Childcare Management Guide. (Croner, 219.95, 020 8247 1630).
Reviewed by Rosie Pressland, principal of Pocklington Montessori School in York
At first glance this hefty read on Childcare Management, a loose-leaf reference book with three updates per year, seems to be up to Croner's normally high levels of information.
But a more in-depth read gave me a certain discomfort. Croner has missed an opportunity to get to grips with the necessary issues of childcare management by omitting contributions from the Early Years Development and Childcare Partnerships and people currently running childcare provision.
Sections such as 'Obtaining Grant Funding for Your Project' do not include information on major funding streams such as the New Opportunities Fund, Neighbourhood Nursery Initiatives, EYDCPs and sustainability funding, and grants for expansion of places or training. Instead, there is an emphasis on not-for-profit organisations and grants from trust funds. The financial section starts with an income and expenditure table based on a 24-place pre-school open 50 weeks of the year, 9am to 4pm (all most unusual) and with an unbelievable 100 per cent occupancy! This was obviously written by an accountant, not an experienced early years manager.
The list of training providers has major omissions. There is no reference to the Children's Information Service, which houses a bank of in-depth information on training, and major training providers such as the NDNA, NCMA, Montessori, Steiner, the Learning Partnerships and the Learning and Skills Councils are left out.
My worst discomfort arose from the section on Care, Learning and Play. It states, 'Below the age of five many children will need the support of an adult to ensure that they are kept clean, warm and fed'. We're not discussing pet shop management! The essential ingredient of love is notably missing.
The big mistake Croner has made is to approach all issues in a clinical fashion. Those of us working with children know this can never be the case.
