Northern Ireland Childminding Association

The Northern Ireland Childminding Association is a charity and membership organisation, based in Belfast, that represents childminding in Northern Ireland. It promotes quality home-based childcare and learning for the benefit of children, families and communities in Northern Ireland and its services include a childminding information and vacancy helpline. NICMA's chair is Norma Shearer and as of 2024 its chief executive is Patricia Lewsley-Mooney.

WWW nicma.org

History

The Northern Ireland Childminding Association is a charity and membership organisation, based in Belfast, that represents childminding in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1984. It promotes quality home-based childcare and learning for the benefit of children, families and communities in Northern Ireland and its services include a childminding information and vacancy helpline.
NICMA's chair is Norma Shearer and its chief executive is Patricia Lewsley-Mooney. In 2024 NICMA highlighted a halving of the number of registered childminders in Northern Ireland from 4,383 minders in 2005 to 2,000.
NICMA has run a pilot scheme to address the shortage of childcare places in rural areas. This was funded by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Rural Childcare Programme.

Activities

NICMA was founded in 1984. NICMA promotes quality home-based childcare and learning for the benefit of children, families and communities in Northern Ireland. Its services include a childminding information and vacancy helpline. It also runs childminding groups, and networking activities for childminders, and helps members with professional development, equipment and emergency sickness cover. NICMA holds an annual conference, and employs a development officer to support childminders.