(30 May) and I picked up on the word 'celebrate', in this case applied to early years degrees.
We should all concentrate on celebrating more - especially as June was National Childcare Month. We should celebrate the quality care and education we provide whatever sector we work in. Whether a classroom assistant, nursery nurse, pre-school worker, childminder, parent, tutor, nanny or as a play leader, we should all support each other and be tolerant of the different qualifications, workplaces and experiences we all bring to the job without the constant 'one-upmanship' I keep seeing in Nursery World.
I understand better than most the different facets of early years care and education as I work as a playgroup leader two mornings a week and a childminder on afternoons and run my own sessional nursery three mornings a week, as well as work in a holiday playscheme. I am also working towards an NVQ Level 4 and an accreditation scheme within nursery.
Week after week the Nursery World letters page is full of one sector or another being critical of others. We need to work together to raise standards for the children in our care and to raise our profile, our levels of qualification and expertise, and our value. We can only do this if we value each other - for how can we earn the respect of other sectors if we do not respect each other?
I would like to think we can do this, for don't we all promote equal opportunities and tolerance to the children in our care? Isn't it time we did this among ourselves?
Linda Chapman. Northallerton, North Yorkshire
