ginag
08-03-2014, 03:55 PM
The party is asking for views and comments from members on all aspects of its policy. If you are a member it is a great opportunity to have your say and put forward the views of childminders who are not members. I took umbrage with the wording of the Agenda for Education and Children, in that childcare costs were described as "extortionate". This is my submission:-
I disagree with the wording of the Education and Children Agenda, where childcare is described as "extortionate". It reads like a Daily Mail headline. The definitions of "extortionate" include immoderate and unreasonable. I am a Registered Childminder with 14 years experience. The average cost of a full days childcare in Hampshire where I live and work is £40-£50 per day. This includes all meals, outings and the care and education of a child for up to 11 hours of the day. This is most definitely not unreasonable. After expenses including toys and resources, petrol, insurances etc the profit to a Childminder may be as little as £20 a day. This is definitely not immoderate.
The question is not the cost of a childcare system but how we as a nation should be paying for it. Flexible high quality childcare must be paid for. We should be proud of the work done by dedicated Childminders and nursery staff to care for and support the learning and development of the most vulnerable in our society. We should not belittle the vitally important work they do by claiming they charge too much.
Measures including the childcare element of Tax Credits and provision of funding for free Early Years Education for 2, 3 and 4 year olds relieves a burden on parents. Other ways of cutting the costs to parents can be found, and that is where we should be concentrating our discussions not on making Early Years workers feel they are viewed by the Labour party and society in general are taking advantage of hard working parents and charging more than they are worth.
I had just spent 5 hours doing work for my level 3 and it made my blood boil!
Gina
I disagree with the wording of the Education and Children Agenda, where childcare is described as "extortionate". It reads like a Daily Mail headline. The definitions of "extortionate" include immoderate and unreasonable. I am a Registered Childminder with 14 years experience. The average cost of a full days childcare in Hampshire where I live and work is £40-£50 per day. This includes all meals, outings and the care and education of a child for up to 11 hours of the day. This is most definitely not unreasonable. After expenses including toys and resources, petrol, insurances etc the profit to a Childminder may be as little as £20 a day. This is definitely not immoderate.
The question is not the cost of a childcare system but how we as a nation should be paying for it. Flexible high quality childcare must be paid for. We should be proud of the work done by dedicated Childminders and nursery staff to care for and support the learning and development of the most vulnerable in our society. We should not belittle the vitally important work they do by claiming they charge too much.
Measures including the childcare element of Tax Credits and provision of funding for free Early Years Education for 2, 3 and 4 year olds relieves a burden on parents. Other ways of cutting the costs to parents can be found, and that is where we should be concentrating our discussions not on making Early Years workers feel they are viewed by the Labour party and society in general are taking advantage of hard working parents and charging more than they are worth.
I had just spent 5 hours doing work for my level 3 and it made my blood boil!
Gina