Penelope Kilpatrick, chair of SINA's board of directors and owner of Pinetrees Nursery at Ayr hospital, described practitioners' jobs as 'juggling pieces of a huge human jigsaw to ensure that we meet the demands of parents, the requirements of legislation and, most importantly, that we give children the love and care and education they deserve.' Ms Kilpatrick said the independent sector was expert at providing full daycare. She said, 'You would only have to spend a morning in the office of a large nursery to know exactly how flexible this flexible, affordable childcare has to be. The phone rings constantly with requests for late pick-ups and early drop-offs, with weird and wonderful rota systems for hospital staff, with guaranteed term-time only places and no-I-don't-want-to-pay-for-the-holiday places for university staff, with emergency out-of-school cover for elections, with 'granny not well' and 'nanny run off with the milkman' cover... The list is endless.' Ms Kilpatrick said the combination of low unemployment, minimum wage laws, funded pre-school education and the Working Families Tax Credit was having a huge impact on the number of parents who were choosing to use childcare.
SINA recently relaunched as SINA (Scotland) Ltd, with a board of ten directors. It was originally formed more than ten years ago as a networking organisation for nursery owners and managers in the independent sector. Its members are also involved in training, lobbying, consultations and childcare partnerships.
This is the first time SINA, which has no central government funding, has had an office. The premises are based in a unit which had been leased by a 'generous SINA member' with space to spare, and will also be used as a training and resource centre.
Dr Christine Stephen of the University of Stirling, who attended the opening, said, 'I feel sure that the new head office and training and resource centre will facilitate the smooth running of the association and enhance the professional status and development of practitioners, and most importantly, contribute to the ever-better experiences of provision for children.'
