan Council has won the Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years (PACEY) Cymru Award.
Sarah Sharpe (Poppins Daycare) scooped the prize after being nominated by the Council for her outstanding efforts and contributions to childminding in the Vale.
She has been a childminder within the County for 12 years and works closely with the Council to raise the profile and professionalism of childminding here in Wales.
Sarah is involved in several local and national initiatives. These include the ‘Childcare Offer for Wales,’ which aims to reduce childcare costs for parents, the ‘Flying Start Two-Year-Old Offer,’ which provides free part-time childcare for children aged two to three, and the ‘Healthy and Sustainable Pre-School Scheme,’ which teaches children how to live healthy lives.
She is a great advocate for projects such as Barnardo’s PATHs SEL pilot project, which supports social and emotional learning with children.
Sarah also recently spoke at the ‘Choosing Childminding as a Career’ event hosted in the Vale, where she shared advice to those looking to start a career in childminding.
Praised for her professional and engaging Facebook platform, which acts as an example for other childminders, Sarah also organises a local childminding WhatsApp group. This serves as a platform for childminders in the Vale to support each other and was particularly invaluable during the COVID pandemic!
As well as the award, her excellent work and professionalism were also recognised during her recent Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspection, where she accomplished ‘Excellent’ across all 4 areas.
Sarah Sharpe said: “Childminding is the best thing I ever did.
“I originally did my childminding course through the Council.
“They supported me through the application process and have continued to support me right up until today, 12 years later.”
Despite there being many wonderful childminders within the Vale of Glamorgan, Sarah was nominated for the award by the Council in recognition of her excellent work and collaboration.
Councillor Rhiannon Birch, Vale of Glamorgan Council Cabinet Member for Education, Arts and the Welsh Language said: “I’m delighted that Sarah’s outstanding work has been recognised with the PACEY Award.
“She has gone above and beyond to raise the profile of childminding in Wales, continuing to offer support to upcoming and existing childminders across the Vale.
“Her efforts and professionalism set a great example for childminders in the County.
“A big thank you to the Childcare and Early Years Team for their ongoing support of childminders in the Vale.”
PACEY, a charity that supports childcare and early education practitioners in England and Wales, hosted their Cymru Celebration Event in Llandudno on October 5, which was open to all PACEY members and childminder non-members in Wales.