Free early education consultation document

[sarah707]

We only have 3 weeks to reply to this so get your thinking caps on over the weekend! :D

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm?action=consultationDetails&consultationId=1634&external=no&menu=1

Item 35 relates directly to childminders...

If children go to nursery for 15 hours free per week, we lose out...

If children get free care and we are not allowed to become accredited we lose out...

If parents send children to us just for 15 hours free care (if we are accredited and they can) then we lose out because the fee is less than most of our hourly rates...

If they extend it to 2 year olds we lose out big time with our pre-schoolers if we are not accredited...

Time to complain people! If you don't and it happens you can't moan about it when you are losing work. :panic:

[Monkey1]

I will do...........but can you translate it all into a language that even i can understand Sarah?

[loocyloo]

I will do...........but can you translate it all into a language that even i can understand Sarah?

PLEASE!

thank you !

xxx

[sarah707]

I will do...........but can you translate it all into a language that even i can understand Sarah?

Bear with me I've been doing paperwork all day for a couple of new starters and my brain has fried! :rolleyes:

Maybe someone else has some good ideas! :D

[Heaven Scent]

I've only just read it so I need to think about it - its friday evening so I;m tired and only have a mushy brain to deal with nonsense tonight. I'm not so sure though that it will be so badbut I think it should be either open to all minders or not at all - If all minders got it for 2 year olds and playgroups/nurseries didn't and then when children parents had the choice to use it for preschool sessions or to pay us it would be good but we would have to be allowed to still charge while a child went to nursery - How much is it per session? - it is very unlikey that parents would just use us for 3 hrs per day for 5 days pw in term time - most parents want more hours than that from a childminder but I suppose i we will lose out a little - the only option is to put our hourly rate up and say they cannot avail of a daily rate if they are using the free entitlement. from memory it works out about £8.70 per 2.5hr session, I don't know how much they are willing to pay for a three hour session. In a way though i think it may be worth it if we can compete with nurseries and we don't lose our 2 years olds to nurseries because we canot offer the free sessions. - I dn't know if all that makes sense -

I still think that if only accredited minders can benefit then only accredited nurseries should be able to also - there are some really rubbish nurseries out there.

[jibberjitz]

Could do with the easy version here too :laughing:

[Blaze]

Bumping!:)

[wellybelly]

Im lost :panic:

[Trouble]

ill help if you tell me how??:D

[sarah707]

Ok, right... got it now, thank you Denise! xx

Page 7, item 35 says ...

Childminders

35. Some childminders provide a particularly flexible approach to early years provision and will have a key role to play in facilitating a more flexible offer in some areas. We do not intend a change to the current requirement set out in statutory guidance that childminders should be part of an accredited network in order to draw down funding to deliver the free entitlement, but we do believe that every Local Authority should look to establish a network. We committed in Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare to examine new approaches to networking – enabling more childminders to access free entitlement funding, to enhance their professional development and the quality of their provision, and helping to ensure a level playing field across different types of providers.

So ... is it a level playing field? Do we think our LAs are doing enough? What about areas like mine that flatly refuse to accredit childminders? What about childminders with huge amounts of experience who can't get on a network because of silly rules they put in place?

If / when they extend it to 15 hours free... and you're not accredited so can't get the funding... you will lose out big time! Parents will take their 15 free hours elsewhere and might use you for wrap around or they might stick with the other setting...

So when they then lower the age of entry to 2... what crumbs will be left for us if we can't take the children?

hth :D

[Monkey1]

Thanks Sarah, I am lucky, my Network are organising me to be accredited for september so i don't lose one of my little ones!

[huggableshelly]

I was wondering if this would be open for discussion.

i'm sending my response back after school run. Although i mainly care for after schoolers I do not think it is fair that i as a childminder will lose out on potential business due to free sessions being given to two year olds and over when I'm unable to become an accredited childminder or even be a network childminder.

i'm sure accreditation is available in herts but not looked into it YET but why should we then accept a lower fee for agreeing to offer the free hours when surely for those 15 hours we would be expected to provide more of the curriculum so therefore more planning involved and working even harder to ensure we meet the accreditation criterea too.

ugh sounding off now ........ we work hard enough already now i need to take a chill pill as my cage has been rattled.

