Webcams in Nurseries

[Masuda]

I am a grandmother aged 70 and I have been watching my one year old granddaughter playing at her nursery school in Tokyo by means of a webcam discretely placed in the nursery. My daughter-in-law tells me the access name and password which changes monthly. The joy of being able to see her is wonderful but apart from that I think it is an idea worth considering from the point of view of reassurance that children are well looked after and also, sadly, because of recent events it could be useful in surveillance/monitoring of the nursery workers.

I have also written to the BBC You and Yours programme suggesting they might include the subject on one of their programmes.

I love the website and I wish it had been around hen I was a young mum with three grandchildren but it is very useful now I have six grandchildren, two in Norway, two in Japan and one and a half in the UK!!!

I realise how much pleasure it gives you to watch your GD, but don't really see the point of having a camera to keep an eye on the staff. That suggestion is actually very insulting to those of us who do work in nurseries.
I don't need surveillance or monitoring, thank you very much. I am a highly trained, very experienced professional.

Sorry, I think this is an awful idea. What would it be like for the staff To be constantly watched? And it would be practically impossible as a parent watching for a few minutes to understand and interpret what's going on.

I think its a good idea, but not for monitoring the staff, just for being able to see the child

It is used for nurseries in the UK as mine uses one, and its nice for me to be able to log in and see what she is doing

I wouldnt think of it as a method of checking up on the staff, if I had any real concerns about them, she wouldnt be there, they are fab

You do forget they're there after a while, but it's still not that nice a feeling when you remember that there could be somebody watching your every move.

And do parents just watch their own children? Or do they sit back with a bag of popcorn while another child has a 'moment'? How secure are they from naughty people baring in mind that the Pentagon gets hacked into dozens of times a day?

I do not like them Sam I Am.

I am so sorry if I offended nursery staff and this was not my intention as those who are doing a terrific job would have no worry at all. In my experience with my own children and with my grandchildren all of the staff I came in contact with have been, without exception, exemplary. Unfortunately there have been a few incidences in our country where nursery staff have not been so trustworthy and sadly have committed crimes against children. My only thoughts are that having a webcam might deter those people from applying for the jobs in the first place. It's not always possible at interview stage and with checks on CV's etc., to determine definitively the true character of applicants as has been shown in the few cases of crimes against children which have come into the public domain.

I know it is not relevant on this website but webcams might also be useful in care homes for the elderly, again for the reasons I mentioned above.

Webcams still wouldn't have stopped the incidents where children have been abused in nurseries because the abuse has taken place during nappy changing times and not in front of other members of staff. If somebody wants to abuse a child they will find a way. I don't think that having cameras watching every intimate detail of a child's day at nursery is the answer. For a child, having a nappy changed is a very intimate moment and not one that should be broadcast over the internet for all and sundry to see.

One and a half grandchildren in the UK? How does that work?

I don't really like them, because suppose a parent logs on for a quick look between jobs at work and picks the exact moment that their child is in floods or tears, or being hit over the head with a toy by another child, or being put somewhere to have some 'thinking' time. How will that parent feel for the rest of the day?

Our nursery manager said this is becoming more prevalent over here already. Apparently nurseries get them in to cover their backs, then sell the idea to parents as a way for them to keep an eye on their children.

The parents are often charged a small fee, to cover the costs of installing/running the system. She was very against them, and tbh I would be inclined to agree with her.

I don't think I'd like it. For a start, DD is slow to warm up, as I am, and I know it takes a while for her to join in. If I dropped her off, drove the hour and a bit to work, logged in and saw she was still floating about a bit on her own, I'd be devastated and want to go and get her. It wouldn't do me any good at all.