Blue Light Card offers a range of discounts to people working in certain sectors like the NHS and emergency services. We were pleased to see the Blue Light Card recently expanded to cover those working in education, including early years. However, we received reports of some childminders in England and Wales having their applications rejected. We reached out to Blue Light who confirmed registered childminders are eligible for the discount and gave further guidance around the application process.

Registering for your card

You can sign up for a Blue Light account by selecting ‘Register’. You will be prompted to fill out your application and create an account.

To apply as an early years and childcare worker, select the option for ‘Teacher’ first. Under ‘Your trust/division‘ select ‘Early Year & Primary’ then enter ‘Childminder’ as the job title as shown below:

You then fill in your personal details in the ‘About You’ section and submit your application with the required verification (more on this below). Your application will then be processed, so keep an eye out for emails from Blue Light with any outstanding actions or further ID and evidence you need to submit.

How to prove eligibility

Blue Light has assured us that childminders in England and Wales are eligible for the card. You are required to show ONE of the following as proof of eligibility:

• A certificate from Ofsted or Care Inspectorate Wales clearly showing your name and registration, or;
• A remittance advice document from your Local Authority to show you are receiving funding payments with your name, a date within the last three months, and a childminding affiliation

For childminders who are registered with a childminding agency, Blue Light requires your agency certificate alongside the remittance advice document.

What to do if you have an issue

We have asked the Blue Light team to clarify their information for early years professionals online. We do not have a timeframe for this, so in the meantime, if your application is being rejected despite meeting the criteria, please submit a request to be investigated.