What the F are people supposed to do?

[Babooshka1991]

We know that due to the cost of living fees are going up 10%+ next year. I'm wondering how on earth people who need childcare will manage.

I'm on maternity leave and saved to cover this period, but we expected our incomes to cover expenses when I return to work. I've not had a pay rise and it doesn't look like I will (my employer says they can't afford it). Partner is self employed and bookings are looking crap next year, we think due to the cost of living and people having less disposable. Mortgage is expensive, all our bills, food and petrol costs have gone up allot. We won't have enough coming in to cover basic expenses. When we decided to have a baby we just didn't expect all this. It's impossible. I'm feeling stressed and anxious every day now and keep crying.

Sorry @CakeCrumbs44 not sure what happened there. Should read 'I am planning on going back full time anyway'.

Same as what everyone else has to do in times of financial downturn unfortunately …tighten the belt. At least you sound as if you are on the ball with financial planning so you’ll have to go through and see where things can be cut down. Agree that if hubbys s/e isn’t bringing it in he’ll need to find other income or help with childcare or possibly even both. Look at childminders, they might be a bit cheaper and flexible than a nursery. I would suggest trying to sell unwanted/ surplus items but everyone’s in the same boat so you might not get much for them. Look on childcare choices website to see what help you get with that.

Hi. I'm a mum of 3 and I'm helping a campaign group to get proper government funding for early years education. I really worry that when we talk all the time about affordable childcare, that we're not being aspirational for our children. Thé group is called Early Years Equality and they're really working hard for parents and the sector, and trying to get Pregnant then Screwed on board to change the term childcare. The Early Years Sector really hate it because it makes them sound like they're just babysitters. They're on FB, Insta, Twitter etc. Please support them as they're all volunteers! ☺️

What?

Write to your MP. Early Years is totally underfunded. Make sure you call it ECEC (Early Childhood Education and Care). The government thinks it is paying for babysitters and will continue to underfund it while it's called 'childcare'. Other countries with good Early Years offerings have abandoned the term.

@rightsforunderfives I agree we should be aspirational for young children. I had a look at the front page of the campaign group but it seemed focused on funding and business rates etc. Clearly funding matters if you are to be able to employ highly qualified and experienced staff. In Finland early educators have an undergraduate degree and many have gained a Masters; is the group looking to promote graduate led settings for the early years?

As part of the start up campaign, that's very much part of what I am passionate about. I feel that if children are placed at the centre of decisions rather than parent-pleasing then we may get somewhere. I have a masters in EYE, and both trained as a Montessori teacher and NNEB. It's increasingly hard to get good staff. The 'childcare' narrative is offensive to many of us. My 13 year old son could do 'childcare'. He certainly couldn't do my job!!

I completely disagree with the previous posters.

under 5s do not need educating, they need looking after in a fun and meaningful way which creates significantly less paperwork and admin for the providers We need to ensure that children who have SEN or safeguarding issues are correctly identified, but it’s not going to be cheaper by putting more statutory duties onto already overworked pre-school providers.

we need to reduce admin, increase ratios and just ensure children are looked after well by providers. There is plenty of time for academic learning when they get to school at 4.
these learning journals are utterly cumbersome and unnecessary.

Education doesn't mean formal learning. There's a lot of importance in what happens in the EY sector. The learning journals don't contribute to learning whatsoever, I totally agree. However, understanding attachment, and the huge growth in brain development up to the age of 5 (25% - 90% from birth to age 5) offers huge opportunity for language, creativity and the way that children view the world. Their future mental health is entirely dependent upon their experience at this age, and it's no coincidence that the mental health of teenagers is on the floor. Children shouldn't be doing academic learning at 4. They're not ready. Formal learning shouldn't take place until they're about 7, as in many Scandinavian countries. 4 is ridiculous. (BTW, I have an MA in Early Years - knowing what I know, I would want the most qualified people looking after my children the younger they are). It is totally unacceptable to allow unqualified young girls to be working with very small children.

"their future mental health is entirely dependent upon their experience at this age"

Entirely? Really? Not on anything else whatsoever that happens in life after that age?

That's not true, is it.

Stop scaring parents who are stressed enough as it
is.

It is actually true. There's a lot of research about it. Of course other things can happen to affect people, but a child's ability to build healthy relationships and robust mental health is entirely dependent on a child's experience at this age. I'm sorry if this scares you. It needs to scare a lot more people to be honest. Especially the government and those determined to palm their kids off as cheaply as possible. It's beyond doubt a disaster waiting to happen.

It doesn't scare me, it's daft. No one can deny that this age is hugely important and formative developmentally, and children need careful nurturing, but it's wrong, hyperbolic and dangerous to say that NOTHING that happens after the age of 4 impacts someone's mental health. Surely you must understand this? Seriously, please say you do?

Either you've written it down wrong in your post, or you don't understand what you've read. It's so untrue as to be utterly laughable.

FWIW my kids don't go to childcare so I've no skin in the game but I can't let this go unchallenged. I don't think you'll accept you're wrong, though, so im out. You're welcome to your opinion but don't pass it off as fact. All the best.

Okay back briefly because I forgot to flag your delightful comment "palm their kids off". Such incredible ignorance. Interesting username, BTW. No agenda there, then...

Of course things can happen after they turn 4 that can deeply affect them. If you read John Bowlby or any theorist you would know that brain development is at its greatest during this time. I don't know why you find this so triggering. Or the fact that I think rights for under fives are important. Surely you do too? Doesn't everyone? And I'm sorry if you think 'palming children off' is offensive - you clearly don't value any kind of Early Years experience so I don't really understand this either.