Three childminders attest to the fact that achieving Early Professional Status is far from being an end in itself and can provide a springboard to exciting new endeavours.
The trio, who live on the Hampshire-Berkshire borders, met nearly two years ago while pursuing the long EYPS pathway at Reading University. They are now embarking on further training to develop their careers in new directions.
Faye Bosley, from Camberley, has been appointed a National Childminding Association network co-ordinator, while Laura Dabreo, from Wokingham, has taken on the role of mentor for current EYP students at Reading. Heidi Evans, from Purley-on-Thames, is now training to be a Forest School teacher.
'When we undertook the EYPS course, from September 2007 to December 2008, it was very new,' says Ms Bosley. 'The majority of the 30 to 40 students worked in nurseries or pre-schools and we formed a little group of childminders. It was nice to have something in common, because working as a childminder can be quite isolating.'
The Children's Workforce Development Council does not currently provide a breakdown of EYPs' particular areas of work, but anecdotally it is thought that most EYPs come from daycare settings, children's centres and pre-schools.
Although the trio were all graduates and had worked in other careers before becoming childminders, Laura Dabreo says one hurdle was the requirement to meet the 39 standards of the EYPS as a leader and not just as a practitioner. 'Because we work as childminders, we are quite isolated and generally don't have the opportunities where we can lead other people,' she says.
However, the launch of the Early Years Foundation Stage provided a solution to this for all three.
'The EYFS was launched while we were on the course,' says Ms Bosley. 'So we were able to get into the swing of it and lead other childminders, sharing information about it with them.
'I started a childminder drop-in - basically it was a toddler group for childminders to meet and act as a support network for each other. I did this because I wanted to reflect on best practice.
'I arranged activities every week and distributed information on legislation and child development. This was one way for me to meet the leadership aspect of the EYPS, because being a childminder makes it quite difficult to do that.'
Heidi Evans adds, 'The biggest thing about doing the EYPS is gaining confidence and feeling that I am a professional, who can tackle a wide variety of challenges and stand up and talk to people.'
Inspired by the outdoors
Ms Dabreo says that the course tutors emphasised the need for continuing professional development after achieving EYPS.
'After the course, I joked that I would never study again. But Wokingham council runs lots of training, so I have been on courses such as English as an additional language, I-CAN speech and language and safeguarding children. I will also be doing some training for my mentoring.'
For Ms Evans, EYPS has been a spur for pursuing her love of the outdoors. 'The course covered outdoor learning, which is something that has always interested me,' she says. 'It really inspired me to make big changes in my setting, and I have been awarded capital grant funding to develop my outdoors area. I am still in the process of getting planning permission, but I am looking to have a covered area outside and get more equipment. Because of the EYP course, my knowledge of what makes a good outdoor area has been deepened.
'We had a seminar from Helen Bilton that was very inspiring, and as a result I enrolled with Bridgwater College to undertake its Forest School course. I am halfway through training and hopefully I will finish before next March.
'We started with a five-day intensive course. Some of it was practical, but most of it was classroom-based and covered administrative points like the paperwork, the risk assessments and equipment you need.'
The course also includes practical sessions, assignments and a practical assessment that will have Ms Evans leading a Forest School session.
'I am going to run a Forest School session for the children I mind, and I have been asked to run Forest School sessions for other childminders and at the local Steiner school. Someone approached me in the playground today to say there was a local school that has some woodland they never use. Without having to do anything, the word has spread.
She adds, 'We look over farmland leading down to the Thames and the farmer has said that maybe we can discuss using some of his land for a Forest School. I have always been an outdoors person. One of the things I love about being a childminder is that we can spend so much time outdoors.'
Teaching others
Faye Bosley corroborates that EYPS has given her an open mind when it comes to further training opportunities.
'I will be continuing my training,' she says. 'It is very early days yet, but they would like me to work towards an assessor award and a teaching award so I can teach the childminding Diploma in Home-based Childcare. I am also thinking about doing the early years foundation degree, as my degree is in tourism management and French.'
Meanwhile Ms Dabreo was inspired by the EYP course to become a mentor.
'When we started the EYP course it was so new that we had mentors who had not done the course,' she says. 'So when the opportunity came, I thought this was something I would really like to do so I can support them in a way that I would like to have been supported.
'The first training day is on how to mentor and looks at personal skills, such as interacting with people - and that is something I enjoy doing. One of the key things is to keep up to date with how the course is continuing to evolve.'
Despite the range of opportunities provided by EYPS, Ms Dabreo is adamant that she would not want to end up in a management role that took her away from working with children.
'We have shown that we are professionals, but as childminders we don't get paid any more for attaining the status, unlike other practitioners working in daycare settings,' she says. 'My charges are the same. We don't get money from the Graduate Leader Fund, because that applies to settings caring for 20 children or more.'
But whatever the reality of this situation, EYPS is a valuable learning experience for childminders - enriching their practice and taking them into new, rewarding areas.
