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.