from bad to fanciful

Troubled thoughts:
The government is systematically trying to destroy childminding as we know it.

Childminder agencies run for profit are not needed and will push up the cost of childcare. The 'pilots' are barely begun, they all seem to have run unique services which means there is no systems testing to ensure Childminder agencies will work.

 

With Childminders now leaving the profession in droves because of the uncertainty, the latest news is likely to be the final straw for many. Ms Truss may claim the numbers were already declining but as Local Authority support is now so reduced many childminders find themselves alone. There is anger and disbelief that the government is not listening to the childcare sector.

The latest proposals to allow 3 hours unregulated childcare is a safeguarding disaster waiting to happen. All of us who have ever attended Child protection training know this.

With Gove facing a brick wall over changing teachers contracts we now have Ms Truss ideas of expecting childminders to care for pre-school children from 9-3 and then march them to school to supervise a mixed age group of 30 school children till 6 pm. This is the most fanciful idea yet.
Do parents really want their children in 'school' for 9 or 10 hours a day- 5 days a week? At least a toddler in nursery for 10 hours a day can be assured their Welfare is paramount. Toddlers have their individual needs met, their care routines are embedded in the EYFS. Are we to see dormitories added to schools so the tired 5 and 6 year olds can nap?

I suspect the Childminder Agencies will want to tender for the new extended school hours. How will parents feel about their children's care being put out to tender?

Children will end up being in school for longer than their parents are at work. What sort of childhood is that.

Unbelievable? no. The DfE said it intended to amend the regulations in April, with a view to introducing the new regulations in September.