sarah707
27-01-2013, 07:50 PM
YOU asked... we have answered
On 11th January 2013 we asked early years professionals including childminders on the Childminding Forum and Facebook group ‘Childminders’ for their comments to the question -
‘Do you think childminders having higher ratios will improve outcomes for the children... and lower costs for parents as suggested by recent Government reports?’
We very quickly received almost 100 comments, all telling us that early years professionals do NOT want to compromise children’s outcomes or put their safety at risk by taking on more children.
Many childminders also wrote to us privately and asked as if we were going to support them in campaigning to try and stop the government raising our ratios and telling us that we must lower our prices.
For this reason, the Childminding Forum encourages all early years professionals, parents and anyone who feels strongly that our youngest children's needs must come before government policy to lobby government via this petition -
Leave our early years ratios alone!
The petition focuses on three main areas -
1. Our children’s wellbeing, health and safety
2. Our business sustainability
3. Our responsibility to the next generation
Focus on the children
In the petition we have said that, ‘We believe that the Government and Ofsted are working together to put the wellbeing, health, safety and education of our youngest and most vulnerable children under threat.
We believe that Government proposals will quite probably lead to some early years settings taking on more children than at present, possibly without the extra support, staffing, space and knowledge that they need to meet the children’s needs effectively on a day-to-day basis... and that this will put outcomes for children and their health, safety and wellbeing at risk.’
Focus on our business sustainability
In the petition we have said that, ‘We believe that there is some misinformed notion within government that if ratios are changed the cost of childcare for parents will come down.
We all know that if ratios are changed we will have to buy more resources, provide extra food, purchase bigger cars and buggies, buy more equipment, work much harder every day, complete more paperwork in our already dwindling family time, pay higher insurance costs, pay more tax and national insurance, make changes to our premises to remain commercially viable... and much more... all of which will quite probably increase rather than lower our fees.
We believe that the suggestion will make our provisions completely unsustainable. The vast majority of childminders already work for well below the minimum wage and few childminders, nurseries, pre-schools and other providers are full to capacity. We wonder where the government foresee this influx of children coming from to make the new ratios sustainable.’
Focus on our responsibility to the children
In the petition we have said that, ‘We are responsible for ensuring the next generation have the very best opportunities available to them. Increasing ratios does not put the children's interests first and will only lead to lower standards and less one on one time causing a potential significant detriment to a child's life chances.
We believe that young children’s early years experiences must not be compromised by government policy as has happened so many times in the past.’
We are sure you support these points - you have told us what to write in your responses to the thread on Facebook and in our conversations with you!
We believe that NOW is the time for ALL early years professionals including childminders, nursery and pre-school providers AND parents to come together and fight these proposals before the law is changed and outcomes for our children are put under threat.
We only have a short time to make a difference - according to news reports a government announcement is expected soon.
We need to get the message out there quickly and clearly - they have got this wrong!
They need to leave our ratios alone and let us get on with the most important job of all - caring for the children :clapping:
Here's the petition link - http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-government-department-for-education-leave-our-early-years-ratios-alone
Watch this space... more information to follow... :D
On 11th January 2013 we asked early years professionals including childminders on the Childminding Forum and Facebook group ‘Childminders’ for their comments to the question -
‘Do you think childminders having higher ratios will improve outcomes for the children... and lower costs for parents as suggested by recent Government reports?’
We very quickly received almost 100 comments, all telling us that early years professionals do NOT want to compromise children’s outcomes or put their safety at risk by taking on more children.
Many childminders also wrote to us privately and asked as if we were going to support them in campaigning to try and stop the government raising our ratios and telling us that we must lower our prices.
For this reason, the Childminding Forum encourages all early years professionals, parents and anyone who feels strongly that our youngest children's needs must come before government policy to lobby government via this petition -
Leave our early years ratios alone!
The petition focuses on three main areas -
1. Our children’s wellbeing, health and safety
2. Our business sustainability
3. Our responsibility to the next generation
Focus on the children
In the petition we have said that, ‘We believe that the Government and Ofsted are working together to put the wellbeing, health, safety and education of our youngest and most vulnerable children under threat.
We believe that Government proposals will quite probably lead to some early years settings taking on more children than at present, possibly without the extra support, staffing, space and knowledge that they need to meet the children’s needs effectively on a day-to-day basis... and that this will put outcomes for children and their health, safety and wellbeing at risk.’
Focus on our business sustainability
In the petition we have said that, ‘We believe that there is some misinformed notion within government that if ratios are changed the cost of childcare for parents will come down.
We all know that if ratios are changed we will have to buy more resources, provide extra food, purchase bigger cars and buggies, buy more equipment, work much harder every day, complete more paperwork in our already dwindling family time, pay higher insurance costs, pay more tax and national insurance, make changes to our premises to remain commercially viable... and much more... all of which will quite probably increase rather than lower our fees.
We believe that the suggestion will make our provisions completely unsustainable. The vast majority of childminders already work for well below the minimum wage and few childminders, nurseries, pre-schools and other providers are full to capacity. We wonder where the government foresee this influx of children coming from to make the new ratios sustainable.’
Focus on our responsibility to the children
In the petition we have said that, ‘We are responsible for ensuring the next generation have the very best opportunities available to them. Increasing ratios does not put the children's interests first and will only lead to lower standards and less one on one time causing a potential significant detriment to a child's life chances.
We believe that young children’s early years experiences must not be compromised by government policy as has happened so many times in the past.’
We are sure you support these points - you have told us what to write in your responses to the thread on Facebook and in our conversations with you!
We believe that NOW is the time for ALL early years professionals including childminders, nursery and pre-school providers AND parents to come together and fight these proposals before the law is changed and outcomes for our children are put under threat.
We only have a short time to make a difference - according to news reports a government announcement is expected soon.
We need to get the message out there quickly and clearly - they have got this wrong!
They need to leave our ratios alone and let us get on with the most important job of all - caring for the children :clapping:
Here's the petition link - http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/uk-government-department-for-education-leave-our-early-years-ratios-alone
Watch this space... more information to follow... :D