Letters

Nutrition guidance

I was mortified to read that nurseries are providing unhealthy food for the children in their care (News, 23 October). Here we produce seasonal menus that consist of fresh produce only. We use nothing that is processed. We have a fresh delivery of fruit, vegetables, poultry, meat and dairy items and our chef is magnificent at cooking some lovely nutritious meals. We do have a food budget, but we would never compromise the children's health and the quality of the food for the sake of budget or convenience.

The Food Standards Agency produces guidelines which helped us decide what was going to be on the menu and the quantities we needed. Maybe some of the nurseries serving unhealthy food need to get some guidance, because it makes all PVI nurseries look like they don't have high standards, when this is very untrue.

Gemma Froude, manager, Smart Tots nursery, Banbury

Letter of the week wins £30 worth of books

DIET, NOT HYGIENE

In response to 'Diabetes link to hygiene' (News, 2 October), I feel this was extremely misleading and confusing and had more to do with the arguments for pre (or pro) biotics in food sources for young children.

Thankfully, nurseries will never be a 'clean' environment in the surgical sense of the word, and children will continue to be exposed to healthy levels of bacteria and minor infection. Children should have a right to play and learn in a low-risk environment with an emphasis on personal hygiene and the importance of handwashing.

I think it is also important to remember that 20 years ago when diabetes was less common in children, E-Coli had not then been diagnosed. It is my opinion that the increase in diabetes may have more to do with the vast increase in fast food and ready meals than the possibility of children being brought up in sterile environments.

Iain Stewart, managing director, ToyGuard, www.toyguard.co.uk

FREE ENTITLEMENT

Local authorities face difficulties in meeting their legislative requirements for sufficient childcare places if many more nurseries close. The Local Government Association has learned of good practice within some local authorities and harsh practice within others. With the National Day Nurseries Association, the LGA has produced a booklet, Making the free early years entitlement work - good practice case studies of partnership working. Across the country, local authorities are working with the PVI sector in various ways and it is hoped that the booklet will encourage better partnership.

However, the Government has still not addressed the real issue - that the hourly rate of funding being paid is inadequate. Until it does, or permits PVIs to charge the actual cost to parents for their care and education of children, not an enforced below par rate, groups will continue to close.

All eyes are waiting for the new Code Consultation which is due out in January 2009. All providers must scrutinise this Code and respond appropriately. Many providers feel that an extension to 15 hours and flexibility of delivery, together with funding to two-year-olds, will only exacerbate the current problem.

It is interesting just how many of the Government's own children's centres are being heavily subsidised, as they too are finding that their income from funding alone is inadequate.

On 20 October, the Government, via Peter Mandelson, took the decision to shelve the implementation of 'flexible working' rights for all parents who have children under 16 as he felt, in these hard times, it may not suit businesses! No doubt the decision to implement flexible delivery will also be the choice of nursery providers too.

Everyone in the childcare sector supports the Government initiative to bring children out of poverty and to support working parents, but too many such initiatives are based on inadequate research and no Regulatory Impact Assessment on the private businesses which are providing that service on behalf of the Government.

Darrell King, chair of the Kent Association of Private, Voluntary and Independent Providers

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The Editor, Nursery World, 174 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7JP

letter.nw@haymarket.com

020 8267 8402.