Childcare changes

Dancing GirlDancing Girl Posts: 8,209
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This latest announcement does not make any sense. If you insist that the staff working in nurseries and in childcare are better qualified that means that they will expect to be paid more. How can you pay someone six pounds as a nursery worker and yet the parents pay hundreds of pounds to the nursery!! Just like homes for the elderly, they are run for profit and the staff are usually inadequately qualified, or not qualifed at all and paid rubbish. I cannot see allowing staff to be responsible for more children or getting better qualification will help hard-pressed parents who are desperate to find affordable childcare!

Comments

  • spanglerokapispanglerokapi Posts: 523
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    There will be more places available with childminders due to them being able to mind extra infants. Traditionally childminders are cheaper than nurseries.
  • joan13joan13 Posts: 1,227
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    My daughter is a qualified Nursery nurse she earns just above the minimum wage she said the only person to gain from this will be the nursery owner as they will need less staff.

    Also the children will not get as much attention as now she will have double the amount of babies to bottle feed and nappy change .

    There will also be a health and safety issue with the mixed ages It's very worrying how they can make such big decisions whilst having no clue about how things work in a nursery.
  • spanglerokapispanglerokapi Posts: 523
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    The nursery owner can only have less staff if the staff have the necessary GCSEs.

    Some child are providers do pay their staff well, I know personally a nursery nurse who earns £20k!
  • dee-recdee-rec Posts: 2,403
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    I think its absolutely crazy. Nursery staff are usually already qualified and even if they have a degree it doesnt give them an extra pair of hands or eyes. Quality of care will fall and I believe it raises health and safety issues.
    I am a childminder and dont plan on taking on extra children as i am full at the moment with 6 in total and that is hard going enough! Taking on extra would lead to a drop in the quality of care i could provide for them and I am not willing to do that and i dont believe the existing parents would be happy with that either.
    Also, how can a childminder taking on extra children lead to a drop in cost for the parents? I certainly wouldnt lower my fees because i had more children, more work for less money, I dont think so!
  • joan13joan13 Posts: 1,227
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    My daughter gets nowhere near that and she is a room leader .

    How can you possibly look after after 6 two to three year holds having to observe, play ,comfort and toilet train ,teach and love them all at the same time. I cannot see any parent wanting their child to have less time with there teacher .
  • PicklebumPicklebum Posts: 1,423
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    IMO they should be looking at ways to help more Mothers stay at home and look after their own children. Children under 3 should not be in private nurseries or being looked after by people other than their own family members. (runs for cover).
  • dee-recdee-rec Posts: 2,403
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    IMO they should be looking at ways to help more Mothers stay at home and look after their own children. Children under 3 should not be in private nurseries or being looked after by people other than their own family members. (runs for cover).

    But not every mother feels the same. The parents of the children I mind have worked hard to build their careers and wouldn't want to stay at home with their children - and im not just saying that - they have told me that! I love working with children and provide a high standard of care for them while they are working so works out well for all parties.
    Each to their own though, I wouldn't criticise anyone for their choices!
  • Hildas HairnetHildas Hairnet Posts: 643
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    I heard a very valid point on the radio this afternoon, there was a male nursery nurse from Salford being interviewed. He said that if there was a fire at the nursery how could he (on his own) evacuate either 4 babies or 6 toddlers, the majority of which (he said) dont have English as their first language.

    I'd not thought about that and I'd say it would be impossible :mad:
  • PicklebumPicklebum Posts: 1,423
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    dee-rec wrote: »
    But not every mother feels the same. The parents of the children I mind have worked hard to build their careers and wouldn't want to stay at home with their children - and im not just saying that - they have told me that! I love working with children and provide a high standard of care for them while they are working so works out well for all parties.
    Each to their own though, I wouldn't criticise anyone for their choices!

    Therein lies the problem. Why did they have them then?

    I had a good job before I had children. My husband earns an average wage. Before we decided to have children we moved to a less expensive area so that I would be able to stay at home and look after my children once they came.

    Fast forward 6 years and my youngest will be 3 in March and I will go back to work.

    How have we done it? No abroad holidays in 6 years, one bog standard car, hardly any nights out but friends round for drinks etc, really thinking about whether we REALLY need things before we buy them. Its the way generations in the past used to to look at life.

    It can be done, but too many parents are more concerned with maintaining "their lifestyle" once children come.
  • mildredhubblemildredhubble Posts: 6,447
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    Therein lies the problem. Why did they have them then?

    I had a good job before I had children. My husband earns an average wage. Before we decided to have children we moved to a less expensive area so that I would be able to stay at home and look after my children once they came.

    Fast forward 6 years and my youngest will be 3 in March and I will go back to work.

    How have we done it? No abroad holidays in 6 years, one bog standard car, hardly any nights out but friends round for drinks etc, really thinking about whether we REALLY need things before we buy them. Its the way generations in the past used to to look at life.

    It can be done, but too many parents are more concerned with maintaining "their lifestyle" once children come.