[rickysmiths]

Yes Huggy it is possible to become accedited in Herts but wait for it!!!!!

1. You have to have NVQ Level 3 no recognition for accumulated training and experience!

2. You have to belong to a network attached to your local childrens centre and they have to set up a network.

3. You have to have Herts Quality Standard

4. You have to be Ofsted graded Satifactory or above. Last July when this scheme was anounced it was reg Good but they have lowered the standard to allow more pre-schools to access the system :eek: and they don't have to be Herts Quality Assured :eek:

So as you can see they have introduced a fair and equitable syatem in Herts!:rolleyes:

It really annoys me that a really rubbish pre-school down the road can offer the funding when they are not following EYFS correctly, they take children younger than two when they are registered for only over twos, they won't work with cms blar, blar, blar, (they have been reported and Ofsted are investigating)

Something has to be done as we are all delivering EYFS so access to funding should be under the same rules for all.

[louloudi]

I'm so glad someone has highlighted this I is a major concern to me. I struggle for business as it is and it is highly likely that the 2yr old provision will be rolled out across my area as we are high up in the 'deprived area' table.

I'll read the attachments above ... let me know if I can do anything extra as I have a bee in my bonnet about this issue

[rickysmiths]

Just had a quick look at the consultation documents. I am on my way out but a though, I will be taking copies of this to my next NCMA Regional Forum Meeting to bring it to the notice of more cms. I will read more carefully later but it also seems to me that we need to get our parents motivated, I believe they are the ones that can effect the changes because the Government has to listen to the parents and their needs and wants.

[Andrea08]

Ok, right... got it now, thank you Denise! xx

Page 7, item 35 says ...

Childminders

35. Some childminders provide a particularly flexible approach to early years provision and will have a key role to play in facilitating a more flexible offer in some areas. We do not intend a change to the current requirement set out in statutory guidance that childminders should be part of an accredited network in order to draw down funding to deliver the free entitlement, but we do believe that every Local Authority should look to establish a network. We committed in Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare to examine new approaches to networking – enabling more childminders to access free entitlement funding, to enhance their professional development and the quality of their provision, and helping to ensure a level playing field across different types of providers.

So ... is it a level playing field? Do we think our LAs are doing enough? What about areas like mine that flatly refuse to accredit childminders? What about childminders with huge amounts of experience who can't get on a network because of silly rules they put in place?

If / when they extend it to 15 hours free... and you're not accredited so can't get the funding... you will lose out big time! Parents will take their 15 free hours elsewhere and might use you for wrap around or they might stick with the other setting...
So when they then lower the age of entry to 2... what crumbs will be left for us if we can't take the children?hth :D

thank you sarah ill go have a look but wanted to say,,,

blackpool has been offering the 15hrs as a pilot for the past yr and cm's ere can access this if on the accredited network.

also as a pilot we offered 12 hrs for the 2yr old but funding has over halfed for this so is accessable for SEN/ and priority families

my 3yr old went to nursery for the 15hr and to me for the rest of the day to which i charged full as i was also the emergency contact etc, retainer for holidays ,,,

but the nursery is now offering a special lunch time rate so parents are thinking free 15 hrs a week and only £1.50 for lunch (packed lunch)
why use a childminder for £150 wk ill just pay for the extra lunch time session and after school club if needed :eek:

these babies and young children should not be away from a home base setting for 10 hrs a day in my opinion.

so ,,, childminders that are not accredited or as mentioned in another thread not doing a real job will lose out big!!
the 2 yr olds with 12 free hrs also looked into staying at the nursery for the rest of the day rather than the wrap around with a cm .. all eggs in one basket etc!!!

LA should look into this and allow cm to become accredited if they wish to

xxxx