I couldn't agree more with Helen Bromley's article on the importance offorming positive relationships with all parents and families (20September-3 October). Her own childhood experience is not too dissimilarto those of many families today.
I worked with a Year Two class in which there was a girl, cared for byher grandmother, who never seemed to know what she was doing or havewhat she needed. When letters were sent home detailing times andcostumes for the Christmas nativity, I took a different approach withthis family. As I handed the letter to the grandmother personally, Itold her simply that the child was going to be a shepherd in a play andthat she could come and watch. I asked her if she could provide a largeT shirt of her own for the child to wear as a tunic and tell me thechild's shoe size so I could lend plimsolls.
Her worried face instantly took on a relieved and grateful expression,as she confided that she couldn't read the letters and so she never knewwhat to do, but, if I could tell her, she would always try to help. Thechild brought in her T shirt the very next day and, when I praised byname all the children who had remembered quickly, her face shone and shebegan to take an animated interest in the play.
As a mother of four, I was frustrated by the continuous extra demandsmade by the primary school. As a pre-school practitioner, I ensured thatall families had what they needed - care and support, time to chat andask questions, and at least two to three weeks' notice of anything, withclear explanations and friendly reminders along the way - and then agenuine 'thank you'.
Debbie Chalmers, NNEB, Cambridge
Our star letter wins 30 worth of books
OUT OF OUR CONTROL
I was browsing the new 'Families in the Foundation Years' website when Icame across the section on sustainability. I found it all a bit'woolly', giving no insight to what is happening in the real world.
This section talks about the need for 'good business planning andmanagement skill' to ensure a 'healthy financial position' for settings,with which I fully agree. But there is no mention that if all settingshad good business planning and skills, it would still be very difficultto have financial control when, first, a substantial part of your incomeis set by someone else - ie, the local authority, which gets the moneyfrom central Government, in the form of the funding for the free 15hours of early years entitlement. Or second, when you have littlecontrol over your ever-increasing costs, as they have mainly beenbrought about by Government policies and are out of your control.
I have fears for the future sustainability of many operators in thedaycare sector. The Government's own figures show there has been a 30per cent-plus increase in day nurseries reporting they are losing moneyfrom 2009 to 2010, bringing the total to 19 per cent. If you add inthose settings which are only breaking even, there must be 50 per centor more either losing money or having major long-term sustainabilityproblems.
There are solutions available to this Government and I urge them to lookat some of the possible ideas. If they want some help, I'm alwaysavailable.
Ken McArthur, Polly Anna's Nursery, York
GOOD COMMUNICATING
The column 'It's just not "good" enough' by Julian Grenier really caughtmy eye in your last issue.
I appreciate the skilful way he highlights the importance of what we sayand how we say it, and cautions about the use of institutionalisedlanguage.
He describes, without judgement, the current trend for a language usedin nurseries that is based on evaluative statements such as 'goodsitting, good listening', and he uses humour to illustrate how the term'good looking' would be understood outside the school gates!
He offers practical examples of the descriptions for behaviours thatmight relate to what is meant by 'good sitting', and he expands this bydescribing other behaviours concerning sitting, such as fidgeting andgenerally moving about.
He suggests how it might be much nicer if practitioners considered usingclear and genuine descriptions instead of a language that is distinctfrom the way other people speak.
I so enjoyed reading this article. Thanks, Julian ... hopefully I may,one day, hear less of this language spoken when my grandchildren areplaying 'schools' together.
Tracy Seed, Tracy Seed Associates training and developmentconsultants
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