A lot of them are actually true, but I think she is blaming the wrong people - college lecturers do not advise against employment in day nurseries.
I have just completed my BTEC National Diploma in Childhood Studies and went on work placements as an integral part of my course. These included working with nought to twos in day nurseries, two-to five-year-olds in pre-school or reception classes and six-to seven-year-olds in school.
I have to say that the placement I least enjoyed was at day nursery, and this was the feeling I got from most of the other students on my course. I heard comments like, 'I had to clean the toilets, scrub the sink, clean paint pots and mop the floor for three weeks, and I only got to spend a little time with the children.' Yes, these are the duties of the job but the students are also there to play with the children, and should not be treated like a cleaner. They should be welcomed into the setting and treated like any other member of staff. What happens when the student is not there? There is probably a rota system where everyone takes turns at these duties. Simply adding the student to the rota would not cause any harm. In doing this they would get a real feel for what working in a day nursery is like.
The student is eventually going to be a nursery nurse. It's no good if they don't know how to talk and play with the children but are excellent at cleaning! One thing I learned at college is that nursery nurses have to be multi-talented and be prepared in any situation.
The attitude towards day nurseries has nothing to do with college lecturers, because they encourage students to experience all kinds of childcare settings including day nurseries, schools, special schools and playgroups. The nursery nurses have experiences like the ones I mentioned and that is enough to turn people off day nursery employment for life. But I am sure there are newly qualified nursery nurses who enjoy working in a day nursery.
Samantha Cullinane,
Birmingham
