Equality is a watchword in the early years sector but childcare providers face real challenges in trying to ensure that they meet the ideal and do not just pay lip service to it.
Although practitioners recognise the proven benefits of quality childcare in the impact on children's health, social development and educational attainment, many families from black and minority ethnic communities are missing out.
Four local authority action research pilot studies, sponsored by the Sure Start Unit, addressed the conundrum of how to ensure that equality and inclusion policies are all-embracing. A Department for Education and Skills spokesperson says, 'We expect the outcomes of the project to inform future practice and influence others in the sector.'
One solution, identified by a pilot study run by Kirklees council, is to try to recruit, train and retain many more people from black and minority ethnic communities into childcare. The thinking behind the approach is that parents are more likely to use a setting where there are members of staff who can empathise and converse with them. It also helps address the sector's chronic staff shortage.
'Parents often feel more secure where a member of the workforce is from a similar minority ethnic group, or at least speaks the same language,' says Indira Patel, deputy head of St Matthew's Neighbourhood Centre, Leicestershire which caters for Muslim, Hindu and Christian children.
'Parents from ethnic minority backgrounds feel settled leaving their children with me. Perhaps it's because I am Indian and I come from a different culture.
They know that I, along with other staff, will ensure that their child is exposed to different cultures and religious festivals through play.'
More understanding
According to Dalvir Gill, training director of Early Years Equality, who worked as the access, inclusion and marketing officer for the Wolverhampton pilot study, a greater understanding of different cultures is needed if black and minority ethnic families are to be helped to access childcare and welcomed into the profession. 'These families feel that the fundamental core values relating to their cultures are often not taken into consideration within the childcare setting.'
Julian Grenier, headteacher at Kate Greenaway Nursery School, London, believes it is important for nursery staff teams to include people from different backgrounds and who speak different languages. 'Thinking about our similarities and differences, and debating our beliefs and values about childhood, helps everyone to become a better practitioner,' he says.
Athos Pittordou, founder of Community Arts Network in Devon, is a Greek Cypriot who moved to England at an early age. By engaging children in the activities of different cultures through art, Mr Pittordou focuses on teaching them to value difference.
He devised the Mask Project after an approach from the local Racial Equality Council, police, schools and parents. It involved a series of different art forms, games and activities looking at self-identity and the concepts of similarities and differences.
Children performed a piece based on the evolution of the human being. They wore white masks that gradually evolved into multi-coloured masks to represent the different tribes in which they chose to become a part. Mr Pittordou says, 'Feedback from teachers revealed that the class became more cohesive and there was a lot more respect for children from different ethnic minority backgrounds.
'If these values were instilled in children, society as a whole would have a chance to reflect on the differences and gain from them. Some children in Devon have never seen a black person. The values that ethnic minorities can bring to children are boundless.'
Recruitment drive
Sure Start minister Lady Ashton told the recent 'Sure Start: for Everyone' conference in London to disseminate the pilot studies that found only eight per cent of the childcare workforce comes from minority ethnic backgrounds. 'It was 3 per cent in 1998, but it is still too low. It is very important that we make sure the opportunities are there for people to participate,' she said.
The Government drive to recruit childcarers from black and minority ethnic groups must not merely focus on numbers, says Thom Crabbe, Daycare Trust head of projects. He stresses the importance of 'building up a representative workforce at all levels,' so people can see there is true equality of access and opportunity.
Since July 2000, 14 per cent of 200,000 calls to the national recruitment hotline have been from these communities, according to the Sure Start Unit's conference briefing paper. But it says work needs to be done to translate these expressions of interest into employees.
For example, local authorities and training providers need to organise training on days and at times that do not clash with people's religious obligations, festivals, or holy days.
The pilots identified the need to offer language support to people for whom English is an additional language. One study highlighted an incident where a translation and interpretation service were offered to a trainee throughout the course, but not for the exam, which she consequently failed and therefore did not get a childcare job.
Although the research teams hope the findings will be rolled out nationally, Kirklees communications and inclusion strategy manager Karen Smith says the key message is that local solutions should be devised for local areas. 'We are optimistic that the action research pilot has inspired employers and training providers to be more mindful of the barriers facing some communities.'
The study focused on the Batley area of Kirklees where 28 per cent of the 40,000 strong population are from minority ethnic communities, and are predominately orthodox Muslims. It found the major obstacles to training were that while introductory courses were run in local community venues, higher level courses were run outside the area and in the evenings, but local women were unwilling or unable to travel.
In contrast, Kirklees regener-ation consultant Mithu Komarnyckyj says higher level childcare courses run during the year-long pilot study at a local community centre were popular. The training programme had European Social Fund finance to pay for extra one-to-one support for trainees and provide free childcare. It proved very successful with 60 per cent of the students going into childcare. While a childminding course run in a community centre was completed by eight people, including three men, and has led to the establishment of a childminding network.
'Advertisements and publicity material need to be displayed where people go: local schools and community centres,' Ms Komarnyckyj adds. Vacancies advertised in the mainstream press will not always get a response whereas a childcare jobs fair she organised in a community centre resulted in enquiries about training, jobs and places in childcare settings.
The pilot found trainees often lack confidence when applying for work so she linked with a Muslim training group which supports people through the application process.
'There was a shortage of placements,' says Ms Smith. 'Placements have to be very localised because there may be difficulties for women travelling alone. They preferred school placements because the hours and term working were more amenable to their domestic responsibilities. There was also the fact that schools are educational establishments and the women felt comfortable working within the school structure.'
Two barriers to employment doubtless strike a chord right across the sector. 'Trainees expect to earn about 6 an hour,' says Ms Komarnyckyj. 'The reality often contrasts with their expectations. The status of childcare was an issue too in that it is not seen as a profession.'
Added support
While the pilot studies identified possible ways forward through a variety of interventions, the dissemination conference highlighted a fundamental disagreement between Lady Ashton and Sure Start Unit director Naomi Eisenstadt on the one hand, and conference delegates on the other. At issue was whether the Government should require local authorities to appoint area Equality Named Co-ordinators (ENCOs) to support local settings in their delivery of equal opportunities policies.
During the question and answer session Ms Eisenstadt ruled out a request for ring-fenced funding for area ENCOs saying, 'It is up to local authorities to decide how they use funds. I would not recommend an area ENCO for every local authority.'
The Sure Start's conference briefing paper said some authorities had extended the role of their area Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators to take on the equal opportunities work. But Ms Gill says it is too much to expect one person to take responsibility for both these important issues.
'We need to have an equal opportunities champion within each local authority. That person would provide on-going support to individual ENCOs in the childcare settings. What we are asking for is for some pressure from the Government to tell local authorities to appoint such a person.
'It will not happen by chance. Somebody needs to make it happen.'
