Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

To ask why Childrens Centres have a 'bad rep'?

89 replies

stqueen · 22/10/2015 21:50

I try to do as many activities with my young DD as possible, some of which have been at the heavily promoted (by MW & HV) local children's centre - which incidentally is a brand new building, great facilities etc.

We attended a 6-week baby yoga course which, prior to my HV informing me about it, I was going to do elsewhere at cost. This course was free & high quality (good teaching, age appropriate etc.) Having a chat with the tutor at the end this weeks session, I asked why more people don't attend (tutor mentioned take up rates for some other sessions is low also). I think there was capacity for 10 per session but only 4-6 attend, it varies week by week. I was told unfortunately many CCs have a stigma attached & (not my words) a 'bad reputation'. This was met with knowing nods from some of the other mums. The conversation then swiftly moved on.

The reason the HV apparently promote these centres & their activities so heavily is because they may be closed if they don't get certain levels of usage.

So, AIBU for asking why the bloody hell these places have a so called stigma attached? I cannot see why this would be the case - they offer some great sessions for all age groups, nice facilities, experienced staff.

OP posts:

honkinghaddock · 23/10/2015 12:39

They are funded to provide help to specific groups of people and the bulk of their work should be with those people. I don't want to take my disabled child to a universal group.

MidnightRed · 23/10/2015 12:39

I lost sympathy for our CC when they went out of their way to make life difficult for a lovely, longstanding, church run playgroup that was very popular. The church group was on at the same time as one of their uptight stay and play sessions. Unsurprisingly, few attended the CC group, preferring to go to the church one instead. The CC basically bullied the lovely women who ran the group into changing the time so that the two didn't clash. Not unreasonable in itself but the CC staff were very unpleasant about it. I had little to do with them after that.

BertieBotts · 23/10/2015 12:45

Lemon no it might just be that they're not very technologically savvy - mine wasn't. One of them had a PDF timetable on their website and they rarely updated it. The others just had the address on theirs. Because none of them knew how to update it and most were a bit scared of computers, and anyway, they didn't really have time to work it out (which is fair enough!)

Phone them up or drop in and ask what's available. They are open to all and so they should be. There shouldn't be any ghettoisation going on. They CAN open invitation-only sessions if they aren't attracting enough of a mix. If they are not doing this then it points to bad management, not a failure of the system.

Lemonfizzypop · 23/10/2015 13:11

Ah great thanks Bertie, yeah I guess they have better things to spend time/money on than swanky websites, I'm just used to everything being internet accessible! I'll give them a call, I have a friend who uses her local one a lot so would be really keen to see what they offer. Seems like a good way to mix with the local community too! I don't know anyone round here despite living here 4 years!

aquashiv · 23/10/2015 13:18

Our local SS is gone now but it was brilliant when it opened and the kids small - lovely well trained practitioners. I have never heard anything but positive things about he place though. They didn't let you drink coffee near the kids incase you dropped it on them but that was the only thing anyone every could complain about.

mrscee · 23/10/2015 13:27

Our local children centre saved me when had 6 week old twins and I'd just moved to the area, it's where I made all my mum friends and I got to speak to people in the same boat as me. I was such a great support and I think I would have gone crazy if it wasn't for their support.

TheBitchOfDestiny · 23/10/2015 13:52

there was a thread on here about a lady who was told she couldn't drink from the bottle of diet coke she had with her as they had a healthy eating policy. Fuck that shit

that was me tatty I remember posting about it in outrage

Aliceinwonderlust · 23/10/2015 14:45

No sock bit further south :)

TheIncomparableDejahThoris · 23/10/2015 15:21

I attended a stay-and-play at one for months for the good of the children. But my lord, I hated the place.

Strike 1: every session we had to fill in a form with our names, addresses, date-of-birth, both parents' employment status and finally, right at the end, a very detailed section on disability. I gave an invisible disability, but I don't tell every Tom, Dick and Harry about it. The first time I had this form, I got to the end, thought, "fuck it!" and left that bit blank and handed it in.

Five minutes later a member of staff came up to me in the middle of the room and said in a loud voice, clearly audible to all, "you've not filled in the disability section" and handed the form back to me.

I thought the standard of care provided by staff in the crèche facility was diabolical, so I never did any of the courses. Not that I was approached in person about any of the more interesting courses. Just the level 1 English Literacy. Repeatedly.

TheIncomparableDejahThoris · 23/10/2015 15:23

*I have, not I gave.

FFS, should have gone to that literacy course, eh?

Original poster

stqueen · 23/10/2015 22:01

Thanks all for your responses. From reading through I feel grateful I have access to two very good CCs nearby & I intend to continue visiting & attending groups. As a poster up thread has mentioned, the notion that MC mums don't need support is rubbish. I am certainly not high risk, in need or vulnerable but I struggled badly in the first 6 weeks of DD being born - crying every day, beyond exhausted, symptoms of PND, no family support (although DH & friends were fab) etc. Although I don't attribute the CC to feeling better (that came as I adjusted!), they have been a godsend in making me feel I'm not alone, what I felt was normal.

Seems like CCs vary widely from area to area though.

OP posts:

RueDesTroisFreres · 23/10/2015 22:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Dionysuss · 23/10/2015 22:26

I have several near me. I went to a baby massage with ds when he was little at one centre. It was based in a school, there was a waiting list to get on the course and there was a variety of different people who went. We were told at the end of each session there was a Hv in the office if anyone wanted to weigh their DC or have a chat. The staff were nice and friendly and I really enjoyed doing it.

At another centre I went to a baby sensory session. There was a desk on the other side of the room and Hv were watching everything. It was total silence. One sat down with us and started asking very personal questions. It was almost like they were looking for issues. Because I look young I 'must be finding it tough' and was asked where dh was. ( I'm 28 and dh was at work!) another was asked if she claims income support and was she depressed. A few people upped and left. I haven't been back.

LouieLou2013 · 23/10/2015 23:10

Ours is brilliant. Did all the classes etc for a fraction of the price you would pay normally. Ours is based in a mainly social housing estate but attracts people from all kinds of backgrounds. They had to have 97% of families in a large area registered to meet a funding target, this is why they are so keen to take names and addresses.

DS goes to the nursery now which is made up of 50% funded places and has an ofstead excellent rating. It's streets ahead of the chain nursery he was previously at.

Flip

1 2 3 4