My thoughts....alternatives to more great childcare and more affordable childcare

Having a good look round the One Voice www.togetherforquality.com website and in agreement that it's not enough to just say we don't want some or all of the changes proposed in more great childcare and it's successor more affordable childcare.  We do have to come up with some workable alternatives on how the sector can move forward.

I have tried to post my ideas on the One Voice website but so far they are not on there so perhaps they have gone for moderation...

These are a few of my ideas anyway:

1. Clear qualification structure across the whole sector which would be limited to

      a. Early Years Teacher/Early Years Professional (Status) for (Childminders/Supervisors/Managers/Owners)

      b. Early Years Graduate for (Childminders/Supervisors/Managers/Owners)

      c. Early Years Level 3 for (childminders/assistants/setting workers)

      d. Early Years Level 2 for (Assistants/supervised workers) 

2. Full or part funding and support available to achieve desired level of any of the above qualifications including maths and English where necessary.

3. The ‘responsible person’ including childminders being qualified to a minimum of level 3 by September 2017 and after that new entrants with a level 3 already

4. Other workers in the sector who are not the ‘responsible person’ and who are working under supervision should be qualified or working towards a level 2 qualification as a minimum by September 2017 and after that new entrants with a level 2 already

5. Removal of childminder/childminding assistant/nursery worker/nursery supervisor labels and replaced by the level of your qualification regardless of type of setting

6. Anyone qualified to level 3 allowed to be left alone with children for an indefinite amount of time as long as they are registered with Ofsted and have CRB, parents have agreed in writing, they hold a first aid certificate and they stick within the current ratios

7. Floor space to be left to a setting’s discretion with outdoor areas and useable kitchen areas to be taken into account.  This could be assessed at inspection and notice given to make changes if space is being over-utilised.

8. Financial incentive to take on an Early Apprentice to be paid to the employer and not the employee

9. All childcare workers to be required to undertake a certain number of  CPD hours, commensurate with their qualification

10. Where parents/carers work, childcare payments paid direct to the provider via their workplace or a 3^rd party and before tax deductions are made

I'm not really sure how workable they really are but these kind of changes would certainly make running a small business easier for me, without compromising quality childcare.   These changes also mean that the bar would be raised in terms of quality across the sector.  Would these changes make childcare more affordable for parents?  Well perhaps not directly....but the changes above would all help me to build a sustainable, professional, well respected business in a well respected sector which I am sure would in turn leave some opportunity to pass savings on to parents.

Feeling guilty about the cost of the childcare I provide? No not really

There has been a lot in the press recently about the cost of childcare and it's supposed increase recently.

So for a while I start to think is this something to do with me and the price I charge (which incidentally is £3.75 per child, per hour).

As I start to drill down into my accounting I really can't see how I am classed as expensive! 

What is often not considered when it comes to Childminders is that we do actually have costs to come off of our hourly rate.  I have often heard people saying 'cor how much they must earn' because they base it solely on turnover.  Anyone can tot up the hourly rate and x by the number of children and draw conclusions....

Yes we do have insurances and statutory registrations yes but these are not the main expense really.  The main expenses are food (as everyone who buys it will know, it continues to go up), buying resources (which vary considerably from next to nothing to hundreds of pounds), petrol (which I need to do certain school runs and to ensure we get out and about) and of course wages if you need or want to employ an assistant.  Oh and by the way I do work 63 hour a week to get the income I do earn and use my home as a workplace, which I don't begrudge but it does need to be considered when you look at one's income.

There are Economies of Scale to be had but these are really only setting wide (so before any pro-childminder agencies get wind), you wouldn't share a Shepherd's Pie across settings, nor would you share a school run probably, nor would you share resources.

My point is that the closer you operate to maximum capacity then the more likely you are make a decent living.  I won't deny that my first year of business I only made £1008, that's £19 a week and 17.87% GP. Pretty poor really!  But with this business it's all about building up and getting known, trusted and respected.

That's not to say that if I were operating at maximum capacity, employing 2 assistants and working with 9 children in the early years every day (I work Saturdays incidentally) that I wouldn't bring quite a respectable income!  Your turnover could top 6 figures if you maximised your capacity and were full all year round.

The thing is with this business is that it is up and down.  Contracts can come and go for a plethora of reasons and while you might be on the up at one time, you might be down another.

It would be ideal to be operating at your maximum capacity at all times (I think lol) but in reality that isn't always going to happen.

This is where I can't really see the government's thinking in bringing a lot of new Childminders into the market to fulfill the supposed demand.  They aren't going to go from no business to maximum capacity in a short space of time.  Perhaps there are Childminders out there who aren't at maximum capacity but would like to be and perhaps we should be putting our energies into helping them achieve their potential instead of diluting the business that is available.

Early Years Teaching Training, onwards with the journey....

So it's round two in defending the Early Years Initial Teacher Training that I am starting in September!  I already feel a little bit of an outcast if I'm absolutely honest because it is clear that many Early Years Professionals have grave concerns about the Teachers' Standards (Early Years).

The government's response to the consultation on said standards has been published....

https://www.education.gov.uk/childrenandyoungpeople/earlylearningandchildcare/h00201345/graduate-leaders/early-years-teacher/teachers-standards-early-years

I am not saying that I don't share the concerns that have been raised, but it was clear in my mind from the point of application that I would stay true to my values and practice, reflecting and improving along the way of course, but not completely disregarding everything I already know just because the Department for Education says so.

The most concern was, quite rightly, over the fact that play-based learning is not explicitly a requirement of the standards.  I had said, even before the government's response, that despite this I couldn't see how any Early Years Teacher could possibly have an excellent knowledge of child development theory and practice without knowing that play is fundamental.

"We have not amended the standards to specifically include play. The standards are designed to allow for a range of pedagogical approaches, thus giving these highly qualified professionals the freedom and flexibility to deploy a range of methods and to decide how best to structure children’s activities throughout the day. We know that play is essential for children’s development, and is an integral part of how children learn to explore, think about problems and relate to others. As specified in the standards Early Years Teachers are required to understand and deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)"

I actually think their response is fair and feel quite empowered to make sensible, well thought out decisions based on my own knowledge and what I learn along the way.  Let's not forget, after all, that this programme is 'training'.  It is unfair to think that anyone who starts on the programme is an expert in their field already.  Although I must surely have  demonstrated a certain level of knowledge and understanding in order to get through the application process.

I have learnt so much already and the programme hasn't even started yet.  Just networking with other professionals, being challenged by them, researching ideas and questioning my own practice has meant that I have improved as a practitioner and the children that I look after have ultimately benefited.  The alternative of course, could have been that I just plod along in my setting doing what I've always done, doing just what I need to meet the minimum standards and let's face it, we must all know some who does exactly this.  That is not me, I would never be happy if that was the attitude I took and I don't think that any of the children that I look after deserve that kind of attitude.  I want to be the best that I can be for myself and for them and EYT is one of the ways I am hoping to be.

There may be concerns that the standards aren't robust enough but I do hope that others will get on board and support those of us who have taken the plunge.