Quality or Quantity in Childcare

Quality or Quantity in Childcare

As you may be aware Children’s Minister Liz Truss proposes, as from autumn this year, nurseries in England are to be allowed to look after more children. By allowing this ministers say that this will make more childcare places available and, most importantly, improve quality and cut costs for parents. I ask myself how?

• Working in childcare sector for 29 years, I clearly understand how hard working and dedicated my practitioners are, continuing to work and deliver the best care for your children. Therefore, it is not realistic to change the ratios as they stand without sacrificing quality.
• I completely agree with Ms Truss that childcare professionals should be better qualified. However, this should be the responsibility of all individuals and nursery providers. Nurseries throughout England should already have sufficient qualified practitioners looking after children in their care and if not then it is the nursery owners who are failing. They are compromising on the quality of care given to your child by employing lower paid assistants and by doing so are saving on their prime care costs for the benefit of their own profits.
• As a childcare provider at Rothley Park Kindergarten it is my responsibility to ensure that all nursery practitioners are well qualified to carry out their duties. I also provide continuous training to develop those practitioners, which is essential when delivering quality care. The welfare and safeguarding of children in any care setting is of paramount importance and I believe that a decrease in the ratios requirement will compromise and reduce the quality of our early years and childcare sector.
• I have always believed that quality comes first before quantity; therefore, Rothley Park Kindergarten will continue to work on the existing ratios and will not comprise on quality. Nursery proprietors need to remember that this is not a requirement but only a recommendation, therefore, you really have to consider and see what is important to your childcare setting, quality or quantity. It’s that simple!