sarah707
06-02-2013, 05:36 PM
Email or write a letter to your MP ... to Ms Truss... to the Department for education... to Ofsted... to your local authority...
Here are some thoughts about what you might want to put -
Your address
Date -
Dear xx
I have read the document ‘More Great Childcare’ and I want to disagree with -
Agencies for childminders because...
• • I do not want childminding to become a 2 tier system.
• I do not believe it will be sustainable in my local area for more childminders to be registered - there is not enough work to go round at the moment. This will be especially pertinent if nurseries are to be able to increase their ratios (as also suggested in the plan), schools start taking children at age 2 and the government make it easier for schools to provide after school care.
• I want to be regulated by Ofsted - not forced to join an agency in order to accept funding and (continue to) offer 2 and 3 year old funded places etc. This situation is very unclear and many childminders are asking for clarification from the government.
• I want my business to remain sustainable, not be pushed out by lots of newly qualifying childminders.
• I do not want to be told how to run my business by an agency and have to adopt their documentation. I am self employed because I can run my own business successfully and because I want to set my own terms and conditions.
• I do not want to be managed by a local nursery whose standards of care and learning might be lower than mine / I do not want a local Children’s Centre telling me how to run my business.
• I do not need help with finding new business - I work on ‘word of mouth’ and parents prefer to find me that way. I value online companies such as Childcare.co.uk and my local FIS network which helps me find new business and I do not feel that a middle man will be able to do any more. FIS is already well established - why get rid of that and introduce something new that will cost millions of pounds to implement at a time of financial hardship?
• I do not need an agency to tell me where to buy my childminding insurance.
• I do not want to be told by an agency that I have to attend training after working a 10 hour day - I want better options available to me such as weekend and online (in house) training.
• I want to continue to be self employed and independent.
• I do not want to pay an agency part of my income.
• I do not want to be forced to join an agency on the premise that if I don’t I will be seen as a ‘second class’ childminder.
• Agencies are supposedly being set up to support my business - the main part of my business I find hardest is finding the time after a 10 hour working day to do my paperwork - agencies are not going to do that for me so I do not need them. Or is the intention of agencies is to create a further 2 tier system where agency childminders do not have to implement the requirements of the EYFS? (conspiracy theory which concerns many childminders).
Changes to ratios for early years providers because...
• • I cannot ignore the fact that this plan is putting outcomes for all our children at risk.
• I do not believe it is safe for one adult - with or without a degree - to care for so many children at one time.
• Floor space requirements are there for a reason - to make sure our children have space to move around safely and develop their essential physical skills safely.
• Every child deserves individual care and attention. They cannot possibly receive this if providers are allowed to have 6 x 2 year olds in their care at the same time.
• The EYFS tells us that children need personal, social and emotional skills embedded from a young age and I feel that so many 2 and 3 year olds in group care will lead to conflict and behaviour issues which will be of detriment to their PSE development.
• I do not believe it will be sustainable in my local area for more childcare places to be created. I am not aware of my local authority carrying out an audit to check whether spaces are needed and I can tell you - nobody locally is full to capacity so where are these extra children coming from?
• If the changes to ratios for 2 year olds in nurseries are linked to the 2 year old funding, then it is only 15 hours a week of free care. There are very few parents who will find work just for 15 hours.
• Increasing the number of children in provisions will not make any difference to the amount of parents going out to work and looking for childcare - benefits changes and tax benefits to parents might make a difference.
• The EYFS already allows childminders to make exceptions to their ratios for continuity of care in exceptional circumstances. We do not need further tinkering with our ratios - we are perfectly capable of following the current rules.
The statement that childminders are ‘lagging behind’ other providers because...
• The vast majority of childminders are very professional people who offer high quality care and learning for the children.
• Until recently (Sept 2012) Ofsted inspectors guidance stated that newly registering childminders would not be well enough established to be graded better than satisfactory - and I believe this has contributed towards the lower grades that Ofsted are now saying mean childminders are ‘lagging behind’.
• I am a very highly qualified childminder with xx years experience - talk about your qualifications and how they ensure you offer an exceptional service to families.
• My Ofsted inspector said, as she arrived at my house, ‘I do not give childminders outstanding’. I believe views like this have distorted the figures.
• I regularly attend courses and other training to make sure I stay up-to-date.
I understand that the government’s proposal is an effort to decrease the fees parents pay for childcare, but this should not be at the expense of children’s safety and level of care. Early years providers are, for the most part, running quality, sustainable businesses offering a very high standard of care and learning to the children. Tinkering with ratios will not result in lower prices for parents, but create a two-tier system of childcare in this country.
