I am certain I am not the only childcare provider of my generation who has thought at times that business people are a breed of selfish, emotionless people, just out for the profit.
However, my total love and dedication to my career of caring for children, their families, my staff teams and training is depleting rapidly, because I am now floundering in a continuous managerial nightmare. At this stage I am still working to provide various opportunities of training to ensure early years practitioners reach their personal professional goals and assist the business of high-quality childcare in the community.
But I have failed to achieve my own goals because I have no business acumen. I survive by purchasing professional expertise, which consumes huge chunks of any profit and does not allow for any surplus.
Until I read the feature 'Down to business' in Nursery World (23 January), I felt that this 'unknown and fearful entity' was a knowledge I would never be able to attain. The Government tells us childcare is a socially responsible business and its Childcare Business Support Development Programme will offer speakers such as business in the community consultants and business future managers.
I wholeheartedly agree with the package, and especially its Module on Business Development Through Partnering. We can be the key partners in our individual areas to assist in the promotion of understanding the role of socially responsible business practice in childcare.
Together as professionals, let us open our settings' doors to sustain our high-quality business provision and improve the industry as a whole. We can be the models for the future generation of specialist managers, many of whom I hope will be men for the children's sake. These specialists will be able to care for the early years sector, weighing up that human beings and statistics are equally important.
