I am writing in agreement with the letter in Wednesday's paper headed Paperwork is driving childminders away.

I did not see the article Parents to be hit by childcare crisis, but I would like to respectfully point out that if there should be a "childcare crisis" that it would be the Government and Ofsted's fault. As the writer states, parents are concerned about their baby being happy at home and that is why they chose a childminder.

There is far too much unnecessary paperwork involved in childminding now and that alone is making childminders change their careers.

I am a mature nursery nurse of many years and a childminder and grandmother of six and can't understand why I have to learn so much new jargon and "ways" of "teaching" children when I only work part-time and work from home.

I am not an educator, I am a carer. And much as I love looking after children, my next Ofsted inspection may be my last one – not because of the children but because of the unnecessary paperwork I have to do to continue being a childminder.

If my paperwork is not up to the standard Ofsted thinks it should be, how will I be classified?

I believe that every professional childminder should be classed as Outstanding (the highest grade) because we are all outstanding people who do an outstanding and very worthwhile job – without whom parents could not work.

We also give our charges a homely atmosphere to grow up in, and much more individual attention than they would ever get in a nursery.

And where a childminder has children of various ages it is like an extension of their own home environment.

Lastly, children do and always will learn much more through play than through a structured set-up and in a home they receive lots of love and can grow up more secure then they would in a larger setting with lots of children.

Come on childminders, support this person who wrote in. If we don't then we will become yet another paperwork classification instead of an extension of the child's home!

Brenda Coates, Brentry, Bristol