Please do not risk outcomes for future generations of our children by making these changes.
Yours,
Here are some thoughts about what you might want to put -
Your address
Date -
Dear xx
I have read the document ‘More Great Childcare’ and I want to disagree with -
Agencies for childminders because...
• • I do not want childminding to become a 2 tier system.
• I do not believe it will be sustainable in my local area for more childminders to be registered - there is not enough work to go round at the moment. This will be especially pertinent if nurseries are to be able to increase their ratios (as also suggested in the plan), schools start taking children at age 2 and the government make it easier for schools to provide after school care.
• I want to be regulated by Ofsted - not forced to join an agency in order to accept funding and (continue to) offer 2 and 3 year old funded places etc. This situation is very unclear and many childminders are asking for clarification from the government.
• I want my business to remain sustainable, not be pushed out by lots of newly qualifying childminders.
• I do not want to be told how to run my business by an agency and have to adopt their documentation. I am self employed because I can run my own business successfully and because I want to set my own terms and conditions.
• I do not want to be managed by a local nursery whose standards of care and learning might be lower than mine / I do not want a local Children’s Centre telling me how to run my business.
• I do not need help with finding new business - I work on ‘word of mouth’ and parents prefer to find me that way. I value online companies such as Childcare.co.uk and my local FIS network which helps me find new business and I do not feel that a middle man will be able to do any more. FIS is already well established - why get rid of that and introduce something new that will cost millions of pounds to implement at a time of financial hardship?
• I do not need an agency to tell me where to buy my childminding insurance.
• I do not want to be told by an agency that I have to attend training after working a 10 hour day - I want better options available to me such as weekend and online (in house) training.
• I want to continue to be self employed and independent.
• I do not want to pay an agency part of my income.
• I do not want to be forced to join an agency on the premise that if I don’t I will be seen as a ‘second class’ childminder.
• Agencies are supposedly being set up to support my business - the main part of my business I find hardest is finding the time after a 10 hour working day to do my paperwork - agencies are not going to do that for me so I do not need them. Or is the intention of agencies is to create a further 2 tier system where agency childminders do not have to implement the requirements of the EYFS? (conspiracy theory which concerns many childminders).
Changes to ratios for early years providers because...
• • I cannot ignore the fact that this plan is putting outcomes for all our children at risk.
• I do not believe it is safe for one adult - with or without a degree - to care for so many children at one time.
• Floor space requirements are there for a reason - to make sure our children have space to move around safely and develop their essential physical skills safely.
• Every child deserves individual care and attention. They cannot possibly receive this if providers are allowed to have 6 x 2 year olds in their care at the same time.
• The EYFS tells us that children need personal, social and emotional skills embedded from a young age and I feel that so many 2 and 3 year olds in group care will lead to conflict and behaviour issues which will be of detriment to their PSE development.
• I do not believe it will be sustainable in my local area for more childcare places to be created. I am not aware of my local authority carrying out an audit to check whether spaces are needed and I can tell you - nobody locally is full to capacity so where are these extra children coming from?
• If the changes to ratios for 2 year olds in nurseries are linked to the 2 year old funding, then it is only 15 hours a week of free care. There are very few parents who will find work just for 15 hours.
• Increasing the number of children in provisions will not make any difference to the amount of parents going out to work and looking for childcare - benefits changes and tax benefits to parents might make a difference.
• The EYFS already allows childminders to make exceptions to their ratios for continuity of care in exceptional circumstances. We do not need further tinkering with our ratios - we are perfectly capable of following the current rules.
The statement that childminders are ‘lagging behind’ other providers because...
• The vast majority of childminders are very professional people who offer high quality care and learning for the children.
• Until recently (Sept 2012) Ofsted inspectors guidance stated that newly registering childminders would not be well enough established to be graded better than satisfactory - and I believe this has contributed towards the lower grades that Ofsted are now saying mean childminders are ‘lagging behind’.
• I am a very highly qualified childminder with xx years experience - talk about your qualifications and how they ensure you offer an exceptional service to families.
• My Ofsted inspector said, as she arrived at my house, ‘I do not give childminders outstanding’. I believe views like this have distorted the figures.
• I regularly attend courses and other training to make sure I stay up-to-date.
I understand that the government’s proposal is an effort to decrease the fees parents pay for childcare, but this should not be at the expense of children’s safety and level of care. Early years providers are, for the most part, running quality, sustainable businesses offering a very high standard of care and learning to the children. Tinkering with ratios will not result in lower prices for parents, but create a two-tier system of childcare in this country.
Please do not risk outcomes for future generations of our children by making these changes.
Yours,