*What has made the greatest contribution to your child’s development in their early years?
My children both attended early education sessions at our local children's centre through universal services. Genuinely caring, experienced and knowledgeable staff who built positive relationships with them and me were invaluable. Learning through play, spending quality time and making them feel loved, valued and accepted were what both I and these staff put our energies into. I wouldn't change a thing.
What support could the government give you as a parent to improve their learning and development at home?
As a Mother I felt expected to work full time, parent full time, educate full time, provide unbroken attention to my children, keep a clean and well run home, provide nutritious home cooked meal all the time, take the children to endless activities, engage with the school/childcare etc etc. Their Father feels much the same. Perhaps the government could make it easier for parents to actually be at home during their children's early years in order to improve their learning and development without killing themselves.
*What would you like to see in the government’s workforce strategy for early years education – do childminders and nursery staff need greater training to deliver healthy development? Do they need specific qualifications?
I now work in the children's centre my children once attended. I would like to see the government increase staff to child ratios. You want quality provision, well qualified staff, creative, well resourced and well planned activities... but you also want it on a shoe string.
I work in a pre-school room. 24 children with 3 staff, some of those children are vulnerable, some have SN. The workforce want exactly the same things for Early Education as the government does. In reality I can barely get out of the room for a glass of water much less plan or resource activities. Heaven forbid that a child should fall over or have a toileting accident. What happens when overworked and stressed staff start dropping like flies? (It's chaos by the way).
You seem to want Early Years Settings to run like schools. I should plan like a teacher, assess and test like a teacher, run the room like a teacher and engage in personal development like a teacher. But I'm not paid like a teacher... no...I get minimum wage. If you want a decent workforce pay a decent wage.
*Do we need a syllabus or targets in early years education? Would you support testing or any other measures to gauge attainment?
I was under the impression that we had the EYFS, syllabus and targets no? We already assess, three times a year, and tailor support and activities etc. accordingly. We don't need to 'test' 2, 3 and 4 years olds for heavens sake.
You need to be aware that some (although by no means all) of the children who come to us as two year olds don't know how to sit at a table, or drink from an open cup. Many have speech and communication difficulties, some don't even know how to play. Some of these children have a long, long road to travel to catch up with their peers.
It's not about gauging attainment its about children making progress. That looks different for every one of them. You don't pass or fail at being a person you know.