    I'm all for staying at home but some people have worked very hard and taking x years out can be really damaging to a career that may have to continue until death.
  • PicklebumPicklebum Posts: 1,423
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    I'm all for staying at home but some people have worked very hard and taking x years out can be really damaging to a career that may have to continue until death.

    So its OK then to put a month old baby in a nursery from 7-7 5 days a week because Mummy has worked jolly hard to get where she is today you know !
    (used to work in Media Sales, saw it happen again and again and vowed that I would never turn into one of those women)
  • MuzeMuze Posts: 2,225
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    Well tbh, many othe vulnerable people in society are being negatively affected by various austerity measures... why not little kids??

    Everyone's got to chip in you know! ;)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 43
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    So its OK then to put a month old baby in a nursery from 7-7 5 days a week because Mummy has worked jolly hard to get where she is today you know !
    (used to work in Media Sales, saw it happen again and again and vowed that I would never turn into one of those women)

    As a medical student, I cannot foresee doing my 6 year degree and apx 10 year speciality training, then leaving medicine to look after children full-time. Personally, I don't think that's a selfish attitude.
  • horwichallstarshorwichallstars Posts: 16,514
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    So its OK then to put a month old baby in a nursery from 7-7 5 days a week because Mummy has worked jolly hard to get where she is today you know !
    (used to work in Media Sales, saw it happen again and again and vowed that I would never turn into one of those women)

    I'm one of "those women" - I went back to work part time when my daughter was 6 months, and full time when she was 12 months.. and at this stage she went into nursery full-time.

    She's in Y2 now at primary school, happy, confident, well-adjusted. Didn't do her any harm. The nursery staff were wonderful with her, and TBH did much more with her than would have done.

    My Nephew is the same age, he is also happy, confident and well adjusted... and my sister in law stayed at home full time.

    I went back to work because I wanted to, not because I had to.

    You know what, lots of "chav" kids have parents who stay at home full-time, doesn't make them well brought it.

    Quality care, consitency, and love in whatever setting is the most important thing.
  • PicklebumPicklebum Posts: 1,423
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    As a medical student, I cannot foresee doing my 6 year degree and apx 10 year speciality training, then leaving medicine to look after children full-time. Personally, I don't think that's a selfish attitude.


    All depends on what you value the most.
  • PicklebumPicklebum Posts: 1,423
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    I'm one of "those women" - I went back to work part time when my daughter was 6 months, and full time when she was 12 months.. and at this stage she went into nursery full-time.

    She's in Y2 now at primary school, happy, confident, well-adjusted. Didn't do her any harm. The nursery staff were wonderful with her, and TBH did much more with her than would have done.

    My Nephew is the same age, he is also happy, confident and well adjusted... and my sister in law stayed at home full time.

    I went back to work because I wanted to, not because I had to.

    You know what, lots of "chav" kids have parents who stay at home full-time, doesn't make them well brought it.

    Quality care, consitency, and love in whatever setting is the most important thing.[/QUOTE

    Some nurseries may be wonderful establishments, but you cannot expect them to love your child (no matter how high the fees may be)
  • horwichallstarshorwichallstars Posts: 16,514
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    [QUOTE

    Some nurseries may be wonderful establishments, but you cannot expect them to love your child (no matter how high the fees may be)[/QUOTE]

    No, they did love her. I was there, and saw the relationship.
  • dee-recdee-rec Posts: 2,403
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    I think over time, you do grow to love the children you care for. I know one girl i mind calls me her daytime mum and i take that as a huge compliment. You grow very close to the children, especially those you have had since a baby. And having a small number of children allows that bond to grow as you have time to give them individual attention, i really worry that increasing the ratios will be detrimental to children.
  • Kaz159Kaz159 Posts: 11,824
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    dee-rec wrote: »
    I think over time, you do grow to love the children you care for. I know one girl i mind calls me her daytime mum and i take that as a huge compliment. You grow very close to the children, especially those you have had since a baby. And having a small number of children allows that bond to grow as you have time to give them individual attention, i really worry that increasing the ratios will be detrimental to children.

    My youngest was with her childminder from 3 months old (that was the limit of maternity leave then) and she used to call her mum. It never upset me as it meant she was happy there. She was one of the family and still goes to visit now (she's 17). She did go after school until she was 12!

    I consider myself very lucky to have the best childminder I could have had.
  • mildredhubblemildredhubble Posts: 6,447
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    So its OK then to put a month old baby in a nursery from 7-7 5 days a week because Mummy has worked jolly hard to get where she is today you know !
    (used to work in Media Sales, saw it happen again and again and vowed that I would never turn into one of those women)

    I personally wouldn't but to be honest it's not wrong, it's just not how I would raise my child.

    There are plenty of things in the world of parenting I do not or would not do.
  • chloebchloeb Posts: 6,501
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    I too don't understand the promise to better train child carers but increase the amount of children per carer....
  • chloebchloeb Posts: 6,501
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    Picklebum wrote: »
    IMO they should be looking at ways to help more Mothers stay at home and look after their own children. Children under 3 should not be in private nurseries or being looked after by people other than their own family members. (runs for cover).

    Agreed....but that's never going to happen. Taking away child benefit isn't helping either
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