This paper is focusing on child minders who have entered teacher education. We analyse the impact of their earlier experiences and informal learning, and how it is recognised during the training process. Our theoretical point of departure is taken in a sociocultural perspective. According to Lave and Wenger (1991) learning is not a separate process, related to individual performance, within the individual himself. In a sociocultural perspective, learning is an ongoing process, between people, and central concepts in the perspective are community of practice, peripheral/full participation, trajectory, and identity. The aim of the study is to describe and analyse the participation and trajectories of child minders entering teacher education. The research question is: How do child minders- prior experience and learning get recognition in the first year of a pre-school teacher education? The paper is based on qualitative interviews presenting the perspectives of participating students and their teachers. The results illustrate how the teacher education is situated in two different communities of practice - the practice of university studies and the practice of work. The participation and trajectories of the child minders are different from those of the regular students. In the practice of work they already have a rather central position, based in their background as child minders. In the university studies, their background helps them to enter this practice - their prior (partly tacit) knowledge, and experiences, from working at the pre-school is central in relation to the contents of the programme; they have experiences from working in groups of adults, which is valuable in teacher education; and they have a high degree of motivation for becoming pre-school teachers.