In this issue of Nursery Management, we gauge opinion on whether the rates will be set high enough to ensure PVI settings continue to be viable and achieve much sought-after parity with the maintained sector (page 4).
Meanwhile, managers are under increasing pressure to bring their staff up to level 3 and think in terms of graduate leadership. But not all are convinced. In our feature on page 20, we find out how some settings are achieving the right skills mix by their own methods.
Determination has certainly been key to implementing the EYFS effectively and, one year on, nursery managers feel it is already delivering benefits (page 10). With the first review of the framework due in 2010, providers have plenty of ideas on how it can be further improved.
Have you thought about the power of light in your setting? Creative lighting need not cost the earth and can be used to create an ambience that is conducive to both rest and play (page 15).
Despite tough times, it's good to see new nurseries opening. Little Elms Daycare Nursery in Kent is set to open next month after a £1.5m refurbishment of a former doctor's surgery. In Glasgow, Little Einstein's is opening its seventh site to plug a market gap in the South Side of the city, while Little Green Rascals has seized the moment in York - with a nursery that is totally organic. All three have one thing in common - a desire to reflect the individuality of their local communities. It's a great selling point.
