Penny1959
17-06-2012, 08:17 PM
After the excitement last night of reaching 8000 signatures on our petition, we now need to refocus and set our sights on the next milestone of 9000 signatures.
8000 signatures is a fantastic response and to be celebrated - BUT some people are seeing the link and not clicking on it to read about the campaign. I wonder why?
From the start this campaign has been a team effort by members of this forum.
Donkey raised our awareness of the situation
A forum member suggested the idea ( I have tried to find the post to see who it was but can't - so if it was you who suggested the idea of a petition - please post and lets us all know - because it was a very good idea and you should be credited for the suggestion)
I wrote the original words and posted on here (and elsewhere)
Debbie (and a few others) made suggestions to improve my original words
I decided on the final wording and tried to post on the .gov site
Debbie found the change.org site and managed to create the petition using the words orginally suggested by me.
Pauline has fully supported this and eveeryone logging on see's the statement about deregulation and the petition. There are also various 'Sticky' posts so they don't get lost.
Sarah has written guidance for us and produced suggested wording / ideas for writing to MP's. Sarah is also keeping comprehensive notes / records about who supporting us and responses from various people.
Lots and lots of forum members have been producing leaflets and flyers, writing to their MPs, speaking on radio programmes, writing to Elizabeth Truss and Richard House, posting and re posting on Facebook and Twitter, and are now starting to meet with their MP's
My letters have appeared in Nursery World and Childcare Journal have posted a lot of my stuff on their Facebook page.
Debbie has been very busy, urging us all to keep up the momentum and producing most of the updates for the petition site.
Sarah and others have been contacting their contacts and urging / encouraging them to support our campaign.
We have of course now been joined by others who are not forum members, by our colleagues from NCMA, by parents of the children we look after, by those who povide training, write books and are experts in the early years field, and by some LA's.
If I have forgotten anyone or not included anyone who feels their part needs recording - please let me know. I feel it is important to keep a record of everyones involvement, because we may want to use it when asked 'tell us how it all started - the campaign to make the government listen and to abandon all ideas to deregulate childminders' :D
So (and here is my question) WHY do we not have MORE signatures?
There are thousands of members registered with this forum
There are around 37,000 NCMA members
There are thousands and thousands of Facebook and Twitter users.
There are thousand of early years practitioners who read Nursery World and Child Care Journal
All of the above have family, friends, colleagues and neighbours
What can we do to raise awareness of our campaign? What can we do ensure people actually sign the petition?
As a team I am sure we can come up with some suggestions and as a team I know we will all work together to increase awareness of the campaign and to reach the next milestone of 9000 signatures, then the next and the next.
This campaign is too important - we must not stop promoting it and coming up with new ideas to raise awareness, we must not allow ourselves to think 'oh well - no more that I can do' or 'No need for me to sign - plenty of others have done so' or 'I am no good at speaking up or writting letters - I will that to the likes of Debbie, Sarah, Penny, (and the others whose real names we don't know but who regularlly post things)'
We all have skills, we all know people, we all have contacts through other things we do
Come on everyone - lets work together - we CAN do this - we MUST do this for the future of childminding and the safety of children.
Penny :)
8000 signatures is a fantastic response and to be celebrated - BUT some people are seeing the link and not clicking on it to read about the campaign. I wonder why?
From the start this campaign has been a team effort by members of this forum.
Donkey raised our awareness of the situation
A forum member suggested the idea ( I have tried to find the post to see who it was but can't - so if it was you who suggested the idea of a petition - please post and lets us all know - because it was a very good idea and you should be credited for the suggestion)
I wrote the original words and posted on here (and elsewhere)
Debbie (and a few others) made suggestions to improve my original words
I decided on the final wording and tried to post on the .gov site
Debbie found the change.org site and managed to create the petition using the words orginally suggested by me.
Pauline has fully supported this and eveeryone logging on see's the statement about deregulation and the petition. There are also various 'Sticky' posts so they don't get lost.
Sarah has written guidance for us and produced suggested wording / ideas for writing to MP's. Sarah is also keeping comprehensive notes / records about who supporting us and responses from various people.
Lots and lots of forum members have been producing leaflets and flyers, writing to their MPs, speaking on radio programmes, writing to Elizabeth Truss and Richard House, posting and re posting on Facebook and Twitter, and are now starting to meet with their MP's
My letters have appeared in Nursery World and Childcare Journal have posted a lot of my stuff on their Facebook page.
Debbie has been very busy, urging us all to keep up the momentum and producing most of the updates for the petition site.
Sarah and others have been contacting their contacts and urging / encouraging them to support our campaign.
We have of course now been joined by others who are not forum members, by our colleagues from NCMA, by parents of the children we look after, by those who povide training, write books and are experts in the early years field, and by some LA's.
If I have forgotten anyone or not included anyone who feels their part needs recording - please let me know. I feel it is important to keep a record of everyones involvement, because we may want to use it when asked 'tell us how it all started - the campaign to make the government listen and to abandon all ideas to deregulate childminders' :D
So (and here is my question) WHY do we not have MORE signatures?
There are thousands of members registered with this forum
There are around 37,000 NCMA members
There are thousands and thousands of Facebook and Twitter users.
There are thousand of early years practitioners who read Nursery World and Child Care Journal
All of the above have family, friends, colleagues and neighbours
What can we do to raise awareness of our campaign? What can we do ensure people actually sign the petition?
As a team I am sure we can come up with some suggestions and as a team I know we will all work together to increase awareness of the campaign and to reach the next milestone of 9000 signatures, then the next and the next.
This campaign is too important - we must not stop promoting it and coming up with new ideas to raise awareness, we must not allow ourselves to think 'oh well - no more that I can do' or 'No need for me to sign - plenty of others have done so' or 'I am no good at speaking up or writting letters - I will that to the likes of Debbie, Sarah, Penny, (and the others whose real names we don't know but who regularlly post things)'
We all have skills, we all know people, we all have contacts through other things we do
Come on everyone - lets work together - we CAN do this - we MUST do this for the future of childminding and the safety of children.
Penny :)