EYFS REMOVES CHOICE
In your article 'Childminders drop out in advent of EYFS' (News, 15 May), I'd like to point out that this and the other issues highlighted are only part of the reason. I, and most other childminders I know, will be able to put this into practice, daunting and large though it is. The question is: why should I?
Childminding (home-based childcare) is not just a geographical location, but also an ethos and deeply held belief by those who practise it and those who seek it out, of a particular kind of learning experience and nurturing.
The parents who choose it are looking for a substitute for themselves and their home, with the same type of values and attitudes they hold. They require the kind of one-to-one, loving experience their child would have if they could stay at home. They place the social and emotional wellbeing of their child, the opportunity for him/her to remain in their community visiting local shops, parks, libraries, the school they will attend on a daily basis and making friends with the lollipop lady, checkout girl, and so forth. This is of more value and real benefit than all the observations and assessments we will be obliged to provide for Ofsted, local authorities and schools.
Most of these people come from the ranks of those who believe that it is inappropriate for young children to be observed and assessed, no matter how laudable the motive, and that there is plenty of time for this more formal approach when they get to school.
They are not saying that this is the only valid early years experience, but it is one that they have chosen and feel happy with and that suits their family.
The EYFS effectively takes away this choice and that of childminders to provide it. It locks us into a prescribed way of practising, observing, recording and assessing children that is alien to the ethos of a true home setting.
I have been a childminder for 30 years, have two Level 3 qualifications in childcare and development, and was graded outstanding by Ofsted at my last inspection. The children in my care develop and flourish at their own pace and in their own ways of learning, supported in their understanding and achievements towards the early learning goals without it being necessary for me to record and compare them to statistics, developmental charts or each other.
Surely my right to practise in this way, and parents' right to choose the way in which their child is cared for, should be upheld and supported.
I urge childminders to stay in the profession and voice their opinions at every opportunity. I for one will be trying to navigate a path that will enable me to stay true to my beliefs and my parents' expectations, while at the same time accommodating this latest set of Government requirements.
Jackie Parr, registered childminder, Manchester
Letter of the Week wins ú30 worth of books
FAIR PLAY FOR CARERS
In Rosie Bloomfield's letter (Macho Stance?, 8 May), I'm accused of partaking in a 'macho stand-off' in relation to progression to Early Years Professional Status.
The point I was trying to make was that the way EYP status is defined is that a newly qualified teacher with limited experience of young children, and who has undergone the validation pathway, can be defined as an EYP.
However, a nursery nurse with a NNEB and 20 years' experience in early years education cannot, neither is there currently a pathway for them to be able to achieve this status. I consider this to be both an unfair and unsustainable position that needs to be addressed.
Nursery nurses are a group of professionals with long history of expertise and dedication to the development and education of young children, and there need to be routes for these staff to be able to convert this expertise and experience into achieving the new professional status.
Neither do I believe that arguing for better workforce development and career progression for groups of workers who have long been underpaid and under-recognised is taking a 'macho stance'.
Ben Thomas, national officer, Children's Services, UNISON
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