The Story Behind Blue Button Childminding Paperwork
Hello....
My name is Sam Heaven and I live in Greater Manchester, UK with my lovely husband, our amazing teenage son and our cheeky cockapoo.
I became an Ofsted registered childminder in January 2018, after making the leap from teaching for a better work life balance! I taught in Reception and Nursery because early years has always had my heart!
In April 2025, I made the emotional decision to close my childminding business, so that I can focus on my paperwork and the Friendly Childminders' Hub full time! I just can't articulate how important Blue Button Childcare has been to me, how much I've learnt, the memories made and most importantly my love for the children I've cared for during that time!
Childminders care for children as long as they are needed and occasionally, the children become part of their own extended families. I am incredibly lucky to have gained some 'forever families' along the way and made lifelong friends in their parents.
It's been an absolute privilege to be a childminder and my sadness at closing my business is testament to years of joy and my dedication to jump into my paperwork and the Friendly Childminders' Hub with all I am, and everything I have.
Supporting childminders...
Alongside Blue Button Childcare and childmindingpaperwork.com, I also set up a private Facebook group to find support and solidarity amongst other childminders.
I am really proud to say it now has nearly 10000 lovely members who provide support, reassurance and advice for one another!
You can find out more about this group here!
About the paperwork business...
When I made the leap from teaching to childminding it was definitely harder than I thought it would be; I didn't have the support of colleagues to bounce ideas off which left isolating and I found myself responsible for every single childminding and business decision, which took some getting used too!
It took me a while to find my feet and put my business head on, but by the end of the first year, I fully enjoyed being my own boss and most importantly, I learnt to trust my own instincts! One of the biggest problems I faced was not being able to find paperwork I liked that was professional, good quality, aesthetically please and did the job of recording or communicating the information it was designed for!
As a teacher, I used an online system to track the progress of my children, which worked well in a large setting. However, as a childminder I wanted something more personal, and to be able to give my families a tangible reminder of their children's adventures during their first years at Blue Button Childcare.
This led me to create my own Early Years Outcomes Tracker and Observations Sheet that was simple to complete, easy for parents to understand and also looked appealing. After receiving some compliments about it, I decided to put it out there and it turned out that other people liked it too - this was a long while ago now and things have changed!
Since then, I've written more paperwork packs simply because I needed them and I figured other childminders would find them useful too. This strategy worked out well, because I was a childminder who is (still) fussy about paperwork and gives great attention to the details!
Over time, the focus has shifted to supporting fellow childminders with their own paperwork needs and this is what I continue to do!
What's next...
Now my role is focused on being an 'admin ace' who helps childminders shine behind the scenes (I have to credit AI for that tag line), I have grand plans to continue providing support in a variety of ways!
I am also moving away from the 'Blue Button' chapter, and focusing on the straight forward 'childminding paperwork', hence the website's rebrand!
I think I will aways champion childminders - I've always cared for children, but now it's time to support childminders, so they can spend more time nurturing and educating the children in their care!
Alongside my paperwork, I am also building a subscription service to support childminders with all aspects of their businesses and it should be available by the end of 2025! For more information on the Friendly Childminders' Hub, please have a nosey here.
