Degrees of success

I have been reading the letters about the need for graduate managers in nurseries with interest. While I agree with the importance of experience and understand that in-depth study is not for everyone, I do object to the perception of a graduate manager being one who prioritises 'budgeting and number-crunching and is removed from the grassroots of why we provide childcare in the first place' (Letters, 24 August) I am a pre-school manager and have recently gained a BA (Hons). While managing financial resources was covered as part of my degree, this was a very small part of my qualification. I studied in great depth the foundation curriculum, managing people (very important when dealing with staff as well as children), child development, special educational needs, the importance of therapeutic play and also looking at stereotypical attitudes and assumptions. There may be some graduate managers who are as Nicola Dickinson describes, but there are also some like myself who have studied long and hard to achieve their degree and remain focused upon the children and families and use their qualification to support them as best they can.