Call for Evidence – Support for Childcare and the Early Years
Michelle Winters
Childminder
Childcare Entitlements
As a Childminder, I have found that the parents value the current tax-free childcare system. I don’t think it is particularly well advertised to parents and I often need to signpost them to www.childcarechoices.gov.uk and it can be difficult to find me on their system as I am a Childminder. However, once they have registered the parents always comment on how much difference it makes to the overall costs of childcare. The money always comes promptly into my account once the parents make the transfer. I find it a much easier system for myself as a provider as I don’t need to do anything. However, it might get complicated for early years providers if parents forget to make the transfer, this then can be time consuming if the provider needs to chase up for the payment.
The “free” funded 15-30 hours is a popular choice for many parents. However, receiving the funded hours through the council can sometimes become complicated. I think it is unfair that early year providers have the extra administrative burden of inputting children’s data so that families can access funded childcare. I think many childminders find it a needlessly complicated and time-consuming system. I have received payments late due to administrative errors and then have to spend time chasing up with the council. Another area that could be updated is the 30 hours funded places which involve eligibility codes, this also adds an administrative burden to childminders, especially if parents forget to update the eligibility code. I don’t think it should be the providers job to chase up parents to remind them to update their eligibility code. This extra administrative burden and the low hourly rates discourages many childminders from offering the funded hours.
I think childcare could be much better funded and be either “free” to all children from 0-5 years old or be more heavily subsidised through the tax-free childcare system. Providers should be given a decent hourly rate through the funded hours as £4.30 per hour is not a decent rate of pay for early years settings. Many childminders are having to ask parents to top up the extra costs as the paltry hourly funded rates are unsustainable. Many childminders refuse to offer the funded hours as the rate is so low and the system time consuming and complicated. I think advertisement regarding childcare funding could be improved to make parents more aware of what is available and the system could be made much easier for both parents and providers. As the payment system is so fragmented at the moment and confusing for everyone, I think a central system like the current tax-free childcare system might ease the administrative burden for providers and encourage parents to access funded hours.
Early Years Provision
Childminding is a wonderful and extremely rewarding profession. Many childminders chose this career as it means they can be self-employed while at the same time providing childcare for their own children when young. Childminders provide a unique home away from home early years setting, where most young children thrive best with a consistent and caring practitioner who knows the child and family very well. A childminder is a wonderful addition to the local community. Childminders, myself included are also often highly trained early years practitioners and many early years teachers decide to become childminders themselves. We follow the EYFS and are Ofsted inspected so have to follow the same standards as all early years settings. We attend many courses to develop within this field, often we attend these courses in our own time. All the childminders I have met are professional, knowledgeable and extremely dedicated individuals. However, during the Covid-19 lockdown I felt nothing but demoralised and overlooked as a professional putting myself and my own family at risk by continuing to offer childcare to keyworker families. As I recently returned to self-employment I could not access the grants to support me financially. It was a very difficult time and reminded me that childminders are often at the very bottom of the heap in early years when it comes to acknowledgement and appreciation and that’s saying something as early years in general is often overlooked, undervalued and underpaid. I think this is because like nurses we are a predominantly female and caring profession and sadly this isn’t valued or top of the government agenda.
The huge barrier to people especially young people joining the early years profession is the low pay and low status earned. Morale is often low and qualified early years practitioners often feel undervalued and overworked. Early years is the most critical time in a child’s life and early year settings are the pillars of our community, meaning that parents can return to work. This must be reflected in decent pay, decent hours, decent working conditions free from bullying, free training and a change in how this predominantly female profession is viewed by society and our government as a whole.
In my experience the early years system does an amazing job of preparing children for school and as stated by Maria Montessori It is not just about preparing children for school but about “preparing them for life”. As a childminder I find the barrier in preparing children for school isn’t that we aren’t giving children the skills required it is that often schools will not liaise with us as they don’t appreciate our role as professional early years practitioners. Again, this must come down to promoting better awareness and appreciation of the role of early years practitioners, both nursery practitioners and childminders who all in my experience do an amazing job at preparing children for school.
As a childminder I find training and support regarding SEND isn’t brilliant and this could be improved including more SEND advisers that can come into the setting to support Childminders when looking after children with SEND. Another difficulty is getting the support early and getting parents and other professionals on board to listen to early years practitioners when they flag up concerns about a child. As a childminder if a parent isn’t prepared to accept that their child needs additional support and the assessment and support isn’t in place then it can be a very challenging, daunting and lonely place for that childminder trying to provide the best care that they can. I don’t think a family or childminder should have to wait for an assessment from a health professional before their concerns are taken seriously. SEND advisers should come into the setting and support and provide resources and funding to help as soon as possible. The adviser should also liaise with the families and other health professionals to ensure the childminder is being taken seriously. Access to free courses regarding SEND for all early years settings and more SEND advisers to support early years settings would be a great benefit for everyone concerned.
I think it was hugely detrimental to society when the government reduced Sure Start Children’s Centres, especially for families living in deprived areas. I personally think they should be brought back. I don’t understand the role of Family Hubs and not sure how well accessed they are by families in deprived areas.
In my personal opinion I strongly believe the way forward for the early years sector is:
1) Better funding for families with children 0-5 years old with a straightforward central payment system for both families and providers. This should be well advertised especially in deprived areas and easy for families and providers to set up. This might also include better maternity and paternity pay with father’s considered fairly alongside mothers.
2) Funding is fair and consistent for all providers around the country and meets the costs of running an effective early years setting. Consultation groups are set up with providers in each county to discuss acceptable funding rates.
3) Greater awareness and respect for the early years and the crucial and extremely important role early years practitioners play in this most important phase of a child’s life. This includes much better awareness of the role of childminders particularly in government, the education sector and in society. Supporting and encouraging men to join the early years profession so it isn’t viewed as predominantly a female work force.
4) Free or low cost early years courses including SENCO, communication and language and early years undergraduate and postgraduate courses to support practitioners to develop within their profession. Early years MA courses should be better funded so that knowledgeable professionals can be trained further to support early years settings, whether through managerial, research or advisory job roles. There should be a central database of all the courses offered to make it easier to access and find training.
5) Better pay and working conditions for early years practitioners with a code of conduct for how staff should be treated.
6) Start up grants for childminders setting up their businesses.
7) Training and employment of SEND advisers (also advisers specialised in supporting communication and language development) who regularly support and attend early years settings, particularly childminders who can be very isolated with limited support – this might be done through setting up childminder agencies with a focus on support rather than inspection.
8) Bring back Sure Start Children’s Centres, especially in deprived areas.